Whilst anyone watching politics at the moment should have a good idea about the policies and issues likely to dominate the General Election campaign, surprises can happen. Are you prepared?
The economy and the NHS will no doubt form the bedrock of the election campaign but the parties can be thrown off courses and the unexpected can and does happen. There are also a range of organisations looking to influence the campaign and the debate, and the profile of their issues.
Add to that the politicians’ wish to get out and about and meet real people, the voters who they hope will place the magic ‘x’ on the ballot paper for their party come Election Day. The public cannot be controlled in the same way that candidates can be.
Candidates themselves can also go off message despite the best efforts of the party leadership. A misplaced or single tweet sent in haste. A comment made off the cuff. The smallest incident can be picked up by a media desperate to pad out coverage with something not just handed to them during an election. The media are also filled, more than ever, with pundit and experts all looking to pass comment.
So it is possible that organisations and individuals can be drawn into the heat of an election campaign and risk damaged reputations, or missing out an opportunity to enhance reputations.
Politicians name and shame. The media seek out examples to support statements made by politicians. People and organisations can be involved which mean there are then choices about how / if to react.
There are obvious areas where politicians could involve organisations –corporate behaviour, treatment of workers (zero-hour contracts), executive pay and bonuses, corporate social responsibility living up to the promises, and particularly the payment of tax.
There are actions that should be taken to ensure that you are not taken unawares by the election campaign.
- Risk assessment – take the time to consider what issues could come up and whether these could impact on you. This may seem extremely obvious if you are in the financial services or energy sectors but maybe less so for others. The automatic assumption should not be one of immunity.
- Live by your values – if your organisations sets out its stall clearly then consider whether you are abiding by these values. If not, then you are always liable to greater media, political or NGO scrutiny but during an election that potential can increase as can the consequences.
- Monitor the election – put systems in place so you know what is coming up, what is being said and what the tone of the debate is. This will not only help to pre-empt problems but could also allow for opportunities for engagement to be identified as well. Added to this, it is imperative you have clear ideas of the campaign content to inform your approach if engagement is needed. It would be too easy to blunder without all the information being at your fingertips.
- Engagement doesn’t have to stop during an election – there are additional complications to engagement during this time, not least the need to maintain political balance. There are also some more mundane considerations as well – busy politicians, tracking people down, gaining attention etc.
- Think beyond the election as well – especially at a time when another Coalition government is looking likely, engagement needs to go beyond the election. This is most particularly true if the engagement has taken place against a more negative backdrop – adverse comments, critical coverage etc. There could well be some ground to be made up. So factor this in to any proposed approach during an election campaign as well.
There are heightened sensitivities during an election campaign. But if you come under attack or criticism there remain matters of reputation to consider. Just because you think you want to stay out of the campaign does not mean that you will have that luxury. Others may choose to drag you in.
You may have to get involved so prepare for that eventuality.