Is it ethical for employers to try to sway voters?

Floridatexan wrote:
Predictable answers from the usual suspects. Bill Moyers has a different take:

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/14213-focus-when-bosses-push-their-politics

stormwatch89 wrote:K- here's a real life, local situation. There's a man I know who owns a health insurance agency. If Obamacare goes ahead he WILL be laying off help. He will have barely enough business for himself as he explains it.

Should he just blind side them by an abrupt layoff or explain that there will be complications with it's implementation?

I would consider it important information the employees need for planning rather than an attempt to sway a PRIVATE vote.

My hunch here is that we aren't discussing management styles so much as we're dealing with the stereotypes regarding employers and employees.

Dreamsglore wrote:

stormwatch89 wrote:K- here's a real life, local situation. There's a man I know who owns a health insurance agency. If Obamacare goes ahead he WILL be laying off help. He will have barely enough business for himself as he explains it.

Should he just blind side them by an abrupt layoff or explain that there will be complications with it's implementation?

I would consider it important information the employees need for planning rather than an attempt to sway a PRIVATE vote.

My hunch here is that we aren't discussing management styles so much as we're dealing with the stereotypes regarding employers and employees.

Sounds like the man has less than 50 employees,if so he is exempt from Obamacare.They can also get a waiver if it impacts them where they can't afford it.

nsureme wrote:

riceme wrote:

nadalfan wrote:Some employees have been "threatened" that jobs may be lost if Obama wins.
Apparently it's legal, but is it ethical?
I'm just curious how others perceive this.

While my livelihood (and my mom's before me) has been dependent upon passage of the Production Tax Credit for many years, my employers have never tried to sway employees' votes by saying anything like, If Candidate A wins the PTC will not get signed so, for the sake of your jobs please vote for Candidate B. THEY believed that to be unethical behavior, and it was against company policy. It would have really bothered me if it had taken place, and I am in agreement with those here who have said that discussion of politics (and religion, for that matter) do not belong in the workplace.

So yes, I suppose I do think it's unethical... Or at the very minimum, borderline. However, as you point out, it is legal.

How is your employer trying to influence your vote any more unethical than anyone else trying to influence your vote? Why would someone want to work for an employer and not at least respect them enough to listen to their opinion regarding negative impacts to the business? We aren't discussing a case of an employer telling an employee who they must vote for or lose their job.

Dreamsglore wrote:

stormwatch89 wrote:K- here's a real life, local situation. There's a man I know who owns a health insurance agency. If Obamacare goes ahead he WILL be laying off help. He will have barely enough business for himself as he explains it.

Should he just blind side them by an abrupt layoff or explain that there will be complications with it's implementation?

I would consider it important information the employees need for planning rather than an attempt to sway a PRIVATE vote.

My hunch here is that we aren't discussing management styles so much as we're dealing with the stereotypes regarding employers and employees.

Sounds like the man has less than 50 employees,if so he is exempt from Obamacare.They can also get a waiver if it impacts them where they can't afford it.

^^ELVIRA^^ wrote:

Dreamsglore wrote:

stormwatch89 wrote:K- here's a real life, local situation. There's a man I know who owns a health insurance agency. If Obamacare goes ahead he WILL be laying off help. He will have barely enough business for himself as he explains it.

Should he just blind side them by an abrupt layoff or explain that there will be complications with it's implementation?

I would consider it important information the employees need for planning rather than an attempt to sway a PRIVATE vote.

My hunch here is that we aren't discussing management styles so much as we're dealing with the stereotypes regarding employers and employees.

Sounds like the man has less than 50 employees,if so he is exempt from Obamacare.They can also get a waiver if it impacts them where they can't afford it.

You are not a leader in a bussiness.

I wouldnt threaten in face, but facts are, if you support the cuts coming to healthcare, you WILL be the first layed off.

Signed

THE BOSS

^^ELVIRA^^ wrote:

Floridatexan wrote:
Predictable answers from the usual suspects. Bill Moyers has a different take:

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/14213-focus-when-bosses-push-their-politics

sometimes FT heads just bore me sorry. obama is a dick and nuts, here have at him LOL



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stormwatch89 wrote:

Dreamsglore wrote:

stormwatch89 wrote:K- here's a real life, local situation. There's a man I know who owns a health insurance agency. If Obamacare goes ahead he WILL be laying off help. He will have barely enough business for himself as he explains it.

Should he just blind side them by an abrupt layoff or explain that there will be complications with it's implementation?

I would consider it important information the employees need for planning rather than an attempt to sway a PRIVATE vote.

My hunch here is that we aren't discussing management styles so much as we're dealing with the stereotypes regarding employers and employees.

The health insurance industry is set to gain a bunch of people so why this guy would lose clients doesn't make sense at all.

