How Restaurants Build Olympic Strong Culture by Making It Easy for Employees to Vote

Imagine it is one month from today: The voting part of this election has (thankfully and finally) ended – even if the counting part may just be beginning.

Whichever candidates or political party you support, you can do the right thing for your country, your company, and your people by offering your employees flexible scheduling or paid time off either during the early voting period in your state or on Tuesday, November 3.

Make it easy for them to vote.

This would be good to do in any more typical year – to bolster your culture, connect closely with your team, and erect a giant billboard about your guiding principle of support both for our country and the people who serve your thrilled guests every day.

It’s even more important in 2020.

This year, through no fault of their own, many of your workers have endured a furlough or layoff, and/or identified themselves as superhero essential workers who have been asked to feed people and provide them respite during a risky, frightening, and confusing pandemic.  

It’s Time to Give Back

Follow the lead taken by companies like Starbucks, &pizza, and Sweetgreen.  
Make employee participation in the election user friendly.

Give them time off or paid time to vote.

Act as a good citizen, not as a partisan.  

One resource to consider is Time To Vote. 

Everything Looks Different Now

Living through this crisis has changed the way the best operators work with employees, and given cause to go to 11 and amplify the width and depth of the ways operators appreciate their employees.

I have talked with so many restaurateurs about this, from the people already exemplary in culture and connection, to others who (frankly) never saw their lifelong deficit in this area – they just heard the alarm after March of this year, and saw the value of getting better at it.

Reap the huge benefit of showing your people an act of appreciation and connection by offering them time off or paid time to vote early or on Election Day.

Over to you. How will you work with your managers, accounting department, and HR people to make this happen? When will you announce this to your team?