Social Impact

The number of women’s sports bars are said to be quadrupling by the end of the year. 2025 started with 6 women’s sports bars. @goodgoodgoodco

Interesting tidbit: some Premier league teams are promoting a one club mentality. It’s Arsenal. Not Arsenal and Arsenal Women.

JP Morgan Chase rebranded DEI. In the new policies “equity” becomes “opportunity. ” Meet DOI.

What JP Morgan COO said: “The ‘e’ always meant equal opportunity to [JPMorgan], not equal outcomes, and we believe this more accurately reflects our ongoing approach to reach the most customers and clients to grow our business, create an inclusive workplace for our employees and increase access to opportunities.”

ESG Dive | JPMorgan rebrands DEI, leaves Net-Zero Asset Managers initiative

DEI: It’s complicated. – the corporate world, with exceptions. This Wednesday TechCrunch watched as United Healthcare scrubbed DEI from its website.

Here’s the response from United Healthcare:  “We comply with existing and emerging laws while striving to support what is best for the communities we serve. Our values of supporting a collaborative environment where we treat each other with mutual respect continue to be part of our culture and fundamental to expanding access to health care services.”

TechCrunch | UnitedHealth scrubs mentions of DEI from its website

“The Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit that looks to build a better government, on Tuesday announced its new AI Center for Government, an effort to promote artificial intelligence across all levels of government including state and local.”

Route Fifty | Partnership for Public Service launches AI Center for Government

H&M is putting its money where its mouth is to fund the Apparel Impact Institute’s calling on banks, textile companies and brands to clean up supply chains. @trellis_group

@Harvard_Business_Review says these traits point to a toxic boss: lack of self awareness; lack of empathy; self-interested; unpredictable (not in the fun way but the walk on egg shell way); weaponizes power; micromanagers; unreasonable expectations; take behind people’s backs to demoralize and belittle; blame others; and are over confident.

The National Conference of State Legislatures says the number of women serving in state legislatures has increased in 26 states. In Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico women make up more than 50% of the legislature.

Remember when we talked about how John Deere walked back DEI a few months ago? Well, one group saw an opening and it did not go their way.  A conservative group, National Legal and Policy Center, brought an anti-DEI proposal to John Deere shareholders which was rejected handily. 200 million shares to 2.8 million shares. 

What was the proposal seeking? Proof of discrimination against “white employees.”

Why? The conservative group ” described concerns over corporate hiring practices, citing a Bloomberg report that only 6% of the 300,000 jobs added by S&P 100 companies in the year following the death of George Floyd went to White men.“

ESG Dive | Deere shareholders vote down anti-DEI proposal

“Many large corporations may try to do everything or a lot of things, as they have the interests of many stakeholders to take care of. However, if these corporations focus on a more limited number of CSR activities that are aligned with their core competencies, they can create increased business value while also creating greater social value. Creating business value is equally as important as creating social value because businesses may struggle to continue their CSR efforts if they do not generate economic value in return.” – Seoki Lee, professor of hospitality management Penn State

Advising a client on how to show employee appreciation? Surprise! Employees do not feel appreciated by a holiday event. Show employees that they are appreciated and valued every day. Employee appreciation also requires acknowledging employees who are aligned with the company’s ethos (not the teachers’ pets).

Fast Company | Why so Many Employee Appreciation Events Feel Phony

McKinsey consultants tell Harvard Business Review that while women are being educated at higher rates, they aren’t moving up as quickly. They point to Experience Capital. A new buzz phrase to learn, fun. Experience Capital is knowledge, skills, and wisdom learned on the job. @harvard_business_review

IKEA, the Swedish retailer, is spending $1 billion on  3 recycling enterprises so as to an achieve a fully circular business by 2030. Since I was a little kid in Sweden, IKEA has been focused on restoring forests, using sustainable products, and asking customers to pay for reusable shopping bags. Talk about a consistent purpose driven business.  @trellis_group

 “A SHRM report from March 2024 showed that more than 70% of HR professionals agreed that women face discrimination in the labor market.”

