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Government Relations: GROW - Government Advocacy

PMA Grassroots Employer Toolkit - Why Employees Should Be Involved

Imagine you're an elected official. You ran for office because you wanted to "make a difference." You love the community you live in and you want to improve quality of life (however you define that elusive term) for the people who live in the wonderful little part of the world that you're from.

Your days are filled with a haze of professional lobbyists, special interests and business leaders asking for your help on every issue under the sun. Your nights are filled with receptions, dinners and late night community meetings or votes. Your colleagues in the legislature don't necessarily agree that your ideas for improving quality of life will work. You don't have as much time or consensus as you'd like to implement your ideas.

Every two years you must go through the grueling process of seeking reelection. You need funds, but more importantly you need people -- people to put up signs, people to go door-to-door, people to work the polls.

One day, a concerned citizen comes to you. This isn't a professional lobbyist -- just a "regular Joe" from your community. He or she is impassioned about a policy idea that will improve not only their individual quality of life, but the lives of hundreds of "regular Joes (and Janes) from your district. The whole discussion reminds you why you got into this business in the first place. You look at this person and you see hundreds of the best kinds of potential supporters.

From an elected official's perspective, the benefits of working directly with citizens are numerous, including:

Good PR: The headline "Lobbyist Convinces Elected Official to Vote 'Yes'" belongs in the "Dog Bites Man" category of journalism. The headline "Citizen Convinces Elected Official to Vote 'Yes'" packs a punch. Elected officials know that they need to look responsive. Nothing makes them look more responsive than listening to their constituents.

Connections to the Community: Believe it or not, most elected officials want to do what's best for the community. Crazy travel schedules and time away from home, however, often make it difficult for them to know what's best. Receiving input straight from the horse's mouth, as it were, gives elected officials valuable insights that they need to do their jobs.

Real, Substantive, Reliable Re-Election Support: Elected officials need citizens in their community to be impassioned enough about their work to talk to their friends, attend community meetings and put signs in their yards. That kinds of supporter is rare, and officials understand that only by working on issues that people really, truly care about will they be able to develop a cadre of reliable advocates for their campaign.

From the perspective of PMA and its member business, the benefits of having employees involved are numerous as well:

Access: Any elected official who wants to keep his or her position will find time to meet or talk to a constituent. It is the number one cardinal rule that when a constituent calls, someone -- whether it's the official or a staff person -- must find time to meet. Cranky constituents cause nightmares -- they are to be kept happy at all costs.

Civility: It's rare that an elected official will yell at a citizen lobbyist. It's just too easy for word to get back to others in the community that the elected official was not as civil as he or she might have been. Professional lobbyists, on the other hand, are sometimes considered fair game.

Personalizing the Issue: Pleas from businesses to "reduce this tax" or "change that regulation" are often met with skepticism. Many elected officials have the impression that business leaders care only about their personal bottom line. Recent corporate scandals are not improving this perception. Having employees involved puts a real face on the issue for elected officials, making it much more palatable. Think about it. Would you rather help Giant Corporation X make an extra million dollars? Or would you like to help 100 low-income workers keep their jobs and put food on the table? Even if these are both outcomes of the same policy action, the second reason to take that action feels much more palatable and "public service" focused.

Stronger Employee Connection to the Company's Mission: Involving employees in your advocacy efforts gives them a stronger connection to and understanding of your company's overall goals. They will learn how government policies directly impact their work and livelihood -- and will feel empowered to make change.