Raining on our Parade? The General Election and Your Team’s Capacity

Like many, I was thinking it was most likely to be a November General Election, but the Prime Minister has thrown a curveball and called it for the summer. With the upcoming UK General Election scheduled for 4th July 2024, Students' Union (SU) managers and staff face the challenge of balancing election-related activities with regular summer plans, such as induction programs for new student officers, preparations for welcoming new students in September, and allowing staff members to enjoy their well-deserved breaks. Here are strategies to help SU managers respond to election needs in a responsive, agile, and prepared manner while minimising overwork and burnout:

Shifting Mindsets and Adapting Plans

Adopt a Growth Mindset: Encourage a growth mindset among staff, where challenges are seen as opportunities for learning and improvement. A growth mindset can help managers and staff cope with the challenge of a summer general election by fostering an environment where obstacles are viewed as opportunities for learning and development, encouraging resilience and adaptability in the face of unexpected demands, and promoting a collective belief that through effort, collaboration, and creative problem-solving, the team can successfully navigate the increased workload and achieve their goals.

Try not to See the Election as a “Bolt on”

With all the existing priorities and workload during the summer, it’s important not to just add the General Election to the long list of ongoing projects and priorities. Do not be afraid to deprioritise some work streams (including manifesto commitments, for now) to respond to the changed context, and be brave enough to drop some things altogether. If you want to do this well, something may have to give. There’s also the question of whether you have the capacity to do anything impactful, a biased Ollie says that you do! But you may have to drop other areas.

Prioritise and Delegate Tasks

Identify Key Election Activities: Focus on the most impactful election-related activities, such as voter registration drives, voter ID awareness campaigns, and information sessions. Prioritise tasks that are essential for ensuring a high student voter registration and turnout.

Delegate Responsibilities: Distribute tasks among existing staff and student officers based on their strengths and availability. Create clear roles and responsibilities to avoid confusion and ensure accountability. Encourage teamwork and collaboration to share the workload.

Task Prioritisation: Use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritise tasks based on their urgency and importance. Focus on high-impact, high-urgency tasks related to the election and?postpone or delegate less critical activities.?

Active Strategic Deprioritisation: Evaluate ongoing projects and identify tasks that can be delayed or deprioritised to free up resources for election-related activities. Communicate these changes clearly to ensure everyone understands the rationale.

Flexibility and Adaptability: Cultivate a culture of flexibility and adaptability. Encourage staff to be open to changing plans and priorities as new information or challenges arise.

Create a Flexible Work Plan

Develop a Comprehensive Timeline: Create a detailed timeline for all election-related activities, considering the regular summer plans. Include key dates and deadlines for voter registration, information sessions, and other essential events. This will help manage time effectively and ensure that no critical tasks are overlooked.

Adjust Work Schedules: Implement flexible work schedules to accommodate staff and student officers' existing commitments and summer plans. Allow for remote work where possible and adjust office hours to meet the demands of election activities without overburdening the team.

Time Blocking: Encourage staff to use time blocking techniques to dedicate specific periods to election-related tasks without interruptions. This can improve focus and productivity.

Leverage Existing Resources and Partnerships

Utilise Local Campaigns and Resources: Take advantage of local and regional campaigns that provide resources and support for voter registration drives. Collaborate with local electoral offices, community organisations, and other SUs to share resources (a great many SUs are already have done this in preparation)

Engage Volunteers: Recruit and train (both online and onsite) student volunteers to assist with election-related tasks. Volunteers can help with voter registration drives, distribute voter ID information, and support events. This not only eases the burden on staff but also encourages student involvement and ownership of the election process.

Collaborative and Supportive Culture

Cross-Functional Teams: Create cross-functional teams that bring together staff from different departments to collaborate on election efforts. This not only leverages diverse skills but also fosters a sense of shared purpose and teamwork.

Focus on Wellbeing and Support

Monitor Workloads: Regularly check in with staff and student officers to monitor their workloads and stress levels. Be proactive in identifying signs of burnout (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/navigating-burnout-ollie-kasper-hope/) and take immediate steps to address any concerns.

Promote Self-Care: Encourage staff and student officers to take breaks, practice self-care, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Provide resources, support or remind staff that they access to tools for managing stress, mental health services or wellness programmes.

Encourage Breaks: Promote the importance of taking regular breaks and using still taking annual leave. Encourage staff to step away from work to recharge, ensuring they return with renewed energy and focus.

Acknowledge Efforts: Recognise and celebrate the hard work and achievements of your team. Positive reinforcement and appreciation can boost morale and motivation during busy periods. Remember the small wins!

Streamline Processes with Technology

Use Digital Tools: Implement digital tools to streamline communication, project management, and collaboration. Platforms like Trello, Slack, and Google Workspace can help manage tasks efficiently and keep everyone informed and connected.

Automate Where Possible: Automate routine tasks, such as sending reminder emails for voter registration or scheduling social media posts. This reduces manual workload and allows the team to focus on more strategic activities.

Agile Project Management

Sprint Methodology: Adopt the sprint methodology from agile project management. Break down election preparation into short, focused sprints (e.g., two-week periods) with specific goals and deliverables. This helps maintain momentum, allows for regular assessment of progress, and makes it easier to adapt to changing needs.

Daily Stand-Ups: Implement daily stand-up meetings to quickly discuss progress, identify blockers, and prioritise tasks. This keeps everyone aligned and ensures that issues are addressed promptly.

—> if used correctly this can be really effective if up against key deliverable deadlines.

Embracing the Kikai mindset

Despite the challenges of a summer election, it's entirely possible to deliver an effective elections engagement programme for students this summer. By embracing a growth mindset, leveraging innovative strategies, and prioritising flexibility and collaboration, SU staff and officers can turn obstacles into opportunities for impactful action. Through creative outreach, effective workload management, and a strong focus on wellbeing, our movement can ensure that every student has the resources and motivation to participate in the election (even if they are not eligible to vote!).