A survey by HiBob surveyed 2,000 full-time employees working in hybrid or in-office environments of which 51% of those workers identified as women. Here’s what they found:

• 36% of women feel empowered to do their best
• 28% of women say their corporate culture supports them
• 34% of men received a promotion
• 22% of women received a promotion
• 46% of men received a raise
• 32% of women received a raise

92% of CFOs report an intent to spend more on sustainability according to a global poll of 500+ finance chiefs by management consultancy Kearney and climate media platform We Don’t Have Time. 93% of CFOs see a clear business case for sustainability. 50+% say that sustainability investments will be significantly increased. 

69% expect a higher ROI from sustainability initiatives than conventional investments.

ESG Dive | 92% of CFOs plan to boost sustainability spending

Last week there was a spending blackout which sums up as Target bad, Costco good. What was the impact?

14% drop in Target app usage & 9% drop in web traffic. Costco web traffic was UP 22%.

@goodgoodgoodco

Let’s take our heads out of the gutter for my poorly crafted header and move on to a report by GlobeScan and Ashoka that shows the power of creating an impact culture. An impact culture empowers employee buy-in and leads to profit maximization.. 

74% of employees agree that what their employer says about social and environmental responsibility is inconsistent with their company’s actual behaviors.

 88% of employees say that their individual motivation and loyalty grows stronger as their company increases its performance on social and environmental responsibility.

This is your sign to invest in workplace culture.

CEO Magazine | The secret to successful social impact lies in your employees

Do we need a database of retailers that align with modern mores? @goodgoodgoodco has a solution.

Black owned businesses increased by 57% from 2017 to 2022. During this time, minority-owned employer businesses added $738 billion to the economy & created 1.9 million more jobs.

My favorite stat: Black-female-owned businesses increased by 71.6%.

Brookings Institute via Governing | The Number of Black-Owned Businesses Increased by More Than 50%

We’ve talked about how cities are working to mitigate extreme heat to help their residents and their economy. The wild, Wild West of Nevada wants their cities to also mitigate heat. AB 96 in the Nevada Legislature would require cities to include heat mitigation in their master plans.

Assemblymember Venise Karris, D-Las Vegas, in her testimony on Tuesday. “This bill offers a strategic approach to addressing its effects while still providing our local governments with flexibility in specifically tailoring their mitigation efforts to their communities.”

Governing | Nevada Introduces Bill to Combat Extreme Heat

 Purpose-driven organizations have an annual return averaging 13.1%. This is 9% higher than the S&P. As we know employees who share the purpose of their employer tend to like their jobs and stay, they retain employees who are 64% more satisfied with their work, according to data from IDEO.

Forbes | 4 Reasons Purpose-Driven Companies Outperform The Competition

New turn of phrase for those of us interested in social impact endeavors– longevity HUB. A longevity Hub is a region that offers significant economic and innovative activity for older people. @MITSloan

Missouri, the Show ME State, wants to show us that diversity, inclusivity and equity is discriminatory. How? The state Attorney General is suing Starbucks because it provides “targeted training for advancement” that the right believes is biased against people like John Hamm’s Mad Men character. Does this sound familiar? In 2022, the conservative America First Legal Foundation urged the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate Starbucks for similar reasons. That investigation was dismissed by a judge.

HR Dive | Starbucks’ DEI policies labeled ‘discriminatory’ in Missouri attorney general’s lawsuit

There’s been an increase in the number of US consumers who are no longer purchasing from brands that do not align with their values. GenZ and black consumers lead this trend. Pundits point to this trend increasing after Target denounced DEI.

This isn’t a one sided issue, remember the Bud Light commercial brouhaha?

The Guardian | A quarter of US shoppers have dumped favorite stores over political stances

Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose. I want to say we talked about this group a while back. Let’s reacquaint ourselves, shall we?

