The trend towards employee stakeholder activism is continuing to rise, and CEOs are under pressure to engage in conversations about sensitive social, environmental and political issues. This is borne out by the increasing number of news stories of employee activism impacting a wide range of companies including Google, Walmart, Microsoft, and a host of smaller companies.
Take for example the headline of the recently released 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer: “Societal leadership is now a core function of business.” Statistics from their surveys include:
- “88% of institutional investors subject ESG to the same scrutiny as operational and financial considerations”
- 81% of respondents agree that “CEOs should be personally visible when discussing public policy with external stakeholders or work their company has done to benefit society”
- 60% of employees agree that “when considering a job, I expect the CEO to speak publicly about controversial social and political issues that I care about”
Given these expectations, it is essential for CEOs, senior executives, and boards to develop a clear and consistent strategy to respond to these expectations. It is also important to acknowledge that diverse stakeholder groups within and beyond their workforce can have very different feelings about ESG issues, and to find ways to ensure civil discourse in and outside the workplace.
This was the focus of a conversation we had in Episode 205 of Growth Igniters Radio with Pam Harper and Scott Harper®. We spoke with Amy Showalter, a grassroots and Political Action Committee influence expert who has galvanized thousands of grassroots evangelists and staff for her clients who want to advance their cause politically. As we dug into the context of the rise of employee stakeholder activism and how it is playing out in businesses today, Amy provides some actionable advice for CEOs and other top leaders on how to lead employee stakeholder political conversations at work.
To listen to our conversation with Amy Showalter on “Navigating Employee Stakeholder Activism Inside and Outside the Workplace,” go to https://businessadvance.com/growth-igniters-radio/episode-205/
