New Cornerstone Survey Finds 50% of Employees Desire Time Off to Study Their Ballot
Although the average general election has more than 100 measures, 80% of adults say they typically spend less than two hours to learn about their ballot – the reason Cornerstone is launching a global #EducateYourVote Initiative
Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSOD), a global leader in people development solutions, today released the findings from a survey conducted in partnership with YouGov, a global public opinion and data company, that examines the learning habits of U.S. adults before an election and gauges the importance of employer offerings regarding learning and voting. With the 2020 U.S. presidential, state and local elections around the corner, Cornerstone is launching a new initiative called #EducateYourVote, encouraging employees around the world who participate in government elections to better prepare for their vote by providing additional time off to the study their upcoming ballots.
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“Cornerstone was founded on the principle of educating the world, and everything we do is rooted in learning”
As the process of voting becomes more complex, and the number of issues to consider continues to grow, many citizens feel that they do not have adequate time to learn about the measures and candidates they’ll be voting on. For example, in the U.S., the average general election ballot includes more than 100 measures.
According to the Cornerstone survey, nearly 22% of adult U.S. respondents said that they are either not sure or do not feel that they have enough information to cast their ballot in the upcoming General Election in November. The survey also revealed that almost 80% of adults surveyed spend less than two hours learning about their ballot before casting their vote.
The survey further showcases that employees not only want, but increasingly expect, their employers to provide time off for learning and voting. Additional findings include:
- 50% of employed adults responded that they would be interested in their employer setting aside working hours for them to study their ballot ahead of an election.
- Those in the 18-34 age group – which now make up a majority of the workforce – are the most adamant about employers providing paid time off to learn about their ballot, with 65% of respondents expressing support. Comparatively, 49% of respondents in the 35-54 age group and 36% of respondents in the 55+ age group also expressed support.
- When asked how important it is for their employer to provide time off for voting, 80% of respondents said that it’s either extremely important, important, or nice to have.
- Nearly 40% of respondents said that their employer’s policies and practices around voting participation improves their likelihood to stay at the company.
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While many organizations highlight the importance of registering to vote and provide paid time off for voting, Cornerstone is also emphasizing the importance of ballot education ahead of upcoming elections. The #EducateYourVote Initiative gives all employees dedicated time off work ahead of their country’s upcoming elections to learn more about the issues they’ll be voting on. This new initiative ties back to Cornerstone’s core belief that people can achieve anything when they have the right learning and development opportunities. Specific dates for this initiative will vary by each country’s election dates and cycles.
In the U.S., this year’s #EducateYourVote Initiative will fall on Wednesday, Oct. 14, as part of the company’s Development Day program where employees are given a dedicated day off work to learn from each other and foster a culture of life-long learning. During the next Development Day, all U.S. employees are encouraged to spend at least two hours learning about the issues they’ll be voting on ahead of this year’s general election. Moving forward, the #EducateYourVote Initiative will take place every two years in the U.S. to also accommodate for mid-term elections. Additionally, Cornerstone is encouraging its U.S. employees to take time off as needed on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, for those who choose to vote in-person or who volunteer at local polling centers.
“Cornerstone was founded on the principle of educating the world, and everything we do is rooted in learning,” said Jeff Miller, Chief Learning Officer, Cornerstone. “We want to empower our employees to use their voice and vote – and we feel it’s our responsibility to give them the time, space and opportunity to learn more about the issues and representatives in the upcoming election. The way forward to building a more inclusive culture is to ensure all our employees have a voice in the policies and laws that impact their lives.”
As a leader in continuous, life-long learning, Cornerstone believes it is important for its people to commit to both their personal and professional development, which is why it hosts Development Days throughout the year for its employees and has designated Juneteenth, and now the #EducateYourVote Initiative, as company-wide learning events.
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