This group says it “promote[s] responsible purpose-driven business as it increases customer loyalty, builds employee engagement, improves brand trust, attracts top talent, connects with strategic investors, and contributes to the bottom line.” It is a global network that includes a lot of big name companies. 

Sephora, the beauty retailer, is doubling down on its support for DEI with its documentary “Beauty & Belonging.” A Sephora executive explains the company’s purpose as, “At Sephora, everything that we do — from deciding the brands to partner with to hosting large scale events for our loyal community of beauty enthusiasts — is guided by our purpose to champion a world of inspiration and inclusion where everyone can celebrate their beauty,”

This fits with the messaging guidance we’ve talked about in that purpose requires us to act with purpose and speak with purpose.

ESSG Dive | Sephora boosts DEI with new documentary

Jeffrey Pfeffer, a Stanford Organizational Behavior Professor, says no one cares that offices (workplaces) are not great, or in his words “are killing people.” He explains that offices are breeding grounds for stress, pressure, and depression.  He believes only force — regulation, litigation, and legislation — will compel organizations to create and maintain a healthy workplace. The kicker: he says no one cares. @stanfordgsb

Add consulting company McKinsey to the list of entities standing firm with DEI. @bloombergbusiness

In a survey by the Conference Board, they found philanthropic priorities changing in corporate America. They’re calling it a shift to opportunity and education and away from racial and gender equality. It also notes the biggest challenge for corporate philanthropy is showing the return on investment.

Target’s Impact Officer is talking about “the importance of staying in step with the evolving external landscape.” In an internal memo, they say Target is  committed to “inclusion” and “belonging.”ESG Dive

ESG Dive | Target ends some DEI initiatives, reiterates commitment to belonging and inclusion

An  Equilar study analyzes all anti-ESG shareholder proposals that have been presented at companies’ general shareholder meetings within the Equilar 500—the 500 largest U.S. public companies by revenue—over the last 5 years.”anti-ESG submissions are routinely struggling to surpass single digits for median support—never rising above 5% since 2020.” The study concludes that while anti-ESG voices are louder and represent a higher volume of shareholder proposals, there is limited support.

Equilar Inc. on Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance | Anti-ESG Proposals Have Increased in Volume, but Fare Poorly

The Conference Board® C-Suite Outlook 2025: Seizing the Future, a comprehensive survey of global business leaders found that US CEOs rank climate risk and sustainability as the top-two external ESG factors likely to impact their business in 2025. Global CEOs are not concerned about anti-ESG sentiment, but US CEOs say that anti-ESG sentiment is their 4th concern behind climate events, sustainability, and energy technology.

Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance | CEO and C-Suite ESG Priorities for 2025

Another week, more corporate entities standing firm in their DEI policies. Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing ” said at a press conference Thursday the company stands “firmly behind” its “integral” DEI programs, stating the company can “see how Deutsche Bank has benefited from it,” making it the latest bank to defend DEI after conservative groups filed shareholder proposals at various banks urging them to review their diversity policies.”

Forbes | War On DEI: Deutsche Bank Stands ‘Firmly Behind’ Diversity Program As These Major Organizations Drop Them

A proposal in the Harvard School of Law Forum on Corporate Governance posits, shareholder democracy. It says, ” We propose to apply this idea [citizens’ assemblies] to investors. We claim that a legitimate, politically uncontentious, and very practical way to settle the value-values tradeoff is to let a representative sample of investors deliberate on ethical guidelines via an investor assembly.”

The head of the Delaware Court of Chancery; yes, that Delaware, the popular state for corporate formation filings, has an opinion on stakeholders and profit. The judge  believes that value maximization and valuing stakeholders are not mutually exclusive concepts under Delaware law. This is where you mentally sing the Law & Order theme song.

Directors & Boards | Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick on Governance, Compensation and Corporate Character

Common corporate policies that are being pulled into DEI debate include: auditing pay practices, requiring diverse pools of job candidates, and ensuring that promotions are awarded fairly. These common practices ensure compliance with state and federal laws banning workplace discrimination according to experts. Some companies enter into legal settlements concerning these policies. Let’s say it’s complicated and there are a ton of lawyers involved.

