According to Fischer and Phillips LLP, in a list of top eight election years dos and don’ts for employers based on the professional experience of nationally recognized labor and employment law experts:

• Do evaluate motives.
• Do remain neutral and comply with state laws.
• Do ensure policies are objectively developed and enforced.
• Do monitor political discussion.
• Don’t push for the goal agendas.
• Don’t criticize, joke or jab.
• Don’t solicit funds.
• And last but not least, don’t gloat.

Insight on Coaching guest Tiffany Adams from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) was quick to point out an important point missing from this list – don’t endorse a candidate when you are working in conjunction with a voter registration drive.

The majority of our guests emphasized the main role employers can play is helping to enable the voting process among employees by:

Essentially, as an employer you should serve as an advocate and enabler of the voting process.

In terms of the most important point to keep in mind, Tiffany also stressed the importance of remaining completely nonpartisan.  For example if you’re an employer who is participating in a voter registration drive, you should not provide any information about candidates.

Dana Walsh, a Republican candidate running for the 8th California District congressional seat, added a great point as well.  For many of us, the best way to get motivated is to get more involved in the local community first.

I found myself nodding at this – it’s exactly what encouraged me to get more and more involved in politics.  For me, what started out as volunteering at a small event in San Francisco gradually led into a position on the Human Rights Campaign National Board of Governors.

How can employers help? 

Provide information to employees on what’s going on in their own backyards, and encourage them to get involved in their local communities.

Tom Floyd
CEO
IEC: Insight Educational Consulting
Specializing in Change Management, Workforce Performance, and Employee Development

Getting Workers Out to Vote 2008

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According to a March 7, 2004 article in USA Today, since 1972, when the voting age was dropped to 18, young people have been increasingly disinterested in casting a ballot for president.  Turnout hit an all-time low in 2000 when an estimated 42% of voters 18 to 24-years-old went to the polls.  That compares with 70% of adults 25 and older who voted that year, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, based at the University of Maryland. 

Now the study, which was based on surveys, included a profile of what researchers called “Generation dot net” which was respondents ages 15 to 25.  They found that the younger generation was indeed politically disengaged. 

• Only 24% of dot net said that they followed government and public affairs very often, compared with 60% of elderly voters, 50% of baby boomers and 37% of Gen Xers. 
• Researchers also found the youngest group were the most distrustful with 70% agreeing with the statement that most people will take advantage of you. 

On this week’s Insight on Coaching show, I asked if some generations were more inclined to vote than others.  While our guests pointed out that voting numbers tended to be higher within the Baby Boomer generation, our panel’s point of view differed from the USA Today article.

In addition to discussing the role Baby Boomers can play in engaging younger workers in the workplace, Donna Karlin pointed out that many Millenials are drawn to causes and are inclined to take an active role in championing them. As Millenials aka “Generation Y” are moving into leadership positions, many naturally speak their minds and express their concerns on issues.

What does this mean for you as an employer? 

When trying to motivate younger works to get involved in the voting process, encourage them to champion the issues they’re passionate about, and remind them of their role in making a difference for both themselves and the global environment in which we all live.

Tom Floyd
CEO
IEC: Insight Educational Consulting
Specializing in Change Management, Workforce Performance, and Employee Development

Getting Workers Out to Vote 2008

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2004 Presidential election, there were 32 million people who reported they were not registered to vote. The top two reasons for not registering were being uninterested in politics or missing the registration deadline. 

• Of the 142 million people who reported that they were registered to vote, 16 million did not vote in the 2004 presidential election.
• Of these registered nonvoters, reasons ranged from too busy or conflicting work or school schedules (20%); illness, disability or family emergency (15%); not interested or felt their vote would not make a difference (11%); and 10% did not like the candidates or the issues.

This year’s election is a critical time for our country, and many companies are encouraging their staff to get involved in the political process and vote. 

What are the benefits for promoting social responsibility within the workforce, such as getting employees to become more socially aware and informed?

How are companies and coaches incorporating the value of political awareness and social responsibility into their practices?

Our panel of experts address these questions and more. 

Highlights of the show include:

• Campaign strategies for mobilizing people to vote.
• Why some generations may be more motivated to vote than others.
• Best practices and guidelines employers can use to motivate employees to vote.
• The impact taking a stance on a political issue can have on motivating employees to vote.
• A discussion about the right to free political speech in the workplace.
• How coaches can play a role in helping companies encourage their employees to vote.

Featured Guests:

• Tiffany Adams, Vice-President of Public Affairs of the National Association of Manufacturers
• Barry Hermanson, Green party candidate running for the 12th California District Congressional seat
• Donna Karlin, President of A Better Perspective and Author of Fast Company’s weekly column “Jumping into the Deep End of Leadership”
• Michelle Randall, President of The Juncture Company and Author
• Dana Walsh, Republican candidate running for the 8th California District Congressional seat

Your Insight on Coaching Host,

Tom Floyd
CEO
IEC: Insight Educational Consulting
Specializing in Change Management, Workforce Performance, and Employee Development

Getting Workers Out to Vote 2008

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According to a September 2008 article in Sustained Efforts magazine, author Ann Pace notes that, “GE, HSBC Bank, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Marks & Spencer, Nike, Patagonia, Starbucks, Timberland, Unilever, and Wal-Mart are companies ranked by employees as leaders in sustainability. They exemplify the concept that sustainability must be a core strategy toward which all employees and business processes work.” 

