Just one day before the Minnesota primary election, local tech company When I Work announced that it would make the national election day a paid holiday for its employees.
When I Work is now one of more than 600 U.S. companies that have joined the Time to Vote movement, a nonpartisan effort for companies that want to contribute to the culture shift needed to increase voter participation in U.S. elections.
Two large Minnesota corporations, Target and Best Buy, have also joined Time to Vote.
In Minnesota, employees have the right to take time off work to vote without losing pay, personal leave or vacation time. Companies are not, however, required to make election day a holiday.
"Going forward, national election day in the United States will be a paid holiday at When I Work," CEO Martin Hartshorne said in a LinkedIn post. "Our employees will use the day to increase voter turnout by voting themselves and/or helping to make it possible for others to vote."
The announcement comes just a few weeks after When I Work made a significant leadership change. In late July, the company said that CEO and Founder Chad Halvorson would step into a new position, giving the top leadership role to Hartshorne.
Minneapolis-based When I Work offers a workforce scheduling platform, and has been growing consistently over the last decade. The company says its software is utilized by more than 150,000 workplaces worldwide.
