Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.
People who know me know how strongly I feel about voting. It is a privilege and a responsibility. It’s a right that I feel really passionate about and have since I was first able to vote (which I just realized was 40 years ago!). It may be because my grandmothers were born without this right; one of them was born in the United States in 1915, so she grew into it, while the other left a difficult, war-torn world to realize the American dream for her children and the generations that have followed. I can’t forget that the right to vote was not automatic for them.
There is no federal law that provides any time off of work to vote. The majority of states have some laws about voting leave, and fortunately it’s getting easier and easier to cast a ballot without waiting in long lines at a polling place on a single day. California employers need to allow employees sufficient time to vote in statewide elections, which can be at the beginning or end of the work day. Up to 2 hours of that “sufficient time” must be paid. Other states have different requirements, but the spirit of the laws is generally pretty similar: encourage employees to exercise their right without any negative impact on their employment.
So, voting is one thing, but politics is something else entirely. First, remember that employers can’t take action against employees based on their political beliefs or activities. “Belief” is a feeling or a state of mind, so it’s easy to see that we want to avoid turning into the Thought Police (and we came right back to 1984!).
What are “activities”? Behavior or actions of a particular kind. So here’s where it gets tougher. Talking about what is obvious to one person, may be “political” to someone else. I’m reminded of someone who said that manners matter because they show respect, kindness and compassion for others. If talking about politics (or religion, or money, or whatever) makes a fellow employee or client or vendor uncomfortable, that’s unkind. That may be a bit harsh, as there are definitely times when we have to get uncomfortable to learn, change and grow. But, if the discomfort isn’t related to work, continue that conversation elsewhere.
Here’s the conversation I would have: how wonderful is it that we have the freedom and the right to vote? I am so grateful to all of those who struggled to give me this privilege. I’m going to go use it!
And finally, the end of the year is coming up quickly. CLICK HERE for the early version of our 2024 checklist. It will be updated and sent again in December. Want to get a head start? We can help.
To your success,
Jonna, Lisa, Suzanne, Lisha, Karen, Christina & Linda