Month: March 2024

Pay disparities for women and people of color continue to persist in the U.S. According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, women in the U.S., including full-time, seasonal and part-time workers, still earn 78 cents for every dollar men earn. For people of color, Black employees earn 76 cents and Hispanic and Latino employees earn 73 cents for every dollar white employees earn, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

In this environment, Bath & Body Works is especially proud of the company’s efforts to provide equitable pay at all levels across the entire organization – reflecting a pay for performance compensation philosophy based on role, location and experience, not on an individual’s gender or race.

We focused this year’s Women’s History Month celebrations and discussions on “Building a Bolder Tomorrow,” and pay equity has served a perfect example of how Bath & Body Works turns organizational ambitions into reality.

In this Q&A, Deon Riley, Chief Human Resources Officer at Bath & Body Works, provides insight into how pay equity is crucial for driving the company’s success and culture of belonging.

How does Bath & Body Works define pay equity?

At Bath & Body Works, pay equity means that everyone doing the same job gets paid the same – based on factors like role, location and experience – regardless of their gender and race. Our commitment to pay equity is embedded in all facets of our organization and begins when we hire associates. It supports our strong culture of belonging for the more than 60,000 associates that make up Gingham Nation.

Why is pay equity a priority for Bath & Body Works?

We’ve long understood that our associates are the foundation of our success, and we’re proud to have such strong and diverse associates and leaders in all areas of the organization. This includes strong female representation, with women making up 88% of our workforce.

Day in and day out, our associates’ passion and enthusiasm inspire us to continuously improve our business practices and create better and brighter opportunities that empower them to reach their full potential. Pay equity is not a single achievement, but rather a fundamental part of how we empower our people.

We also strive to attract top talent by providing a workplace and culture where associates feel fulfilled, included, valued and rewarded their performance, which includes equitable pay. This makes us a smarter, stronger brand. When associates flourish, so does our business and ability to deliver on the power of fragrance and create exceptional customer experiences.

What did it take to achieve pay equity?

Becoming an equitable pay employer was one of our most important areas of focus at Bath & Body Works, but it did not happen overnight. The process to get there was a concerted effort made possible by the dedication of our company’s leadership. We collaborated across teams and functions to make wide-reaching adjustments year-over-year at all levels of the business – including in our home offices, distribution centers and stores. Throughout that process, we conducted comprehensive pay analyses and leveraged industry standards to ensure equal pay for equal work.

All of this work was in support of our belief that diversity, equity and inclusion make us stronger, which is a belief we infuse in our culture, business practices and community initiatives.

What will you do to maintain fair pay practices for all associates going forward?

We’re proud of being an employer that provides equal pay for equal work, and we’re committed to ensuring that this continues. Since enacting these equitable pay practices, we’ve conducted regular analysis of associates’ pay to ensure they continue to be compensated fairly in addition to reinforcing our cultural values across the company. We have inclusion by design – including documented processes and tools we share with our hiring managers to explicitly drive equity in compensation. Our HR teams are trained to ensure we mitigate bias in our HR and managerial practices. We will continue our focus on providing pay equity for all our associates.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, today announced the shortlisted companies for the Qualcomm® Vietnam Innovation Challenge 2024 (QVIC) program. These ten startup teams, specializing in technology areas such as smart cities, robotics, automotive, Internet of Things (IoT), AgriTech, Generative and other AI, and more, have been chosen to receive a grant of US$10,000 each in cash prizes to further develop their proposals during the 8-month incubation period. The program will provide them with technical support, business coaching, and intellectual property training. Additionally, the teams will have the opportunity to compete for cash prizes of US$100,000, US$75,000, and US$50,000 in the finale. The selection of shortlisted companies was based on various criteria, including their technical capabilities, innovative products, patentable technologies, and relevance to Vietnam’s digital transformation and Industry 4.0.

These companies and their technology solutions are as follows (listed in alphabetical order):

AirCity – Face recognition device for gate-level access controlDeltaX – Affordable & efficient Delta Robot SeriesGoTrust – Medipay: Self service kiosk for automated healthcare serviceHSPTech – Anti-static real-time monitoring wearable deviceMET EV – Affordable smart E2W with AI-powerOlli Technologies – AI-powered operating system to bring toys to lifePalexy – Transform every retail camera into a powerful BI systemRealtime Robotics – The world’s first AI-based multiple camera gimbalVbee – Conversational AI platform, focused in financial industryVOXCool – IoT-integrated cold batteries for decarbonizing the cold chain

Launched in December 2019, the Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge aims to identify and nurture innovative startups in promising technology areas in Vietnam. With the support of Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the program aims to foster the development of Vietnam’s growing technology ecosystem by identifying and nurturing innovative small- and medium-sized companies that are designing products in areas such as 5G, IoT, AI, smart cities, wearable devices, and multimedia utilizing mobile platforms and technologies from Qualcomm. These companies can benefit from Qualcomm Technologies’ expertise.