Sounds like the man has less than 50 employees,if so he is exempt from Obamacare.They can also get a waiver if it impacts them where they can't afford it.

His point was that he'd be losing clients and would not need the staff he currently employs.

Floridatexan wrote:

^^ELVIRA^^ wrote:

Floridatexan wrote:
Predictable answers from the usual suspects. Bill Moyers has a different take:

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/14213-focus-when-bosses-push-their-politics

sometimes FT heads just bore me sorry. obama is a dick and nuts, here have at him LOL



[img][/img]

DUMBASS.

PkrBum wrote:There is no privilage or protection that allows an employer to order employees to work on or support a campaign... and certainly nothing in the scotus ruling. Moyer (and you apparently) are trying to use a tangent to draw sweeping political conclusions... it's a bad and flawed argument. Not that you care.

nadalfan wrote:Some employees have been "threatened" that jobs may be lost if Obama wins.
Apparently it's legal, but is it ethical?
I'm just curious how others perceive this.

Dreamsglore wrote:Voting is a personal decision based on personal beliefs and values. It should never be tied in w/ your employment. How your employers business is affected is their business and you are not responsible to keep them afloat. I would never vote to appease my employer against my own personal beliefs. It is unethical.

stormwatch89 wrote:Eight basic management tools that I tried to adhere to. Note: the first one.


Provide the big picture: Where is the company going? What are current challenges that top management is trying to address? How does the employee’s contribution fit in the big picture. If you share the big picture information with your staff they will understand that they are part of something bigger. It will increase their feeling of importance and belonging.
Be open and honest: Even though your team is not as experienced, they are not stupid. People can spot easily if you are not telling the truth. They will eventually not know what is wrong, but they will feel that there is something they need to be suspicious off. As a result, they will be very careful what they tell you. So you may lose important information. Distrust is deadly for any manager. Don’t give your staff any reason to question your honesty.
Truly care for your staff: We are not machines. If the employee understands that you care for them as a person and not just at another resource, they will feel safe to be themselves at work. As a result, they will be able to handle stress better and be more open about the real problems they face at work. A common way to show you care is to talk not only about work with them. Ask about their weekend, their family, and other private life activities (certainly without going too personal). Ask with tact. However, here’s the risk! You must truly care with your heart. If you don’t feel it, then better don’t do it. People will feel you are fake which is violating my previous point above.
Show that you are a human being: Managers often feel the pressure to demonstrate their capabilities to do the job. As a result they try to avoid showing any weaknesses. However, the picture of the always performing and never troubled manager may intimidate your staff. Like every body, your staff brings worries and anxiousness to the work place. Seeing you always succeeding may make them feel weak. Share openly some of your personal worries with them. Or even better, let them know past situations where you were afraid of something and then overcame it. This will help your staff to feel safe to work with you
Reward through recognition: As mentioned earlier, money recognition doesn’t work to keep people motivated for a longer time period. People will ask for more and more for every extra task since you train them that results lead to money. Recognition and giving credit for good work is the way to go. A common way for instance is to respond with a thank you email when an employee sent a good deliverable to you. Put other people in copy of your thank you email to demonstrate the visibility of their successes to others. This also motivates other team members do deliver similar results. Furthermore, if you use work from team members to present to a larger audience, always mention who did the work. Don’t worry, people will still perceive you as the leader. It will look good on you if others see that you can share your successes.
Work for their development: One of the intrinsic motivation factors for many people is the ambition to further growth of skills and position in the company. Become a career coach for your staff. Help them to succeed on the career ladder in your company. Ideally you aim to develop them to replace yourself in your position, given that you are confident enough that you can do better than now.
Create a good social environment: Work must be enjoyable. And enjoying work with colleagues that we also like in private can be a major driver for commitment and loyalty. Therefore, give enough space for private interaction of your team members. A good way is to do some social events with your team. These events don’t need to be expensive. I’m talking about short, inexpensive after-work activities such as bowling, informal dinners or sport activities.
Listen, listen and again listen: As your staff for feedback. give them the chance to optimize their own work environment where they can perform the best. They know the best what they need to achieve results. So, don’t underestimate this crucial source of information.


I would never have asked any employee their political affiliation, but I would try to present the big picture as to where the company was headed and the challenges it was facing.

That is not a threat. Failure to do so would be failing communication with the employees. As I was personally responsible for their livelihoods, it was my responsibility to inform them where I saw problems and opportunities and how it could affect them.

Dreamsglore wrote:

nsureme wrote:

Dreamsglore wrote:Voting is a personal decision based on personal beliefs and values. It should never be tied in w/ your employment. How your employers business is affected is their business and you are not responsible to keep them afloat. I would never vote to appease my employer against my own personal beliefs. It is unethical.