Inc. | Companies May Not Be Able to Abandon DEI Despite Trump Order

Design Wanted ponders these 3 questions for social impact in design:

• How might we create meaningful materials to design sustainable products, services, and experiences? 
• How might we create meaningful materials to enhance people’s quality of life? 
• How might we create meaningful materials to build material ecologies for sustainability?

Perhaps this is the silver lining social impact minded folk are looking for… Post U.S. election some say there is increased interest in corporate responsibility. Think about the recent public stances by Costco and Apple.

“The companies that ultimately succeed will be those that ensure “purpose is more directly tied to core business operations, anchored in day-to-day realities rather than ideological movements,” said Fabio Milnitzky, CEO of the brand purpose consultancy iN”

Triple Pundit | Impact Professionals Share Their Predictions for Brand Purpose in 2025

A survey by Pensions for Purpose, a UK-based industry body, reveals concerns over the U.S. Simultaneously, 58% of these global investors intend to increase their impact investments in 2025. The remainder will maintain their impact investments. None of the entities surveyed will decrease their impact investments because of the political climate in the U.S.  

Impact Investor | European investors upbeat on impact investing, despite US concerns

Experts say businesses perform better when decision making is fast and key business processes are automated or digitized. A real-time business creates and consolidates data in real-time to provide answers to customers and employees. 

A study of real time businesses found that they are 22% better at operational efficiency; 20% better at innovation; and 17% better at risk management as opposed to the businesses in the bottom quartile of businesses. @MITSloan

Is your entity conducting a culture audit? A culture audit looks to determine whether the corporate culture aligns with the corporation’s values, goals, or mission.

@MITSloan

In a recent SEC filing by Apple, that addresses a conservative think tank’s quest to undo Apple’s DEI initiatives, Apple states that the anti-DEI  proposal “inappropriately attempts to restrict Apple’s ability to manage its own ordinary business operations, people and teams, and business strategies.”

Is this like the business version of helicopter parenting or micromanaging?

HR Dive | ‘Inappropriate’ micromanaging: Apple pushes back on anti-DEI proposal

Costco’s Board rejected an anti-DEI proposal by confirming their “commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary.” Costco is the world’s 5th largest retailer. “Even as anti-DEI campaigns have surged, most companies have held on to their diversity policies because they foster good decision-making and are conducive to their business goals.”

HR Dive | Did Costco just reset the narrative around DEI?

Beijing’s subway system allows riders to pay in plastic bottles. The program started in 2012. @cleanairmoms

@MITSMR, MIT’s Sloan Management Review, has recommendations for hybrid team leaders. 

Their advice includes establishing best team norms for communication, refine workplace culture to include collaboration, & to be smart about accountability. 

According to an industrial and organizational psychologist and behavioral economist, hybrid teams are often more productive and more engaged which leads to increased organizational productivity, profits, innovation, and customer satisfaction.

Google has announced the creation of an accelerator for social impact organizations that are using generative AI. Funding will total $30 million globally and the accelerator is an open call for nonprofits, civic entities, academic institutions. and social enterprises to apply to participate in the six-month Google.org Accelerator: Generative AI program. Apply here.

Gallup polling shows that workers are not happy. They may not be leaving their jobs in droves but workers are detaching. 51% of workers are looking for a new job. 18% of employees are happy. Dear Employers: Please be aware that some of your employees might think of you like that high school relationship where one party was tuned out while resentment and detachment festered in the other person. High school was fun times, she said sarcastically, perhaps caustically. @cnbc

In 2024,  9 of 10 cars sold in Norway were electric. Norway does not ban gas vehicles. Norwegians go as far as to say people don’t like being told what to do.  So what did Norway do? It  incentivized the behavior they wanted (EVs) and added a tax to what they didn’t want (gas powered vehicles). Positive reinforcement at work. @goodgoodgoodco

A new study shows that US consumers are more likely to purchase sports technology from female athletes rather than male athletes. Namely Serena Williams, Caitlin Clark, and Simone Biles. @thefemaleathleteproject

GenZ smashing the status quo again with career catfishing. According to @entreprenuer GenZ is accepting job offers and then ghosting employers. Kudos GenZ for taking “no call, no show” to the next level.

