It’s a fact: government-related policies affect businesses, from unions and health care to labor law and workers’ compensation. Rather than sit on the sidelines and deal with the outcomes of the decisions made by state and federal governments, it only makes sense that businesses should make efforts to make their opinions known to those who make the policies.
“There are thousands of different points of view from different interest groups, and public policy makers try to take those things into account,” says Elise Spriggs, a director and the chair of the Government & Legislative Affairs practice group at Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter. “The concern is if they’re not hearing from you then your issue may be forgotten or they might not be aware of it.”
It’s not only large corporations that can have an influence; any company can simply take part in the process. And for those with a greater stake in the outcomes of these decisions, hiring a representative provides the guidance needed to more effectively, and legally, develop relations with government entities.
Smart Business spoke with Spriggs to learn more about what companies can do to make their voices heard on the policies that impact their practices, employees and operations.
What types of companies should concern themselves with including a government relations and lobbying strategy in their business plan?
This should concern most companies that are impacted directly or indirectly by government regulation. This can include such issues as changes to workers’ compensation laws; business taxes; anything related to health care, whether it be in its delivery or employee benefits; environmental regulations; or proposals to regulate current business practices. We in Ohio have an unemployment compensation trust fund problem, in that we’re under-funding it. We’re not yet sure what the outcome of the decisions regarding this issue will be in the future, but it is likely to impact companies when they decide what those changes might be.
Government policy impacts a wide spectrum of businesses. That’s what makes government relations and lobbying so important; it’s basically advocating a point of view.
