Apparently Civic Duty Is Bad for Business Now?

A few weeks ago, our Director of Operations and Technology got called in for jury duty. Not only was she selected, but the trial lasted six full days.

And the whole time she was apologizing. That’s right… apologizing!

Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. My reaction was the exact opposite. I told her it was completely fine because this is literally how society is supposed to work. We need thoughtful, intelligent, compassionate people serving on juries. We should want people like her in the room making decisions that affect someone else’s life. Seriously, that’s the whole point.

But then she told me something that’s stuck with me. At a previous job, a boss had apparently been furious she was called for jury duty and told her to “find a way to get out of it.”

And maybe it’s just me… but that feels like a much bigger issue than a scheduling inconvenience.

When did doing our civic duty become something people feel guilty about? When did “the bottom line” become more important than participating in the systems that keep our communities functioning?

I know businesses have deadlines. And yes, I know teams depend on each other. Trust me, as a business owner, I understand operational pressure better than most people. But there’s something unsettling about a culture that treats civic responsibility like an annoyance instead of a shared obligation. Especially when jury duty is one of the few moments regular people directly participate in democracy.

What really struck me is how common this attitude seems to be. Federal law actually prohibits employers from threatening, intimidating, or retaliating against employees for serving on a jury. Most states also have laws protecting employees from retaliation related to jury service.

Why do those laws even need to exist? Probably because enough employers have pressured people to avoid serving.

And that says something uncomfortable about us culturally.

We constantly talk about wanting better communities, better leadership, better systems, more fairness, more accountability. But all of those things require participation. They require people showing up even when it’s inconvenient… especially when it’s inconvenient.

The irony is that the same people who complain about “what’s wrong with society” are sometimes the first to discourage employees from participating in the very institutions that hold society together.

At KR Squared, we handled it the way I think workplaces should handle it: “We’ve got it covered. Go serve.” Because work can wait six days. Democracy can’t.

And honestly? I’m proud she served. Not despite the inconvenience, but because of it.

Also… spoiler alert: the company survived six whole days without her. Barely. But we made it.