Over 70 businesses, including Virgin, Paramount, Rugby Players’ Association and Patagonia, have pledged to give their staff the time they need to participate in tomorrow’s UK general election, in order to encourage democratic engagement.
The pledge, Time To Vote, is a non-partisan, business-led initiative to ensure no-one in the UK has to choose between working and voting. In the most recent UK local elections in May, the number one barrier to voting for working age people was their work schedule.[1]
More than 70 companies are involved, including: Ben & Jerry’s, Ecotricity, the Fairtrade Foundation, Lucky Saint, Oatly, Patagonia, Paramount, Rugby Players’ Association, Tony’s Chocolonely and Virgin. The businesses cover consumer goods, services, travel, media and energy, among other areas.
The pledge is simple: businesses give employees time to vote to promote democratic engagement. How companies do this depends on their specific circumstances. It can be as simple as reminding people it’s part of their flexible working policy, making it a no-meetings day, all the way up to giving people paid time off to get to their polling station.
The initiative follows a successful US roll-out at the 2020 US election.
“As a business leader, it’s important to me that my team are able to exercise their democratic right,” said Bryan Carroll, General Manager of Oatly UK & Ireland. “Strong democracies make for stronger businesses.”
“At Oatly UK we have a fully flexible working policy so the team will have the time they need to get to the polls on 4th July. For the recent EU elections we also gave colleagues at our factories time off to vote, showing how you can adapt for different business models if the appetite is there. Everyone at Oatly who wants to vote will be able to vote. I would encourage business leaders to join Oatly, Patagonia, and many other businesses in encouraging your teams to take the time they need on 4th July.”
A spokesperson for Lucky Saint said: “At Lucky Saint, we believe people shouldn’t have to choose between working and voting. Making ‘Time To Vote’ for our teams means ensuring they understand our flexible working policy as well as making time in their diaries by moving our monthly all company meeting to later than usual on the day of the vote. We want our teams to feel they’re empowered for their voices to be heard.”
ENDS
Notes
[1] Source: More In Common – https://www.moreincommon.
Full list of companies:
December19
181st Street Communications
4Couture
arken P-O-P International
BAD STAR Studios
Bearded Fellows
Better Nature Tempeh
Blink Industries
Blue-Zoo Productions Ltd
Canned Wine Co.
Cirkle
Consumer Insight
crystal Doors EOT
Cynozure
Dear Green Coffee Roasters
DiSRUPT Recruitment Agency
E A Coad Ltd
Ecosia
Ecotricity
Ella’s Kitchen
Enviral
Fairtrade Foundation
Fox Agency
Fresh Seed Ltd
GoFundMe
graze
Great Place to Work
Haeckels
Harrison Brands
Includability
Jenson Funding Partners LLP
KAST Architects
LEAP
LS Productions
Lucky Saint
Mercat Tours
MightyGiant
My Life My Say
Nexus Studios
Nkuku
Optimising IT
opus
Paramount
PayCaptain
Pip & Nut
Plaster
Positive Momentum Limited
ProVeg
Purpose Union
Regency Creative
Rugby Players’ Association
Sapio Research
SMRS
Society Ltd
Stitch
Stratt
Sustainable Energy First
Sykes Cottages Ltd
Ten Lifestyle Group plc
The Lonsdale Creative Co.
The People Experience Hub
The Romans
Tony’s Chocolonely
TRIP
Verdier & Co. Corporate Advisory
Virgin
Media
For further information and comment, please contact: media@upvoteuk.org
Upvote is a non-partisan voter engagement project, playing a coordinating role in Time To Vote.
For further information and comment, please contact: media@upvoteuk.org
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