Some CEOs in South Florida are paying employees for time off to vote

By Herald Stafff

Updated October 16, 2020 4:03 PM

CEOs were asked: Are you giving your employees paid time off to vote? If not, are you providing any recommendations to them, or making any other accommodations? BackyardProduction Getty Images/iStockphoto

At Mana we take civic engagement very seriously. Employees have paid time off to vote. We’ve also launched a get out to vote campaign focused on encouraging Gen Z and Millennials to get to the polls, called Project 270. The Mana team worked with over 60 artists and commissioned unique works from each state. All of the images are available for free by download via www.project270.org. So we not only recommend that employees vote, but that all citizens get out to vote and exercise their civic duty.

Michelle Abbs, Miami director, Mana Tech

The majority of our employees (over 80 percent) are working from home on a remote basis and we are encouraging them to find time on election day to vote at their local precinct.

Luis Flores, managing partner, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr’s Miami office

We will continue to do what we have always done, which is to give our staff paid time off to vote. I believe it is incredibly important to be flexible with the needs of your staff. In our business, there is travel involved and evening and weekend events to attend. We appreciate their dedication and how they work so allowing them to exercise their constitutional right is a given.

Guy Harvey, founder, Guy Harvey Enterprises

We are encouraging all of our team members to exercise their right to vote and are giving them time during work to vote, if it is needed. We are also providing our team members information on deadlines, early voting dates, precincts and polling places, and where to find information regarding voting and ballots. However, we are not giving recommendations on who they should vote for. We are simply facilitating our team members to exercise their right to vote.

Coralee Penabad, principal, Urban-X Group

Power Financial Credit Union encourages the entire team to exercise their important right to vote. Our practice is not to give specific time off to do so, but rather, we are flexible in scheduling In order to permit staff the time to cast their ballot.

Allan Prindle, president, CEO, Power Financial Credit Union

YWCA South Florida has always given employees paid time to vote on election day. This year, together with our partners at Vote The Future and League of Women Voters, YWCA is able to offer transportation to get our staff and families to the polls. There is no barrier we will not overcome to help build the voice of the community.

Kerry-Ann Royes, CEO, YWCA South Florida

I encourage my employees to vote.

Mindy Solomon, owner, director, Mindy Solomon Gallery

We are giving all of our staff the opportunity to vote during business hours and they will be compensated as they normally are while doing so. The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science is also honored to serve as a Miami-Dade County early voting site so it’s an easy and convenient opportunity to vote for those staff who are county residents.

Frank Steslow, president, CEO, Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science

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THE MIAMI HERALD CEO ROUNDTABLE IS A WEEKLY FEATURE THAT APPEARS IN BUSINESS MONDAY OF THE MIAMI HERALD. RECENT QUESTIONS TO THE ROUNDTABLE HAVE INCLUDED:

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