In a few days, millions of your employees will vote in the midterm elections. By the next morning, the concerns that sent them to the polls will be back: how they feel about their paychecks, health coverage, job security, and one another. For CHROs, the midterms are a snapshot of what the workforce is carrying through the door.
A workforce in a sour mood.
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77% of Americans are dissatisfied with the state of the nation, according to Pew Research.
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8 in 10 voters want substantial change or total upheaval, with only about 1 in 10 optimistic about U.S. politics, AP-NORC reports.
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44% of voters see their vote in the Congressional election as against President Trump versus for him (19%).
Why it matters: Employees often bring that frustration and political intensity to work.
Economy and cost of living. The economy sits at or near the top of nearly every major poll.
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84% of registered voters call it very important to their vote, according to Pew Research.
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85% cite the economy and 84% say cost of living are the most important issues, according to AP-NORC.
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34% of likely voters rank cost of living and preserving democracy (33%) as top concerns, according to the final PBS News/NPR/Marist poll.
Why it matters at work. Cost pressures shape how employees view pay and merit budgets, open enrollment costs, and return-to-office policies. Financial stress affects engagement, attendance and retention. Employees squeezed by rising costs also scrutinize how fairly and transparently organizations allocate resources.
Health care. For employees on employer-sponsored coverage, your plan is where health care policy becomes personal.
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69% of voters cite health care as a top issue, according to AP-NORC.
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68% say health care is important to their vote, including 82% of Democratic supporters and 53% of Republican supporters, according to Pew Research.
Why it matters at work. Premiums, deductibles, and access influence whether people delay care, skip prescriptions, or look at other employers, and how you communicate plan changes signals whether the company is looking out for them.
The Iran war. 64% of voters say the war with Iran is a top issue.
Why it matters. Employees may have family serving in the military, loved ones in the region, or colleagues in affected locations, and global employers are managing travel, security, and supply chain disruptions.
Immigration. 59% of voters say immigration is important, with a clear partisan divide: 72% of Republicans say it is important versus 53% of Democrats.
Why it matters at work. The issue is personal for employees on work visas including H-1Bs, those in mixed-status families and communities facing immigration enforcement. It also raises employment verification and compliance concerns for employers.
AI is the issue CHROs own. AI ranks below other major voting issues but has direct implications for HR.
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35% of voters cite AI as a top issue, according to AP-NORC.
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44% say AI is very important to their vote, including 54% of Democratic supporters and 34% of Republican supporters, according to Pew Research.
Why it matters at work. Employees worry about whether their roles will change and how their skills will be valued. CHROs are expected to answer. Transparent communication and credible upskilling and reskilling build trust in ways policy debates in Washington cannot.
Trust and democracy are the cultural undercurrent.
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73% of voters say the future of democracy is important to their vote.
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36% cite government corruption as a top issue, more than any other single topic, according to a CNBC survey.
Whatever one’s view of those debates, the theme is trust in institutions. Employees apply the same lens to their employers, and ask:
Are leaders honest?
Are rules applied evenly?
Is it safe to raise a concern?
