Overview
The pandemic has dramatically impacted the issue portfolio of most major brands. And, it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. For most companies, 2021 will be a year in which the government relations and public affairs functions, in large part, continue to focus on companies’ operational challenges – relief, health and safety standards, business liability, dining room capacity, delivery and to-go / takeout issues. QSRs may be better positioned relative to their industry counterparts on a number of these issues but every company will be impacted. And, the pandemic is also reframing many of our traditional labor and employment issues.
Many of our regular employment policy issues have been pushed to the forefront during the pandemic and they will be fundamentally different (from an issue management standpoint) moving forward. For example, the issue of paid leave is no longer a theoretical conversation. Employees have now experienced the benefit and employers will have to decide whether or not they want to continue to offer it. Another example: actions such as advocating that the industry’s workforce be categorized as essential workers for reopening or vaccination distribution purposes may ultimately have the unintended consequence of moving workers up the priority list for hazard pay or other benefits.
The bottom line is that the pandemic has touched nearly every issue with which most entry-level employers grapple. For the purposes of this document, we’ve broken issues into two major categories. Those directly related to the pandemic and then our traditional issue portfolio. To Access Align's Analysis: Log In or Subscribe
Traditional Policy Issues
As noted above, the pandemic is changing the conversation around our business model as well as our traditional policy issues. Policymakers across the ideological spectrum have acknowledged that the restaurant industry has been uniquely harmed during the pandemic, as evidenced by the major bipartisan federal relief programs that have treated the restaurant industry differently. The industry should use that momentum to mitigate the impactful of harmful taxes and fees, as well as other areas of policy, like labor and employment law. To Access Align's Analysis: Log In or Subscribe