Why employers need to pay attention to public policy

If you own or run a business, no doubt you can list the names of your top customers, your biggest competitors and your best employees.

But do you know who represents you in the state Legislature and Congress? Better yet, do your lawmakers know you by name?

It might not be an obvious part of running a business, but it’s become increasingly important that employers engage with policymakers, both in Olympia and Washington, D.C.

That not only means calling or writing about specific issues or concerns, but getting to know your elected officials when there isn’t a pressing issue. Invite them to visit your business and give them a tour of your operation. Help them understand what you do and what challenges you’re facing. Build relationships. The more they know you and the role you play in your community, the better they can represent you.

Getting onto shop floors

This is a big part of what the Association of Washington Business (AWB) does every year in October when we tour manufacturing facilities throughout the state. As the state’s manufacturing association, the tour helps shine a spotlight on the manufacturing sector and its important role in Washington’s economy.

It’s also a great way to get lawmakers onto shop floors.

Over the years, elected officials from local governments, the state Legislature and Congress have joined us on the manufacturing tour, getting an in-depth look at businesses they may have driven past for years without knowing what happens on the inside.

Of course, getting to know your elected officials doesn’t guarantee they will vote in the way you would prefer. But once they know you by name, they are more likely to consider your point of view, and that’s a start.

Connecting with lawmakers

As important as it is for employers to get to know their elected officials, it’s equally important to elect people who understand the unique issues and challenges facing the employer community.

That’s why AWB interviews dozens of candidates every election year and makes endorsements. And it’s the reason we host debates for candidates running for statewide office.

We’re looking forward to continuing the tradition this year by hosting a series of debates in the fall. AWB’s history of hosting gubernatorial debates goes back to 1992 when Ken Eikenberry and Mike Lowry debated. Holding these debates has become an important part of our civic engagement. 

Engaging in public policy can be difficult and time-consuming work, especially for small- and medium-sized business owners who are already plenty busy keeping their businesses running.

But as more candidates move toward the extreme end zones of the political football field, it’s more important than ever to find people who are willing to work in the middle of the field in search of solutions to the problems facing our state.

By definition, this means we won’t always agree. But as Lt. Gov. Denny Heck said during the AWB Spring Meeting in May, it’s crucial that we learn how to disagree better. Employers are uniquely suited to working at the 50-yard line. It’s where businesses do their jobs every day. 

It’s time for more of them to open their doors this summer and invite candidates and elected officials inside to see what this work looks like. Elections don’t always go the way we might want them to go, but when employers connect with lawmakers, everyone wins.

Kris Johnson is president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s chamber of commerce and manufacturers association.