April 20, 2021
We have all heard the doomsday stories about plastic oceans, burning forests, and pervasive global hunger. They’re all true. And most of us have agreed we need to do something about it. While we haven’t agreed on who the “we” is, for the purposes of a timely and successful movement, let’s assume it’s everybody, in some capacity: businesses, governments, civil society, and individuals. Every member of the “we” is necessary, albeit with varying styles of engagement.
Incentives for participating in the climate movement run the gamut, from political, to monetary, to emotional, to social. Some groups may be self-motivated by outrage, fear, or moral purpose. Other groups may require a stronger, more consequences-oriented approach. Suffice it to say, everyone has their price. It is our job to figure out the most effective currency.
April 16, 2021
During Zoom meetings with colleagues, I am usually holding a second, secret meeting with my own face.
The conversations in this meeting-within-a-meeting can get pretty tense.
Why are you like this? I ask my chin, which is sprouting a bright red pimple.
You need a whitening kit, I tell my teeth, which look dingy when I smile at a colleague’s joke.
Stop looking so tired! I command my under-eyes circles, worried that my teammates will mistake my sleepiness for boredom.
Getting off the call, I often feel noticeably disheartened not because of anything my co-workers said, but because I’ve just spent 30 minutes trying to resist the self-critical thoughts that women are typically socialized-slash-brainwashed with.
April 16, 2021
US retailers have long been competing with one another for workers in a high-turnover industry. What’s new is that the gig economy steering more into delivery is joining the competition for labor, and increasingly so over the course of the pandemic. Consider DoorDash, the food delivery company. Data from ZipRecruiter shows that the number of job postings for DoorDash in March 2021 was 8,550% higher than in March 2020.
The scramble for labor has been testing even the largest retail chains, which are responding with better pay and schedules. In February, Costco announced increasing its minimum wage to $16 an hour, pulling ahead of rivals like Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. And Walmart announced on April 14 that it will convert thousands of its part-time workers into full-time employees, a move that will give workers more consistent hours, while also giving Walmart more stability in staffing as its pickup and delivery business explodes.
April 14, 2021
In November 2020, His Royal Highness (HRH) The Prince of Wales called for all large businesses around the world to appoint a chief sustainability officer (CSO). He argued that the CSO “is fast becoming one of the most important and influential roles in the corporate world and is increasingly central to market competitiveness.” This is because the CSO has the power to make sure that sustainability underpins business strategy, decision-making, procurement, supply chains, and customer engagement.
The call couldn’t be more timely. Failure to arrest global warming would be an environmental, social, and economic catastrophe as well as an existential threat to human wellbeing. We’re at the tipping point, and now is the time for us all to collectively seize the moment and take action.
April 4, 2021
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Whose job is it to care for employees’ psychological well-being?
On a fundamental level, it’s up to employees themselves. “Therapy, medicine, meditation, whatever that may be that’s something that needs to happen at the individual level,” says Kelly Greenwood, founder and CEO of Mind Share Partners, a nonprofit that advises companies on supporting mental health in the workplace.
But for many people, this is harder than it used to be. Those of us working from home are working more an additional 2.5 hours per week on average than we were before the pandemic. Those who have to report to a physical location for work might be stressed about the risk of exposure to Covid-19, or at the prospect of bringing it home to family members. In either case, many employees have lost touch with co-workers who previously provide