Jennie Brooks, host of the Unstoppable Together podcast, chats with Steven Levine, Co-Founder of Meteorite and director of the Civic Alliance. In this episode, they discuss what corporate civic engagement is and why it matters so much to employers and employees alike; what it has to do with diversity, equity, and inclusion; and new ways of thinking about how civics can show up in corporate America. To learn more about Meteorite or the Civic Alliance, you can visit: https://www.wearemeteorite.com/ https://www.civicalliance.com/
Jennie Brooks:
Welcome to Booz Allen Hamilton's Unstoppable Together podcast, a series of stories that unite us and empower each of us to change the world. I'm Jennie Brooks with Booz Allen Hamilton, and I'm passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please join me in conversation with the diverse group of thought leaders to explore what makes them and all of us unstoppable.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Unstoppable Together Podcast. I'm your host, Jennie Brooks. Today, I'm excited to be joined by Steven Levine, co-founder of Meteorite, which positions private companies for public good, making democracy stronger, communities healthier, and workplaces safer. One of the initiatives Meteorite leads is the Civic Alliance, for which Steven serves as the director. Steven, welcome to the podcast.
Steven Levine:
Thank you so much for having me, Jennie. It's great to be with you.
Jennie:
I am so excited to have this conversation with you today. It seems like it's been a long while that we've been waiting to hold a discussion on the podcast about politics in the workplace, but wanting to avoid the division that seems to exist so much in our politics today. We find that employees, candidates, people, communities, are expecting our corporations to be civic-minded.
It's an important topic to dive into. Can you tell us a little bit about Meteorite, and how it defines corporate civic engagement, and why does that matter to people and companies today?
Steven:
Well, first of all, thank you for the question, Jennie. I want to acknowledge perhaps a distinction between politics and civics. At Meteorite and at the Civic Alliance, we see corporate civic engagement as how a company empowers its people to participate in shaping their own communities and their nation through the democratic process. I'll tell you a little bit about what that looks like and how it absolutely matters right now in 2023.
First of all, when we talk about civic engagement at a company, it can be targeted to either your employees, or your customers, or your external audiences, or all of the above. The one staple that I think we see across the board is that it remains nonpartisan. Again, this is about encouraging people to play a role in the democratic process. It's not about influencing how people vote or choosing sides. In the context of our current democratic landscape, I'll say, a civic engagement is crucially important in 2023. That's because this year, there will be thousands of elections taking place in 2023.
In fact, more than half of the states across the country are hosting elections, including in 29 major cities, like Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas. Each of those cities will be electing a new mayor this year. I've heard a bunch of people refer to 2023 as an off year for elections. Let me tell you, Jennie, my hot take is that we should not be sleeping on 2023. It is these thousands of local and state elections that will actually directly impact our lives much more meaningfully than many of the federal elections that we participate in even numbered years.
That's all to say, as we zoom out and think about why companies should really be involved in civic engagement, but really three main reasons why companies should be motivated themselves to be investing in civic engagement. My hope here, Jennie, is that your listeners will walk away with these, really thinking about how they can encourage their own companies to create their own civic engagement initiatives.
Number one, in addition to making voting and civic participation accessible, we found that civic engagement is actually good for business. Last year, we did an analysis of how our member companies in the Civic Alliance actually performed financially against the S and P 500. When we looked at the year's 2020 and 2021, when obviously there was a major presidential election, and there were a lot of consequential moments, both before and after that election, for our democracy, where we saw major companies really engage and lean in and be visible in those moments.
We found that the publicly traded companies in the Civic Alliance actually outperformed the S&P 500 in that time period. Not only do companies actually rely on a robust and responsive democracy to fully operate in our society, but their business benefits are actually founded from directly investing in it. That's number one. It's good for business.
Jennie:
Okay. Okay.
Steven:
Number two: corporate civic engagement actually can create a sense of purpose amongst your employees. We found actually some survey data that stated that 76% of Americans said they would be more likely to work for a company that promoted democracy actively. This really tells us that when a company is involved in encouraging civic participation, their employee retention and their opportunity to hire new employees is rewarded. One unique way that I think we've seen companies exemplify this is encouraging their employees to serve as poll workers, giving them time off to actually serve their communities through their own local elections.
Finally, number three, civic engagement actually builds brand loyalty among your consumers. Consumers want to spend money and spend time with brands that really align with their own values. We have found actually that 79%, nearly 80% of consumers, agree that companies should be taking action on social issues. We know that standing up for the freedom to vote and using your company's own platforms to make sure that every American has a fair chance to shape their community are values that companies are really rewarded for when they live them out.