Voting IS a personal decision just as a business owner has a decision to make regarding how many employees he/she can afford to maintain. There is nothing unethical about giving your employees a heads up if something is about to happen that will negatively impact the business. By all means vote your values, but don't blame the business owner if jobs have to be reduced in order to stay in business

It is unethical to pose to an employee the ramifications of a certain political vote. We are not talking about informing your employees of negative business losses.

Floridatexan wrote:
Predictable answers from the usual suspects. Bill Moyers has a different take:

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/14213-focus-when-bosses-push-their-politics

nsureme wrote:

riceme wrote:

nadalfan wrote:Some employees have been "threatened" that jobs may be lost if Obama wins.
Apparently it's legal, but is it ethical?
I'm just curious how others perceive this.

While my livelihood (and my mom's before me) has been dependent upon passage of the Production Tax Credit for many years, my employers have never tried to sway employees' votes by saying anything like, If Candidate A wins the PTC will not get signed so, for the sake of your jobs please vote for Candidate B. THEY believed that to be unethical behavior, and it was against company policy. It would have really bothered me if it had taken place, and I am in agreement with those here who have said that discussion of politics (and religion, for that matter) do not belong in the workplace.

So yes, I suppose I do think it's unethical... Or at the very minimum, borderline. However, as you point out, it is legal.

How is your employer trying to influence your vote any more unethical than anyone else trying to influence your vote? Why would someone want to work for an employer and not at least respect them enough to listen to their opinion regarding negative impacts to the business? We aren't discussing a case of an employer telling an employee who they must vote for or lose their job.

riceme wrote:

nsureme wrote:

riceme wrote:

nadalfan wrote:Some employees have been "threatened" that jobs may be lost if Obama wins.
Apparently it's legal, but is it ethical?
I'm just curious how others perceive this.

While my livelihood (and my mom's before me) has been dependent upon passage of the Production Tax Credit for many years, my employers have never tried to sway employees' votes by saying anything like, If Candidate A wins the PTC will not get signed so, for the sake of your jobs please vote for Candidate B. THEY believed that to be unethical behavior, and it was against company policy. It would have really bothered me if it had taken place, and I am in agreement with those here who have said that discussion of politics (and religion, for that matter) do not belong in the workplace.

So yes, I suppose I do think it's unethical... Or at the very minimum, borderline. However, as you point out, it is legal.

How is your employer trying to influence your vote any more unethical than anyone else trying to influence your vote? Why would someone want to work for an employer and not at least respect them enough to listen to their opinion regarding negative impacts to the business? We aren't discussing a case of an employer telling an employee who they must vote for or lose their job.

nsureme:

I will be the very first to admit -- and I should have stated this in my original post -- that my opinion is very likely largely influenced by the ethical standards which have been established and very strictly enforced by my longtime employers.

Please note that I added, "...Or at the very minimum, borderline." My industry is dependent upon the PTC to the extent that it was absolutely not necessary for anyone to explain the issues to us come election-time. It is a constant, year-round discussion.

Also, I do not and never have taken kindly AT ALL to ANYONE trying to influence my vote. Ever. The vast majority of what is distributed is BS that's been spun by the popular media or by marketing teams, and too many people buy-into that crap instead of performing their own due diligence and fact-finding.

I hope this brings some clarity to my earlier post.

Dreamsglore wrote:

Floridatexan wrote:

^^ELVIRA^^ wrote:

Floridatexan wrote:
Predictable answers from the usual suspects. Bill Moyers has a different take:

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/14213-focus-when-bosses-push-their-politics

sometimes FT heads just bore me sorry. obama is a dick and nuts, here have at him LOL



[img][/img]

DUMBASS.

That's because you're disabled and can't focus on anything for too long. I bet you give your grandkids those things to play with.

^^ELVIRA^^ wrote:

Dreamsglore wrote:

Floridatexan wrote:

^^ELVIRA^^ wrote:

Floridatexan wrote:
Predictable answers from the usual suspects. Bill Moyers has a different take:

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/14213-focus-when-bosses-push-their-politics

sometimes FT heads just bore me sorry. obama is a dick and nuts, here have at him LOL



[img][/img]

DUMBASS.

That's because you're disabled and can't focus on anything for too long. I bet you give your grandkids those things to play with.

You are sick in the head to even put children and dildos in the same sentence. your a fuckin pervert. hope you kill yourself

^^ELVIRA^^ wrote:

Dreamsglore wrote:

Floridatexan wrote:

^^ELVIRA^^ wrote:

Floridatexan wrote:
Predictable answers from the usual suspects. Bill Moyers has a different take:

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/14213-focus-when-bosses-push-their-politics

sometimes FT heads just bore me sorry. obama is a dick and nuts, here have at him LOL



[img][/img]

DUMBASS.

That's because you're disabled and can't focus on anything for too long. I bet you give your grandkids those things to play with.

You are sick in the head to even put children and dildos in the same sentence. your a fuckin pervert. hope you kill yourself