Elevating One Another During the 2020 Election
November 3rd was quite a day in the United States. The election had many Americans, myself included, stressed out and worried about the country’s future amidst a year that has brought a lot of uncertainty to the world. To keep myself civically engaged while out of the news cycle, I had planned to take advantage of Strava’s volunteer time off policy to work as a poll worker on Election Day.
A few weeks before the election, though, an email from our Chief People Officer, Michele Bousquet, popped into my inbox with the subject line, “Some space for you in light of the upcoming election.” In the email, Michele announced that Strava was designating November 3rd as a company holiday for all of its US employees so that employees could vote, take part in voting-related activities, and take care of themselves. Importantly, she noted:
Election Day means different things to different people. The important gesture in this is to create space and to pause the normal flows of work so people can take care.
It would have never been a problem for me to take time off using Strava’s volunteer time off policy or unlimited paid time off policy, but to be able to take the day off together as a company was a breath of fresh air in a year that has, frankly, felt suffocating.
And it didn’t stop on Election Day — the following day was designated as a “light” day, meaning all meetings were cancelled so that we could process the election results as they continued to unfold. Throughout the rest of the difficult week, roundtables were organized across the company, within teams, and within affinity and identity groups so that we could support and process our emotions together. It was refreshing that Strava acknowledged how the stress of the election and its outcome would affect how we work, and actively chose to focus on how to support us through it all. It became a week that was all about elevating one another, as a team.
On election day itself, many of us took the time to be with our families, to spend time outside, or to invest in self-care.
Varun Pemmaraju, an engineer on the Places team, speaks to this:
I got out to explore a new part of the city, go for a way-too-cold open water swim, and find an old lodge with a fireplace to warm up and read (Michelle Obama’s “Becoming”) for hours. I’m someone who generally embraces information overload rather than less, but found that even I was becoming anxious glued to a screen, waiting and watching for “news”… I don’t think I knew going in what kind of day I needed for myself before settling in, transfixed, for a LATE night (and a few more late nights after it), but I really appreciate Strava giving us the time to figure that out and make the best Election Day for ourselves.
Meanwhile, some of us took the opportunity to elevate others around them, volunteering our time to make calls for a state party or volunteering at the polls on Election Day. Here’s a snapshot of what some of our employees did with their time before and on election day (full testimonials available at the end of this article):
David Wilson, an engineer on the Trust team:
I realized that I didn’t want to just sit on the sidelines this election… I decided to get-out-the-vote phone bank for the state Democratic Party organization. This was done on my own time, but Strava gave me the space to transition into this work at the end of the workday (for multiple days over several weeks).
Yudi Fu, an engineer on the Foundation team:
I wanted to contribute to this election. Yet, as a foreigner, there was very little I could do. I felt powerless until about a month before the election when my permanent resident application got approved and I became eligible to be a poll worker … At the end of the day, I believe I had accomplished my job of helping the Department of Elections conduct a free, fair, and functional election in San Francisco. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my permanent residency in the United States, and experience first-hand, for the first time in my life, the American democracy.
Neil Bezdek, an analyst on the Trust team:
During the lead-up to this year’s election, I felt more invested than ever in the outcome and motivated to do my part to support both the democratic process and causes that I believe in. Knowing that Strava would be closed for Election Day… I turned my attention toward supporting democratic causes by phone banking for Swing Left and setting up recurring weekly donations to a mix of local and national campaigns… Election Day might be behind us but activism is year round!
Tia Remington-Bell, a senior product researcher:
From day one Strava encouraged us to use our individual voices to help democracy flourish and supported us in any and all efforts. We were given time off to train for and work the polls on election day, followed by a light work day to process Wednesday’s results (albeit results didn’t materialize until Saturday)! I am proud to work for a company that cares enough to give us the physical time to fight for inclusion, and the mental time to process the outcomes of democracy.
In the words of our co-founders, Michael Horvath and Mark Gainey, on the day after the election:
Strava is a special team, united by our mission and our company values, especially camaraderie.
Authenticity, balance, craftsmanship, camaraderie, and commitment are our founding principles. We’re lucky that these principles have created a team where we can bring our true, whole selves into the conversation. I know my colleagues will support me whether I am feeling exhausted from the challenges of 2020 or setting a personal best, and that we will continue to show up for one another at home and at the polls. At the end of the day, we know that the outcome of the election and these next four years will not change anything about Strava’s core values or how we would continue to welcome and support people of all backgrounds.
