Old Navy will pay its employees to work polls on Election Day

Old Navy said it will pay its 50,000 workers to not come into the stores this Election Day. That is if they head to the polls instead — as workers.

The San Francisco-based retailer announced Tuesday — National Poll Worker Recruitment Day — that it will encourage workers in its 1,000+ U.S. stores to apply to serve as poll workers on Nov. 3. If they do so, the retailer said it will pay them for an eight-hour shift. Employees who serve will also be eligible for compensation from their local jurisdiction.

Old Navy said it is working with Civic Alliance and Power the Polls in a mission to recruit 250,000 new poll workers to ensure polling sites remain open and operate efficiently this year.

“We are constantly inspired by our store teams, with their passion for community work and fostering a sense of belonging both in and outside of our store walls,” Nancy Green, head of Old Navy, said in a news release. “Every voice in this country matters and deserves to be heard at the polls, and if we at Old Navy can be even a small part of making that process more accessible to the communities we call home, we are on board.”

In addition to encouraging its workers, Old Navy is encouraging its customers to also sign up to work the polls.