Why I’m Giving My Employees Volunteer Time Off for the Election
Friends, colleagues, fellow business owners and leaders:
We find ourselves in another important election season and I am yet again reflecting on my pledge to use business as a force for good. In 2018, Idealist Consulting pledged to give our employees the day off on election day and encouraged fellow business leaders to do the same.
This year, we feel an urgency to step up further and examine the specific ways we are driving change and believing in impact — core values at Idealist Consulting. After careful consideration, Idealist Consulting decided to adjust company recognition of election day to maximize each employee’s capacity for civic engagement. In light of the fact that Oregon is a mail-in ballot state, which means employee votes will have already been cast by election day, Idealist is awarding each full time employee an additional 8 hours of volunteer time off (VTO) for the expressed purpose of civic engagement in advance of the election instead of closing on election day.
We are challenging all our employees to utilize these 8 VTO hours in advance of election day to get involved in get out the vote efforts, social equity causes, or another civic engagement activity of their choice. For employees unable to volunteer their time, Idealist Consulting is making a donation to a certified 501c3 of their choice.
At Idealist we are committed to energizing and exercising our democratic privilege — during this key election year and always. We hope you will join us in finding creative ways to encourage involvement, support action in yourself and others, and drive change.
Sincerely,
Rob Jordan
CEO & Founder, Idealist Consulting
