HR Pulse - Winter 2008 - (Page 19)

issue but also during down time. You want to be the person their staffers go to when gathering information,” she explains. But Weiner and other political experts acknowledge that it can be hard to pick up the phone or send that e-mail for the ﬁrst time, whether it’s to a state or federal ofﬁcial. Telling Your Story “The biggest barrier to becoming an active advocate, for most people, is the fear of the unknown and of talking to elected ofﬁcials,” says William Kreisberg, vice president of Schrayer & Associates, a political consulting ﬁrm in Washington, D.C. “But keep in mind that they are people, just like you. You’re not going to be grilled, and you’re not testifying or serving as the ultimate expert. You’re simply telling your story.” Weiner agrees. “A lot of people make advocacy a bigger deal than it really is. Approaching elected representatives can be daunting at ﬁrst, but advocacy is just a conversation between people about an issue. It’s the job of Congressional staffers to collect information from all sides and present it to their bosses. Members of Congress really want to hear from everyone, and it’s important that your knowledge be added to the mix,” she says. According to Kreisberg, people often make the mistake of thinking they have to be an expert to be an effective advocate on a given issue. He points out that government relations people and lobbyists are the ones who bring a lot of details and nuances to the table—that what HR leaders add to the discussion is knowledge of the practical and personal implications that legislative decisions have on employees and patients. “HR leaders are the closest to the mission of the organization,” Kreisberg explains. “Who better to make the case for the things that are important to you? You have the ability to make an issue come to life for your members of Congress, to make it real and add color. You can explain why it’s relevant and what the real impact will be on the legislator’s constituents.” When it comes to advocacy, everybody has a role to play, explains Weiner. “People on Capitol Hill hear from lobbyists and paid professionals all the time, and that’s important. They provide statistics, honed-in messages and focus group results. But it’s also vital to hear from the people who are going to work in health care environments every day. You have a unique perspective, and members of Congress and their staffers want to hear it,” she says. Engaging Health Care Stakeholders In addition to communicating directly with legislators and their staff members, HR leaders can boost advocacy efforts by providing opportunities for other health care stakeholders to raise their voices as well. Employees, physicians, volunteers, and civic leaders all have passionate feelings about health care, and legislators want to hear from them, too. Often they simply need an invitation and encouragement to participate in the process. “HR professionals can also play an important role by engaging their organization’s senior management, board members and trustees in health care advocacy efforts,” explains Kreisberg. “We call this the ‘grasstops’ advocacy, which is the other side of grassroots.” He says people with these responsibilities can be powerful advocates, but they often ﬁnd it hard to carve out time in their very busy schedules to communicate with legislators. HR can make it easier for these senior stakeholders to voice their opinions by: • Providing legislative updates (the ASHHRA Action Alerts and advocacy information on the Web site are good starting places) • Drafting e-mails for them to send to legislators • Checking on their availability when inviting members of Congress to visit the organization. Four Strategies In consulting with clients, Kreisberg recommends four types of advocacy activities: make personal visits, contact legislators’ ofﬁces, arrange for hospital tours, and respond to alerts. Personal Visits HR leaders can arrange to visit a legislator’s nearby district ofﬁce or travel to Washington, D.C. Either way, Kreisberg suggests that you: • Call and request an appointment rather than show up unannounced • Explain the purpose of the visit • Be ﬂexible as to meeting time • Conﬁrm the meeting in writing. He also recommends showing up early for the meeting and sending a follow-up letter afterward that reiterates key points and action requested of the legislator. Contacting Ofﬁces Communicating with members of Congress via phone, fax and e-mail is another way to establish and strengthen relationships. (Most political experts advise against using “snail” mail because of the time lag.) But it’s important to keep in mind that people on Capitol Hill are bombarded with messages. As Kreisberg points out, Congressional ofﬁces receive thousands of e-mails and letters per week and hundreds of phone calls per day, and members of Congress and their staffers often have dozens of meetings and scores of constituent visits each day. For that reason, Weiner encourages people to keep their message short and sweet. “When you call or write, tell them who you are, that you’re a constituent, what the issue is, and the “Becoming a real grassroots advocate is about establishing relationships with members of Congress and their staff people. That’s all it is. The ultimate goal is for you to become a resource for them.” 19 HR Pulse Winter 2008 >>

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Pulse - Winter 2008

HR Pulse - Winter 2008 Contents Pulse Points Executive Director’s Letter President’s Message HR Leader Profile: Karmen Reid Advocacy is for Everyone A Case Study in Raising Voices Diversity Management Measuring What Matters Bullying as Gender Harassment Combat Workforce Changes Hardwiring Accountability Immigration Frustration HR and Education Making Exit Interviews Count Management Styles that Enhance Intrinsic Motivation Backup Care Fact or Fiction 10 Ways to Lose Your Best People Advertisers’ Index

HR Pulse - Winter 2008

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