During the incubation period, the shortlisted companies will receive support, including business and technical guidance, access to Qualcomm Vietnam’s R&D lab in Hanoi, and problem-solving assistance from local teams. The lab capabilities include ML/AI enablement, camera lab, audio lab, RF chamber, thermal, and modem troubleshooting.

“Vietnam is a critical region for cultivating innovative talent, and startups and SMEs play a vital role in driving Vietnam’s digital transformation and economic growth,” said Nam Thieu, Senior Director, Business Development, Qualcomm Vietnam Company Limited. “With the start of the 2024 Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge program, we are excited to support and nurture these promising companies as they develop groundbreaking solutions in areas such as smart cities, robotics, and IoT. We look forward to witnessing the impact of these startups in shaping Vietnam’s technological landscape and contributing to its continued success.”

“A heartfelt congratulations to the shortlisted startups for their innovative proposals and their unwavering commitment to propelling Vietnam’s digital transformation,” said An Chen, VP, Engineering, Qualcomm Incorporated. “These promising startups epitomize the vanguard of technology in Vietnam, and Qualcomm is honored to support their growth and success through the Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge (QVIC) startup incubation program. I am confident that their pioneering solutions will not only contribute significantly to Vietnam’s digital evolution but also leave a lasting impact on industries such as AI, smart cities, robotics, and IoT. Qualcomm looks forward to witnessing the accomplishments of these trailblazing startups and the positive influence they will undoubtedly wield across Vietnam’s technological landscape.”

In addition to the US$10,000 cash grant awarded to each startup team, Qualcomm Technologies will provide business coaching, technical support, IP training, and financial incentives for patent filing as part of the challenge. The finale of the challenge, where the top three finalists will be selected by a jury of industry leaders, will be held in August 2024. The finalists will have the opportunity to compete for a share of the total cash prizes of US$225,000.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected. Our one technology roadmap allows us to efficiently scale the technologies that launched the mobile revolution – including advanced connectivity, high-performance, low-power compute, on-device intelligence and more – to the next generation of connected smart devices across industries. Innovations from Qualcomm and our family of Snapdragon platforms will help enable cloud-edge convergence, transform industries, accelerate the digital economy, and revolutionize how we experience the world, for the greater good.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.

Qualcomm is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.

CHICAGO, March 29, 2024 /3BL/ – Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) donated more than $170 million over the past decade to non-profit organizations, including nearly $16 million in 2023 to organizations working to provide food security, affordable housing, accessible healthcare and quality education.

Additionally, 2023 was a record-setting year for Northern Trust’s employee volunteer efforts. Year-round volunteering returned to pre-pandemic levels and during the month of October alone, for Northern Trust’s global month of service, known as Achieving Greater Together, employees volunteered nearly 53,000 hours supporting more than 1,700 organizations.

These metrics and more can be found in Northern Trust’s 2023 Philanthropic Impact Report.

“Our employees logged record-breaking level of volunteerism in 2023, which shows one measure of how important our communities are to our company,” Northern Trust Chief Social Impact officer Shana Hayes said. “I’m also thrilled that we launched our first annual Northern Trust Anchor Award in our headquarter city of Chicago, which aims to build the capacity of highly effective nonprofit organizations.”

Examples highlighted in the report include:

Housing

Northern Trust works to increase access to safe and stable shelter to help lay the foundation for educational achievement and a more secure future by supporting organizations such as Chicago-based Covenant House. The organization provides access to stable housing and full continuum of wraparound supportive services to Chicago’s most vulnerable populations to meet the physical, emotional, educational well-being of young people, as they build their path to independence.

Education

Northern Trust works with organizations that support educational equity to foster human potential including Seva Sahayog Foundation, based in Pune, India. Seva Sahayog Foundation works with underprivileged youth to provide training and assistance for them to become skilled and financially independent.

Healthcare

Northern Trust supports organizations, including Erie Family Health Centers, to maximize healthcare access. Based in Chicago, in 2023 Erie Family Health served more than 11,700 youth, ages 16 to 24, predominantly female or people of color, as well as those who are uninsured or currently homeless.

Food Security

Northern Trust supports organizations including Stiftung Schweizer Tafel to ensure reliable, everyday access to nutritious meals. The Swiss Stiftung Schweizer Tafel collects more than 25 tons of high-quality food each day from retailers and distributes it for free to 500 social institutions, including homeless shelters, soup kitchens, emergency shelters and more.

About Northern Trust
Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families and individuals. Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has a global presence with offices in 24 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., and across 22 locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of December 31, 2023, Northern Trust had assets under custody/administration of US$15.4 trillion, and assets under management of US$1.4 trillion. For more than 130 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader for exceptional service, financial expertise, integrity and innovation. Visit us on northerntrust.com. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @NorthernTrust or Northern Trust Corporation on LinkedIn.

Northern Trust Corporation, Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A., incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Global legal and regulatory information can be found at https://www.northerntrust.com/terms-and-conditions.