Lots of us think of bring your pet to work policies or leave to care for sick pets when we think of employer pet perks. But, some employers are going above and beyond by covering shelter adoption fees and some are covering medical costs for pets.

In a June 2024 survey 82% of HR professionals say that being pet-friendly aids in recruiting and retaining top talent. @bloomberglaw @wsj

Bloomberg Law | Pet-Friendly Perks for Employees Come With Liability Risks

The national arts initiative One Nation/One Project, conceptualized during post-pandemic hope,  is doing the good work to revive communities by spurring collaboration between municipalities, arts organizations, public health offices and the health sector.  33+ countries have established systems that draw on art, culture, nature, volunteering and other social resources through prescriptions and referrals.

Governing | A Rural City Embraces Art as a Prescription for Community Health

A record  2,450 women will serve in state legislatures. This represents 33.2% of legislative seats nationwide. That’s up from 2024’s number of 2431. A record 851 Republican women are serving in state legislatures. Nevada was the first state to have a women majority legislature, and 62% of the forthcoming legislature will be women.

AP | Number of women who are state lawmakers inches up to a record high

A letter from a coalition of 30 investors and asset managers, including include Mercy Investment Services, Trinity Health, Greenbank, Nest and the Socially Responsible Investment Coalition, are calling on major U.S. food corporations to improve transparency in their ingredients and the impact to health. The letter to the food executives.

@AdamMGrant says that listening is the key to great leadership. He points to 144 studies including 155K people point tp the listener. Listeners have deeper bonds and better results.

@mitsmr MIT Sloan School Management Review says 8% of consumers are super into sustainability; 9% are into sustainability but not as obsessed as the 8%; 15% do not think about sustainability at all; 10% think of sustainability only so people will like them; 18% want to save the planet but get priced out; 13% are into sustainability but go for second hand and seek out longevity of products; and 19% think what consumers do makes no impact.

Women owned businesses contribute $1.8 trillion to the U.S. economy. But, women owned businesses account for only 2.3% of VC funding. @wiesuite

Since the November election, @sheshouldrun saw a 743% increase in the number of women seeking public office. @sheshouldrun helps women run for public office. @goodgoodgoodco

This November paid sick leave propositions were on the ballot in 3 states. It passed in all 3 states. 57% of voters approved it in Alaska, 58% in Missouri, and 74% in Nebraska. @theSkimm

GenZ is unbossing. Data shows that GenZ is avoiding management positions like 17th Century Brits tried to avoid the plague.  @incmagazine

New Mexico elected a women majority Legislature. Women will comprise 54% of the New Mexico Legislature. “In 2018, Nevada became the first state to elect a female legislative majority, later expanding it to more than 60% of seats with majorities in the state Assembly and Senate.” @goodgoodgoodco

ABC8 | Women win majority of seats in New Mexico Legislature in showcase of determination and joy

A new poll conducted after the US elections found that 2/3 of U.S. adults ( 75% Democrats & 62% Republicans) say it’s important for companies to continue their sustainability efforts regardless of political changes or election outcomes.

