As perhaps the most consequential election in our lifetimes approaches, during a global pandemic, one holding company has officially designated Election Day as a day off for employees.
Omnicom CEO John Wren made the announcement in an internal memo sent today, which was obtained by AgencySpy, characterizing the decision as a response to concerns employees expressed about the difficulties of voting in this year’s election due to coronavirus.
“This will give you the flexibility to vote anytime during the day so you can avoid congested polling times and have the time needed to observe COVID-19 restrictions,” Wren said in the memo, adding that he hoped those casting absentee ballots would use the time to “help get friends, clients, neighbors and colleagues to vote.”
Wren acknowledged the possibility that not everyone would be able to take the day off due to prior obligations. He asked that supervisors work with such individuals to ensure they have adequate time to vote in the election.
Here’s the memo in full:
I hope this note finds you and your families well as we continue to face the challenges of COVID-19 and begin to return to some sense of normalcy.
As we head into the 2020 U.S. elections, many of you have raised concerns about the challenges of voting in this year’s election due to COVID-19. As a result, Omnicom is making Tuesday, November 3rd a company-wide day off from work in the U.S.
This will give you the flexibility to vote anytime during the day so you can avoid congested polling times and have the time needed to observe COVID-19 restrictions. For those of you who may be casting an absentee ballot, we hope this time can be used in other ways to help get friends, clients, neighbors and colleagues to vote.
Lastly, if you have a client or work commitment and must work on Election Day, we encourage supervisors to work with those individuals to provide adequate time for everyone to be able to vote.
Let’s all do our part and vote.
Sincerely,
John Wren