Episode 164: Should Brands Take a Political Stance?

In 2024, we are entering election season, which in the U.S. has become more and more divisive over the last several years. In this episode, we are going to dig into whether businesses or brands should take political stances on divisive issues, and how you can choose to navigate this going into 2024.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

  • There are two ways to approach conversations about politics at work. One, if a conversation is not going to be productive, then maybe the workplace isn’t the best place to have it. And two, is it going to cause harm to have that discussion?
  • What are your company’s values, mission, and vision? If your brand takes a political stance, can it be backed up by the company values? If there’s not a connection, it can cause problems.
  • Safety can be a factor with taking a political stance. It’s important to consider if taking a strong stance on something could result in workplace violence or threats to your employees.

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Vanessa Mathews, host

Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Jon Seals, producer

Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.

KEYWORDS: politics, election year, risk management, workplace safety, workplace culture

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