As tomorrow is Election Day, I thought I’d share a few tips for employers to keep in mind.
1st: Please don’t tell your employees for whom to vote. It may or may not be illegal (depending on your state), but it is certainly a terrible HR practice.
2nd: Ohio law requires that employers provide all employees a reasonable amount of time off to vote on Election Day. Deny employees that right, or punish them for exercising it, at your risk. Better yet, embrace the Time to Vote movement, and implement policies (like paid time off) to encourage your employees to vote.
Finally: After the election is over, think about how we heal at work. Some thoughts (care of The Wall Street Journal): providing meeting space for employees to talk after the election, offering supervisors and managers sample language for opening up a constructive dialogue with employees, and playing soothing music to distract employees from political headlines.
Bonus: While you’re voting, don’t forget to cast your ballot for the Worst Employer of 2018.
End of public service announcement.