To put a button on it and summarize, there are really three layers here. One, civic engagement is good for your bottom line, it's good for your employees, and it's good for your consumers.
Jennie:
Fantastic. You've mentioned member companies. Can you tell us a little bit about the work that Meteorite and the Civic Alliance actually do in partnership with these companies?
Steven:
The Civic Alliance is a nonpartisan coalition of companies that is really united by a shared commitment to a thriving democracy. The Alliance was co-founded by the CAA Foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of the Sports Intelligent Agency and the nonpartisan non-profit organization, Democracy Works, in 2020.
What we do day in and day out is we help all of our member companies, of which we have 1300 member companies, think about how they can create voter friendly workplaces by offering time off to vote, or time off to serve as a poll worker, for example, how they can create a culture of civic service by thinking about volunteerism, or speaking out or advocating for causes that your employees themselves really care about in their own communities, and by really taking a stand for democracy as the opportunity presents itself in your own communities or your states or the country.
Day in and day out, the Civic Alliance provides free tools and resources, toolkits, guides about when elections are happening and where they're happening, how you can make sure you're communicating about voting or civic engagement in nonpartisan ways. We also connect our members with one another so that they can learn from each other. We have great examples of companies that are just getting into this field for the first time, connecting with folks who have been meaningfully engaged in civic engagement in nonpartisan ways at their own companies for several election cycles to date.
Really, the Civic Alliance is a great resource for any company who is interested in promoting civic engagement, and really living out a commitment to nonpartisan civics.
Jennie:
Very cool. As I'm listening to you, so much seems to align with diversity, equity, and inclusion at firms. How do you see the work that you're doing aligning with diversity and equity and inclusion at companies?
Steven:
I think it's a really important question, Jennie, and I think candidly, a lot of our member companies actually see their commitment to civic engagement through a commitment to their DEI values.
Jennie:
Yes, yes.
Steven:
I'll say when we think about promoting the freedom to vote, really, it's about making sure that everyone, all people, have a chance to really participate in our democracy. At the core of that, that really is an issue rooted in equity and inclusion. One of the examples that comes to mind of our member companies that really lives out this value, I think pretty, prominently is Lyft. Lyft, the ride sharing company obviously, is approaching these values by integrating DEI initiatives for their civic engagement, really through its programs.
For example, last year, Lyft committed to offering discounted rides to the polls on election day and during the early voting period through many of its community organization partners. Regardless of your income or your zip code or your political affiliation, the company made sure that transportation didn't serve as a barrier in that case. I also just want to say that I think when we think about people really being denied the right to vote, or having to encounter barriers that are put in their way, it's really a burden that's been born chiefly by black people, Asian communities, women, Latino communities, indigenous people, people with disabilities, and even rural Americans.
To some extent, I think it really continues today through several different policies and initiatives that states are considering. We've seen many companies stand up to protect the freedom to vote for all Americans, regardless of political affiliation or zip code. I also want to note that I think civic engagement goes beyond elections themselves. We also see a real commitment to thinking about overall political power in our country. We know that, for example, gerrymandering is a tactic that's been used by both parties.
We know that gerrymandered districts are often designed to break up the political power of certain communities. I want to note that I think in particular, black communities are often the target of gerrymandering for political purposes. I think that we've seen really companies meaningfully engage in these topics in ways that really help protect all communities. Again, this isn't necessarily a red or blue issue, it's really a red, white, and blue issue. It's an issue that really, I think every one of us should have a stake in and have a voice in.
As we think about recommendations for companies, particularly as they develop their own initiatives or policies, we frequently recommend that our member companies actually partner with their employee resource groups to take these issues on, and to also really make sure that they're holding themselves accountable to ensure that their civic plans and their policies are actually inclusive. We want to make sure that we're involving your DEI colleagues to make sure that those voter-friendly workplace options work for all employees.
Jennie:
How are you seeing companies decide where and when to engage in their civic corporate engagement? What are they assessing?
Steven:
First of all, as a blanket statement, I think as a company, you should make sure that you know where your own stakeholders stand on a variety of different issues before you decide to weigh in on any of them. Ideally, with perfect information, you'd know what your employees, consumers, shareholders think about before stepping out on a given topic. Having said that, I think what we have seen is that not engaging in nonpartisan civic engagement is, at the very least, a missed opportunity. It's a missed opportunity to deepen your engagement with employees who increasingly today are expecting their employers to align with their values.
