Should CEOs denounce political violence?

Should CEOs denounce political violence? | Insurance Business New Zealand

Business Strategy

Should CEOs denounce political violence?

New survey shows U.S. employees want businesses to be ‘stabilising force’ amid political divides

Business Strategy

By
Dexter Tilo

Half of Americans want their employers to denounce political violence, according to a new report, in the wake of the attempted assassination against former President Donald Trump.

The report, released by communications giant Weber Shandwick, was carried out among 1,007 Americans before the attempt against Trump’s life last July 13.

It found that 61% of Americans are afraid that the upcoming 2024 election will get violent, with 51% of employees saying they want their employers to publicly denounce political violence.

Another 55% of employees said they want their employers to fire colleagues who plot or commit acts of political violence.

Actions from employers on the matter, however, remained minimal, according to the report.

Only eight per cent of the respondents said that their businesses have publicly denounced political violence.

The attempted assassination left the former president injured in his upper right ear. Two others were also shot and critically injured, while one audience member was killed.

Businesses as a ‘stabilising force’

Along with wanting their bosses to denounce political violence, 74% of employees said they want their workplaces to remain politically neutral.

More than half of employees also want their employers to:

Prohibit political messages on work platforms (59%)
Have a policy for if and when a company should speak about political and social issues (57%)
Prohibit displaying or wearing political campaign messages, gear, or swag in the workplace (55%)

Nearly three in four employees (72%) also said they want their employers to implement policies and guidelines for a civil workplace, according to the report.

Source: Weber Shandwick’s Pulse on America report

Almost half of them (49%) even want guidelines at work over sharing political views on LinkedIn and other professional platforms.

“While there is nuance in how and whether employees and consumers expect business to insert itself this election cycle, it is clear that Americans – under escalating fears around democracy and political violence – expect business to be a stabilising force,” said Pam Jenkins, Weber Shandwick’s chief public affairs officer, in a statement. “How, when, and where business leaders do so will be carefully watched in the coming months.”