More courage, dear entrepreneurs

Business and politics should be clearly separated and mutual influence should be kept to a minimum, say some. ‘The times are over when companies don't have to express themselves politically,’ say others, first and foremost the representatives of Gen Z on social media.

Yaël Meier, entrepreneur, author and face and voice of Gen Z, recently wrote on LinkedIn (in German) that her generation wants companies to speak out politically. Silence is just as loud. She explained that in a survey, 40 per cent of respondents wanted companies to make more political statements and used this to justify her demand. She failed to mention that, with 40 per cent on the one hand, a majority of 60 per cent of respondents on the other hand did not share this wish.

First of all: As a consulting company, IRF is very happy to support such projects. But:

A distinction must be made between whether a company as an organisational unit and conglomerate of people and functions expresses a political stance to the outside world, or whether an entrepreneur expresses a political opinion as a business representative.

When North Face shoots a video for Pride Month with a drag performance or Swatch launches a watch with rainbow elements, these are companies that are taking a stand. When Peter Spuhler, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Stadler Rail, talks about the possible negative consequences of the mass immigration initiative for the industry during the referendum campaign, an entrepreneur is making a political statement.

If a company's political statement consists of participating in a social movement in the hope of being recognised by the target groups, there is no real added value. Companies therefore do not necessarily have to express themselves politically. It is more important that they have a clear stance. They must be aware of their social responsibility and uphold equal treatment and fairness for all employees. However, this also means allowing different political opinions within the company and not ignoring minorities. If a company makes political statements, there is a great risk that it will ignore a minority of employees.

Ultimately, political statements by companies are statements of opinion by legal entities. But can legal entities have personal views, convictions and attitudes that form the basis of an opinion? And how does the opinion-forming process take place within the company so that it is politically correct and includes all members of the corporate construct, or at least the vast majority?

The situation is different for company representatives who participate in the political opinion-forming process as individuals. When they express themselves as business representatives, they bring an important perspective and make a valuable contribution to the political discourse. It is important that they are aware of their role and make this clear to the outside world.

• What is the aim of my political statement?
• Who is the target group?
• What internal and possibly also external coordination processes do I need to take into account?
• Could customers or employees, but also other stakeholders, feel offended by the statements?
• If so, do the goals that can be achieved outweigh the concerns?
• Am I well versed in the subject? Do I know the arguments of the opponents and supporters and can I answer questions competently? Do I know the workings of the political system in Switzerland well enough and can I sufficiently categorise and assess the status of an issue?
• Am I prepared to take a position on other political issues?
• What is the subject area on which I am prepared to make a political statement? Does the current statement fit into this context?

In the case of entrepreneurs, more courage would sometimes be desirable when entering the political discourse. Unfortunately, it does take courage and a thick skin to speak out politically as an individual and face the sometimes harsh reactions that usually follow.

Author: Marina Winder, Senior Director at IRF Reputation AG