By the Numbers: Post-election, this is what the public wants from companies

Believe it or not, it’s been just over a week since the United States headed to the polls to select a new slate of leaders.  Perhaps more so than in years past, the election of past-and-future President Donald Trump has elicited strong feelings, from elation to despair.

Caught in the middle are companies who have been trying to decide what — if anything — to say publicly about the election and its results.

Behind the scenes, titans of industry are courting Trump, just as they do with every incoming president. Some, especially in the tech space, have issued public statements congratulating Trump on his win. In another election year, these would be considered standard, dull statements, a necessary part of the political game for those who do business with the federal government. But this year, even the most anodyne have drawn attention.

Take the statement made by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy on LinkedIn: “Congratulations to President-elect Trump on a hard-fought victory. We look forward to working with you and your administration on issues important to our customers, employees, communities, and country.”

“As a diverse female Amazon employee, this is demoralizing,” one comment read. “This post was not necessary and (a) way to create division within our company.”

“As a woman working for Amazon, I feel proud my CEO is willing to cooperate with our country regardless of the administration!” came a counterpoint.

A survey from Morning Consult conducted the morning after the election revealed complex emotions from employees about what their companies should do in the wake of this new administration. Similarly, the public is also far from united in their beliefs about how businesses should speak out (or remain silent) just now.

Here’s what the survey found.

A lack of consensus

Of the six questions Morning Consult asked employees about how their employers should respond politicly, no single item achieved a majority response, either for or against. The closest there was to agreement was 49% of employees who said that despite Trump’s clear stance against DEI initiatives, companies should nonetheless boost their diversity efforts. The least popular idea was that employers should “welcome political talk in the workplace,” which drew disagreement from 39% of respondents. Only 25% thought that encouraging political discussions was a good idea just now. When phrased differently, asking whether companies should discourage workplace discussion of politics, 41% agreed that was the best course of action.

Perhaps the most interesting item, however, was whether or not the company should support the new president’s policies if they benefit the company. This question was divided into two parts: one asking if the company should support the new administration’s economic policies, and the other asking if they should support its social policies.

Forty-one percent of respondents said it would be good to support economic policies, while 28% said it was fine either way. But there was less support for speaking out in praise of the president’s social policies, even if they benefit the company: 36% said companies should support the policies, while 30% were fine either way.

This lack of a consensus will make it difficult for organizations to navigate the waters. But let’s check in and see what consumers had to say.

Consumers want companies to stick to the basics

Overall, the general public was a bit more clear about what they expected of companies in this circumstance — and what they didn’t want.

Let’s start with the latter. The most unpopular thing a company could do right now is to comment negatively on the election results. Only 26% of respondents said that was a good idea, compared to 49% who said it was a bad idea (and 32% who would strongly disapprove of such a statement. By comparison, a full 50% supported companies commenting positively on the election results.

But in general, what the general public seemed to want most were fairly typical, bland statements about democracy — or nothing at all.

Seventy percent wanted to hear statements encouraging a safe, orderly transition of power. Sixty-four percent wanted companies to take a stand against political violence. And a full 63% just wanted companies to stay quiet altogether. That nudged just ahead of the 60% who wanted a simple, neutral statement on the election results.

The bottom line

The most difficult aspect of the weeks and months ahead may not be managing public perception — it may be handling internal expectations from employees. And remember that any internal statements should be expected to be made public, either through an intentional strategy or via leaks, so balancing these needs is critical.

Employees seem poised to push their employers harder for stances, while the general public is signaling they’re fine with a return to the kinds of political neutrality companies have exhibited in decades past.

Which impulse will win?

Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Daily. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.