3BL Media | New Poll Shows Americans Want Companies To Stay Course on Sustainability; 3BL Network Effect: Charlotte Set for Dec. 11

Bill Gates advice on work life balance is to take a break when you need one. In turn, take it easy on the people around you. “It took far too long for me to realize that you don’t have to fill every second of your schedule to be successful.” @Fortunemag

How do you handle political division in the workplace? Here’s a clear  3 step plan from experts. Start by (1) asking for input, collaborating and inspiring others ; (2) effective listening; and (3) jujutsu persuasion which combines effective listening with responses rooted in values. What not to do: pressure, create groups, or strong arm. @MITSloan

  @MITSloan says sustainability is a competitive advantage. As a kid in Sweden I remember many a sign in IKEA stores about sustainability from recycling to renewable resources. IKEA says it is moving toward a circular business, aiming to use only recycled or renewable materials by 2030 and eliminating all plastic packaging by 2028. They’ll do this by (1) making it easy for consumers to be sustainable; (2) tackling hard to recycle items head on like their active work to recycle mattresses; & (3) actively participate in the second hand market.

Swedish fashion brand @filippa_k has added QR codes to their clothing to trace the origins of their fabrics and production. @sweden.se

 A survey of nearly 200 directors and 30 CEOs of S&P 500 companies tells us  that trust is the most critical factor for a solid CEO-board relationship. It is not what everyone thinks it is: the alignment of goals, performance measures, and board processes. @harvard_business_review

471 studies in 36 countries that include 149,000 humans show that aggressive bosses harm work product. Aggression, incivility, breed resentment. @AdamMGrant

Referencing LinkedIn, @the_happy_broadcast talks about the rise in employers offering pawternity leave for when an employee has a new pet, sick pet, or mourning a pet. Employers understand the mental health benefits of pets.

 The Department of Labor has released its AI best practices for employers. The DOL’s guide, “Artificial Intelligence and Worker Well-being: Principles and Best Practices for Developers and Employers” was developed with input from public listening sessions and from workers, unions, researchers, academics, employers and developers. A best practice is that workers, especially from underserved communities, should understand and have input in the design, development, testing, training, use and oversight of the AI systems used in their workplaces.

Virginia Mercury | Department of Labor releases AI best practices for employers

Is the solution for nature related financial risks, more engaged financial industry? Cop16, the UN’s biodiversity group opens its meeting in Columbia this week. Not only are our economies greatly dependent on nature and natural resources, but we also have governments that can create financial costs to nature. Solutions that are being discussed include: (1) that financial firms must manage and disclose their nature-related financial risks, alongside their climate risks; and (2) financial institutions must begin to engage actively with clients to explore opportunities to support their transition towards more nature-positive activities and reflect this within their transition plans.

The Conversation | How finance can be part of the solution to the world’s biodiversity crisis

The big dogs in the construction industry are joining forces. They have created a new CEO Advisory Council that will “guide an industry-wide effort to develop solutions targeting the high rate of suicide among construction workers.”

There’s a connection between the perceived culture of a workplace and the likelihood that employees will quit. for instance are some of the hardcore return to work policies that force employees into the office all the time just a passive aggressive way to get employees to quit?

Eric Johnson, CIO at PagerDuty, puts it this way, ““Many people just want to understand that the work they’re doing is meaningful to the company’s success, to understand what their role is, what are they being held accountable to, and what success looks like for them. Those are some foundational things.”

HRDive | Despite improved workplace culture, tech workers still eye the door

By 2029, 1 in 10 global boards will use AI guidance to challenge material executive decisions according to Gartner.

Corporate social responsibility has moved from obligation to a strategy thanks to today’s interconnected world. People want to know how your company is contributing to society. Think about the news this week with the consumer push for Kellog’s to remove chemical additives that are not used in the company’s cereals in foreign countries but are used in U.S. cereal. Information moves fast. In today’s world, shareholders are informed of a company’s positive contribution to society. This proactive approach fuels corporate growth, fosters innovation, and strengthens brand loyalty. 

Forbes | Corporate Social Responsibility: A Strategic Imperative For Modern Businesses

“A Gartner survey released in early 2024 found that 49% of supply chain organizations had formal DEI goals in 2023, a more than 50% increase over the companies that did so in the 2022 survey.” “A six-year study by the consulting firm McKinsey confirms the strong business case for gender, ethnic, and cultural diversity in corporate leadership. Put simply, diverse companies outperform less diverse peers says Dan Pellathy, an associate professor of practice at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Supply Chain Management Review | DEI remains a force in business success

What are the 3 biggest threats to employee mental wellness? Work stress bests inflation and AI. Good old fashioned work stress is knackering employees, according to 47% in a recent Wellhub report. Works stress is followed by insufficient sleep at 44% . Wellhub reports that 88% of employees say wellbeing support is as important to them as their salary.  83% of employees would consider leaving their current employer due to a lack of focus on wellbeing.