Strava is a special place.
If you’re interested in working at Strava, check out our careers page.
Full Testimonials:
Varun:
I very recently moved to London, and I got out to explore a new part of the city, go for a way-too-cold open water swim, and find an old lodge with a fireplace to warm up and read (Michelle Obama’s “Becoming”) for hours. I’m someone who generally embraces information overload rather than less, but found that even I was becoming anxious glued to a screen, waiting and watching for “news” that wasn’t even newsworthy yet (the first election results don’t even come in until 11 PM here). I don’t think I knew going in what kind of day I needed for myself before settling in, transfixed, for a LATE night (and a few more late nights after it), but I really appreciate Strava giving us the time to figure that out and make the best Election Day for ourselves.
David Wilson:
I realized that I didn’t want to just sit on the sidelines this election and wait for the votes to come in. After some consideration, I decided to get-out-the-vote phone bank for the state Democratic Party organization. This was done on my own time, but Strava gave me the space to transition into this work at the end of the workday (for multiple days over several weeks).
I didn’t phone bank the day of the election, and Colorado’s amazing voting system meant that I had already voted and the polling places were well staffed around me. I did use the time off to take my family for a relaxing day at the zoo, which was a helpful recharge before heading into what turned out to be a tense week of waiting for the results.
Yudi Fu:
I can’t vote in the United States because I’m not a citizen. However, I wanted to contribute to this election having lived in the US for the past decade as an immigrant and having had every bit of my life impacted by the decisions of the elected officials of this country. Yet, as a foreigner, there was very little I could do. I felt powerless until about a month before the election, when my permanent resident application got approved and I became eligible to be a poll worker — I filled out my application that same weekend.
There was just one little glitch in my plan — I was supposed to be oncall for work during the week of the election. Luckily, I’m on an awesome team and when I reached out, despite it being a company holiday, two teammates took over oncall from me for that day and the night before so I could get a good night’s sleep before the insanely early morning and long day on election day.
Sixteen hours is a twice a typical work day, but as long as it seemed, it flew by quickly when I was bonding with my fellow poll workers, most of whom were first timers like me, including three high school students; hearing the good news that the Election Center didn’t have to deploy any backup poll workers because everyone showed up at 5:45 a.m.; helping out numerous first-time voters; counting and, yes, recounting all the ballots we issued, voided, and received.
At the end of the day, I believe I had accomplished my job of helping the Department of Elections conduct a free, fair, and functional election in San Francisco. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my permanent residency in the United States, and experience first-hand, for the first time in my life, the American democracy.
Neil Bezdek:
During the lead-up to this year’s election, I felt more invested than ever in the outcome and motivated to do my part to support both the democratic process and causes that I believe in. Knowing that Strava would be closed for Election Day, I applied to be a poll worker in my home state of Colorado, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that more citizens than needed had already applied. Instead I turned my attention toward supporting democratic causes by phone banking for Swing Left and setting up recurring weekly donations to a mix of local and national campaigns.
One of the local ballot measures that I was especially interested in would create an advisory board for Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. The measure passed, and as a former transportation planner myself I am now working with a local bicycle advocacy group to help influence the composition of the board. Election Day might be behind us but activism is year round!
Tia Remington-Bell:
As a new member of Strava, I didn’t quite know what to expect when it came to the election. I knew that I wanted to be involved this year given how directly impacted I am as a person of color. From day one Strava encouraged us to use our individual voices to help democracy flourish and supported us in any and all efforts. We were given time off to train for poll work, without even a second thought. On the day before the election, many different slack channels rang out with support and encouragement for all employees who would be working the polls.
Armed with tea, water, and masks I set out at 4 a.m. to be a poll scanner arriving at 5 a.m. to learn that everyone who had signed up was working the polls for the first time! As a group we bonded over the hardships of the year, and the importance in making sure all voices were heard. With jokes and assistance we ensured every vote counted that day. By the time I reached home I had been on my feet for 16 hours, but the day was done. Waking up and not knowing how it would end, left me feeling numb.
There was a lot riding on the election. Luckily I work at a company that declared Wednesday not only a light day, but told us to take the time we needed to come to terms with the unknown. I was able to channel my feelings and thoughts into simpler tasks that I could handle, and give myself the headspace and time I needed to process what was happening. I am proud to work for a company that cares enough to give us the physical time to fight for inclusion, and the mental time to process the outcomes of democracy.