In fact, the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer just came out, and its major headline is that employers are the most trusted institution in society today. Business continues to lead, but your own employer is an incredibly trusted institution. I think you can really think about that as a real opportunity, and an opportunity to really protect that trust. I'll tell you, when you think about the social issues that companies consider weighing in on, my position is that nonpartisan civic engagement is not only a really meaningful option, but it's actually the safest option politically for you to choose.
What you're essentially encouraging your employees to do is to make their own views known, and to themselves participate in their own democracy and communities, in order to shape those communities in the way that they individually think they should be shaped.
Jennie:
Okay. You've been great, because you've been punctuating nonpartisan, nonpartisan, nonpartisan, civic engagement. You haven't said the P politics word, so I'm following you. Still, how do you help companies, leaders just navigate the potential polarization of some of these topics and issues as they might arise in the workplace?
Steven:
Great question. It's the number one hurdle, I'll say, that companies have before committing to supporting nonpartisan civic engagement. I want to acknowledge that our country's polarization really started outside the workplace, but I strongly, strongly, strongly believe that the workplace is where we can fix it. Workplaces are one of the really rare environments in our society today, where people from different backgrounds, from different viewpoints actually come together and cooperate, and treat each other with respect every single day.
I think when you think about other environments, from social media, to your own friend circles, to even your family dinner table, you often find polarization seeping in to those environments, in ways that can actually be really destructive or at least present a major hurdle to constructive conversation and relationships. I think really the key here is having positive interactions with people that you may not otherwise interact with. I think workplaces are really the last best place where that still happens today.
I think one opportunity that companies have to help mitigate polarization is by actually creating a workplace culture of belonging. I know belonging is a term that this podcast has talked a lot about in the past, and certainly is a major theme of DEI efforts across the country today. When we talk about belonging, what we're actually talking about really is creating psychological safety. It's the ability to take risks and be vulnerable. Creating a workplace culture of belonging is one where employees hear and understand each other's perspectives, and know that they're safe to respectfully disagree, which is not only a pillar of a healthy workplace, it's also a pillar of a healthy democracy.
Building this culture, improving without shaming, is really a skill that I think can take training and can take practice, but is one that will serve us well, not only at work, but also in our democracy. It's not necessarily about eliminating the mere presence of politics in the workplace. It's actually about creating a sense of personal empathy and understanding of one another. I think at the end of the day, it's that lack of empathy, it's the all too quick sort of sorting and dismissing of others based on their own beliefs that presents really a threat to belonging itself, and ultimately threatens to tear apart that culture, both in our workplace and in our society and democracy.
I think just I want to note that we partnered with The Ad Council on creating some conversation guides to helping companies institute a culture of workplace belonging, and it really helps many of our member companies think about how they can keep things civil and respectful by actually looking to their own company values and recommitting themselves to those values like inclusion and respect. We're not encouraging companies or leaders to become the conversation police.
I'll just say when it seems like everything is a matter of partisan division, including DEI itself, it would be really hard to draw that line on what is politics and what is not. Our take is that rather than banning politics, we can really promote empathy and belonging.
Jennie:
Well, you have completely reframed the whole concern around addressing this topic in the workplace, so thank you.
Steven:
Awesome. Mission accomplished.
Jennie:
That's great. Steven, at the end of every podcast, we leave our guests some free space to share their final words with those listening today. What would you leave us with after giving us so much fantastic information in this conversation?
Steven:
The main message that I have is every company has an opportunity to think about how integrating nonpartisan civic engagement is right for their company. I would make the bold statement that there is some program that is right for your company when it comes to nonpartisan civic engagement, whether it's making sure your employees have time off to vote, or offering flexible schedules, or reminding employees to update their voter registration when they tell you that they've changed their address at home.
These are very simple tactics that any company can think about and employ in an effort to demonstrate that they actually care about and prioritize their own employee's commitment to society and their own voice in their democracy. I would say that the time is now. Presidential election is already underway, and there's opportunities, I think now, to make sure that your company is ready not only in 2024, but for the thousands of elections that are happening across the country in 2023.
Jennie:
Thank you, Steven.
Steven:
Thank you very much for the opportunity, Jennie. It's really been a pleasure chatting with you, and I look forward to learning more from Unstoppable Together.
Jennie:
Thanks for listening. Visit Careers.BoozAllen.com to learn how you can be unstoppable with Booz Allen. Be the future. Work with us. The world can't wait.