This post originally appeared on Forbes on October 31, 2024.
According to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, 43% of employers provide paid leave for their workers to vote. Given that 35% of non-voters said that the reason they didn't vote was that there was a scheduling conflict with work or school, you'd think more companies would be inclined to make voting more accessible. There are plenty of benefits for businesses that do so, as well.
Jennifer Benz, a senior vice president and the communication lead at Segal Benz — which is a national leader in HR communication — discusses these benefits, alternatives people can use to take time to vote if their company doesn't provide paid leave, and the increasingly tricky line companies walk of what to say to their people during a heated election cycle.
Elections naturally bring with them a unique sort of stress. According to NPR, 7 out of 10 Americans say that the future of the country is a significant sort of stress. "The benefits of offering leave to vote are that more people have the opportunity to vote, but it removes a lot of stress for that situation because it's not always the easiest for people to take the time to vote, and it's not always a short and simple process," says Benz.
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