• Wal-Mart creates “sustainable value networks”-processes outlining how to achieve sustainability in areas such as greenhouse gas, alternative fuels, and waste to help integrate sustainable practices into all parts of the business.
• Hewlett-Packard announced it had surpassed its goals for recycling e-waste: Globally, it recycled nearly 250 million pounds of hardware and print cartridges in 2007—a 50% increase over the previous year. And it announced a new goal: to reuse 2 billion pounds of products by the end of 2010.
• Regarding its core values, Unilever states, “The long-term growth and success of our business goes hand in hand with ensuring a sustainable future for the planet and its people.”
• Computer component manufacturer Intel provides a forum to be a part of the sustainability discussion on its corporate responsibility blog.

But if your organization is just beginning to look at best practices from other companies and ways to incorporate sustainable practices, where’s the best place to start?

When I asked this question on our Insight on Coaching show, Burton Hamner said – “with the money.”

According to Burton most companies vastly underestimate how much money it’s costing them to not be green.  An interesting statistic he mentioned that really blew my mind, is for every $1 you can account for in waste, there’s $3 to $4 of unaccounted for costs that are hiding in the overhead.

His recommendation?  Start with the accounting folks in the Finance department.

Often times when working with Finance to do an inventory of costs, people begin to realize that the garbage bill is not what it says on the bill – it’s five times what it says on the bill.

Not only does this help get the attention of the management team, it becomes a foundation for building an overall business case and strategy because these costs can be related to the income statement and balance sheet of the company.

In Burton’s own words “If you can show executives how being green translates into sustainable financial performance line by line through the company’s financial statements, you have a very powerful tool.  If you don’t begin with that process, you have a very difficult time generating the performance measures and quantitative information the organization needs to improve its sustainability efforts.”

Tom Floyd
CEO
IEC: Insight Educational Consulting
Specializing in Change Management, Workforce Performance, and Employee Development

Going Green: Coaching for Social Responsibility

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In an August 16th, 2008 article from Environmental Leader.com titled “Half of U.S. Companies Going Green”, the outlet reports that: “Half (50.8%) of U.S. workers say their company has a significant initiative such as carpooling and recycling, but most report being cynical about their employer’s motivation for going green, citing the American Workplace Poll, conducted by Zogby International and released by The Marlin Company.

What are some of the reasons for this cynicism? 

Many employees worry their employer’s green initiatives are targeted more at cost reduction and positive PR then they are at making a difference in the environment.

The realist in me liked that Brian Back called a spade a spade.  He shared it’s interesting to see almost every company proclaiming some sort of green strategy.  But when it comes down to it, not many of them are doing a whole lot.  

Why is this important?  Well many of us want to see our employers’ “talk the talk, and walk the walk.”

How can companies overcome this cynicism? 

Burton Hamner shared it’s really about involving employees in the conversation, and finding out what they would like to see as a result of company sponsored green initiatives.

Additionally, Burton suggested looking at what motivates various groups within the workplace, and addressing those motivations within company green programs.  

For example for many managers, one of the things that motivates them is less and less overtime. 

When speaking to managers about a specific initiative, talk to them about how it will save them time.  When managers start to understand that reducing waste through better efficiency means less hassle for them and less hours staying late – they’ll naturally respond well to that. 

Your Insight on Coaching Host,

Tom Floyd
CEO
IEC: Insight Educational Consulting
Specializing in Change Management, Workforce Performance, and Employee Development

Going Green: Coaching for Social Responsibility

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Our Insight on Coaching show on social responsibility definitely started off with a bang.  Kicking off our conversation, Brian Back brought up great points about the phrase “going green” itself.

His point: the phrase “going green” is not well defined, and can mean different things to different companies.

When I asked him to share what going green means to him, he said most companies view it as a strategy focused on energy efficiency and energy conservation.  Because both are issues every division within a company can relate to, it’s easy for many organizations to hone in only on the aspects of efficiency and conversation.  

Examples can include:

• Electrical power from clean renewable sources
• Green buildings
• Reusable water
• Waste reduction

However Brian and several other guests also highlighted the phrase is used by some companies for branding purposes, thrown around like a mantra and touted as an ivory tower vision – but lacking a tangible strategy backed by quantifiable goals and plans tied to the company’s core business strategy.

In terms of how to take the green concept from fluffy idea to core business strategy, Karlin Sloan had fantastic insight as well.  When thinking about what going green means for an organization, it’s important for many companies to think holistically.  She stressed it shouldn’t just be viewed as one program, like recycling. 

Upon doing some of my own research, many articles and other sources say the same. 

For example according to the May 22nd, 2008 edition of USA Today, in an article titled “Companies Discover Going Green Pays Off”, writer Ed Iwata says “A growing wave of companies in all sectors — technology, financial services, energy, retail, manufacturing — are embracing environmentally safe practices and saving hundreds of millions of dollars, according to corporate leaders and an environmental group’s report Tuesday.  SunPower, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Patagonia, Ikea, Nike, Hewlett-Packard, UPS, Yahoo, and others are using green practices in their work sites, in product development and packaging, in energy-saving data centers and other technology, according to a report by the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund.”

In summary – it’s important for companies to view going green as an end-to-end initiative, encompassing every element of the business from the overall supply chain to how the office runs to sourcing sustainable resources.

Tom Floyd
CEO
IEC: Insight Educational Consulting
Specializing in Change Management, Workforce Performance, and Employee Development

Going Green: Coaching for Social Responsibility

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