Once | Rising Work Stress Surpasses Inflation and AI Anxiety as the Leading Threat to Employee 

Hello there new word: malvertising which @MITSloan tells us is malicious advertising that can contain malware from hackers. Avoid sponsored links, y’all.

For the first time in 6 years, the number of companies accused of greenwashing has fallen. It is down 12% year over year from June 2023 to June 2024. The way companies communicate may be a cause of the decline, and led to the term greenhushing. Move over greenwashing, make room for greenhushing.

ESG Dive | Greenwashing cases fall for first time in 6 years, but high-severity filings surge: report

Uber is utilizing partnerships to achieve sustainability goals. Specifically, Uber wants to be a net-zero brand by 2040. An example is its incentive program for drivers to purchase EVs, that includes a partnership with Octopus Energy and BYD that will co-fund a charging bundle for 1,000 Uber drivers. Uber has also announced partnerships with autonomous vehicle companies, Waymo in the US and Wave in the UK.

Marketing Week | Uber invests in brand partnerships to drive sustainability goals

ESG Dive | Uber rolls out climate-focused features, updates to drive sustainability progress

@MITSloan tells us that a data connector bridges the gap between data teams and business departments.

 Let’s say that you have a women’s health technology company and you’re looking for funding. Do you think it helps or hurts to have a woman on your team when talking to investors? It hurts.  Your funding prospects drop by an average of 23%. Yep, you are more likely to get better funding with a group of males promoting your women’s health tech according to research from @guardian. @the_female_lead

There’s a train of thought that corporate philanthropy is moving from solely being philanthropic to making an impact. Is it time to say bye-bye,bye to checkbook philanthropy? Information moves fast. As noted by Sue Bingham, founder and principal of HPWP Group, “CSR initiatives don’t have to be large and headline-making… your approach to social responsibility might be smaller.” The emphasis is now on creating sustainable practices that can yield tangible results over time, rather than relying solely on monetary contributions to external causes.


Forbes | The New Age Of Corporate Social Responsibility: Beyond Checkbook Philanthropy

New Jersey Legislature passed S2310 (2024 | NJ) requiring pay transparency. As we’ve talked about when people find out what their colleagues make compared to them, they often look for another job where they are paid more. As they say, sunshine is a disinfectant.

 A study released this week found that the pay gap for Latina women grew by $1.3 million over their career. This amounts to Latinas being paid 58 cents for every $1 a white male is paid. Latina Equal Pay Day was Thursday, Oct. 3,  and coincidentally also the day the study was released by the National Women’s Law Center.

The University of Houston and Harris County have partnered to “to develop a comprehensive baseline of energy use and energy-use intensity for county’s assets.” With the goal of ” reducing energy consumption, maximizing savings, and increasing the use of renewable and resilient energy sources in county-owned buildings and operations.”

The Univeristy of Houston | UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON PARTNERS WITH HARRIS COUNTY TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUTURE

AdWeek walks us through a series of events that they say caused companies to pump the brakes on DEI, at least publicly. The events: (1) The US Supreme Court ruling curbing affirmative action in higher education; (2) A letter from 13 state Attorneys General to major corporations that was taken as a warning that corporations are next up for the DEI legal battle; (3) the “volcanic” reaction to BudLight’s ad with Dylan Mulvaney. AdWeek notes that 7 major brands pulled back from DEI, but most have not.

