No matter what your political leanings, if you are a businessman (or woman), you have to be concerned about the impact to the business environment that a liberal sweep of the elections would most likely mean. The Employee Free Choice Act is but a glimpse of what could lie behind the curtain. And you can’t forget about the implications of long-term aspects such as judge selection and the restriction of pro-business speech on the airwaves (“Fairness” doctrine).
I can’t begin to tell you all the different ways you could or should be dealing with this situation (at least not in a blog post). I can’t create your contingency plans. I will suggest that the more you connect in a positive manner with your employees, the better your chances of coming out ahead. The better they understand the nature of your business and it’s competitive advantages, the better they understand the internal processes of your company, the better connected they feel to upper level management and supervisors, the more they feel like real contributors, the greater the potential that you will weather the storm.
We’ve been in the labor relations business for decades. Unfortunately most of our efforts are spent helping put out “fires,” rather than preventing them. Now is NOT the time to play with matches. Get your company – and your employees – ready today.
