Politics is a sensitive topic in the workplace – especially these days, when national controversy swirls around every tweet. And mama always said to stay away from discussions about money, religion, and politics.
Employees and business owners frequently avoid the subject in the office, but it is time to break the taboo. The Greenville Chamber encourages all Upstate businesses and their employees to get involved in the political process. The first step is Tuesday by encouraging your employees to vote and giving them time off to do so.
Why? A politically engaged and active Upstate is good for the economy, and higher turnout at the polls means a healthier political process.
Elected officials have a direct impact on business. In South Carolina, the unelected boards and commissions that are appointed by your elected officials (planning and zoning commissions, sewer commissions, Greenlink board) have an even more direct impact.
Local issues have a much bigger impact on your daily business life than the national headlines we spend so much of our time arguing about on social media or watching on evening television.
- A business’ daily operations are far more negatively impacted by the congestion on Pelham or Woodruff roads than a migrant caravan in Mexico.
- Spending a few hours advocating for more local support for our transit system – the one that helps the employees who run our booming, tax-generating, hospitality and tourism industry – would be far more useful than spending those hours arguing the 14th Amendment from behind a keyboard.
Get out and vote. Get your employees out to vote. Get their families out to vote. Make a difference Tuesday.
Prepared by the Greenville Chamber of Commerce.