Adweek | The Real Reasons Why so Many Brands Have Broken Their DEI Promises

A Harvard Business Review study of 137 leader-report pairs navigating Covid restrictions found that women leaders are less emotional. How so? Women were less likely to “let their emotions impact their leadership negatively.” Women leaders “prioritized compassionate, family-supportive actions.” @thefemalequotient

Piala, a company in Japan gives its nonsmoking employees 6 extra vacation days for time they worked and were not on a smoking break. The CEO says he doesn’t believe in punitive ways of discouraging smoking and instead focuses on positive incentives.

The pet project of the Speaker of the California House is the Committee on Happiness. The committee produced a 50 page report on improving happiness in California. It states “Happiness is seen as a byproduct of the work we do to build housing, improve education, and boost wages, among other things. … But is that all that leads to happiness?” It is also proposed that the legislature discuss legislation in terms of the bill’s potential to improve happiness.

CalMatters | California is pushing happiness — but people are worried

 A coalition of 50 green banks has been talking about forming a coalition for a year (or more). This week the coalition became official. For the Texans, this includes the Texas Clean Energy Fund.  The coalition’s goals: creating jobs, boosting local economies, addressing climate change and making clean energy accessible to all Americans.

Playing gladiator at work and pitting teams against each other is not a great idea. When employers pit teams against each other, it turns out the data shows innovation declines. Why does innovation decline? because the teams are less likely to collaborate and share ideas. Collaborations is fundamental to innovation. Competition “…reduced the total information exchange among teams by 42%, meaning a decrease in overall innovation for the organization. “

WSJ | Companies Like to Pit Internal Teams Against Each Other. Bad Idea.

 @harvard_business_review suggests trying out the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks. The Matrix Y axis is High Importance to Low Importance. The X axis is Low Urgency to High Urgency. Plot your task points. The goal here is to overcome overwork.

There’s an advocacy group for sustainable investing, meet US SIF. The group says that in the U.S. there is a burden to include short term and long term financial impacts hen talking about sustainable investing. Whereas, globally there is an innate understanding of the need for sustainability. They also say that support for sustainable investing is strong in the US. On the other hand, the political posturing against it is loud, generally all bark and no bite,  and is in direct opposition to free market principles. 

Ap | Sustainable investing advocate says ‘anti-woke’ backlash in US won’t stop the movement

How do we connect ESG and communications strategies? Companies have realized that talking about their ESG credentials has helped their brand reputation. That’s a win. As a caveat, companies cannot overstate their ESG credentials because accusations of greenwashing can be swift.  So how do you talk about  ESG without the backlash? You take ” a comprehensive approach that combines transparency, stakeholder engagement, proactive communication and a robust crisis management process “  

Forbes | ESG Is Here For Good: What That Means For PR And Communications

The first place I heard about employers with onsite therapists was the fictional world of HBO’s Billions. Now the WSJ is talking about employers hiring onsite therapists. Fiction becomes reality. @WSJ

A Dutch nursing home has been offering free student housing in exchange for 30 hours per month hanging out with nursing home residents. It’s a hit. We’ve talked about the many benefits of intergenerational relationships such as better decision making.  This partnership brings a built in support network for students and the nursing home residents. They say “I love you” is a common refrain among the groups.  @goodnews_movement

 Investing in women entrepreneurs has the following benefits that differ from men: women founded businesses are more likely to intentionally have positive social impacts; women businesses have greater benefits for families, communities, and societies;  and women businesses focus on slow and steady growth. More in this podcast from the Harvard Center for International Development.

 The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance post on the politicization of social responsibility gives you loads to ponder. It says that their research “reveal[s] a clear and significant relationship between state-level politics and institutional investors’ voting behavior. Specifically, institutional support for SRI proposals is 4.1 percentage points lower for firms headquartered in Republican-led states, representing a 13% decline relative to the average support level across the sample. Moreover, the association between state-level politics and SRI voting has become more pronounced recently. “

A public school in San Francisco has partnered with Amazon, Goodr, and the YMCA of Greater San Francisco to open a free grocery store for students’ families. @goodgoodgoodco