Month: June 2024

Originally published on bloomberg.com

Hispanic and Latino/a professionals are an integral part of the workforce and deserve reciprocal support from their employers. Nearly one in five people – and one in four members of Gen Z – identify as Hispanic or Latino/a (H/L). By the end of this decade, H/L professionals will account for almost eight in 10 new workers.

At Bloomberg, we are committed to supporting our employees and creating a culture of inclusivity for all communities. From implementing fair hiring practices to developing and advancing our talent, we’re always working to promote and maintain equality and equity across the organization.

One example of our commitment is our long-standing partnership with Coqual, a leading D&I research organization. Most recently, we sponsored and hosted the launch of Coqual’s 2024 research report, More than a Monolith: The Advancement of Hispanic and Latino/a Talent.

The 2024 report, which members of various companies including Bloomberg’s Latinx Community participated in, identified critical areas for improvement and opportunities for employers to empower H/L professionals. This is how Bloomberg is doing its part.

Why H/L? We’re following Coqual’s approach by using “Hispanic and Latino/a” and the abbreviation “H/L” based on research respondents’ overall preferences in terminology.

Key findings on the H/L professional experience

Coqual’s 2024 report explores the unique challenges H/L professionals experience in the workplace. Here are a few key areas the report highlights:

Career advancement. Nearly three in five H/L professionals (57%) say they are dissatisfied with their rate of promotion.Cultural assimilation. 35% of H/L professionals avoid discussing their H/L heritage at work.Immigration. Just over one in five H/L professionals (21%) say colleagues make negative comments to them about immigration or immigrants on a regular basis.Leadership representation. Within the US workforce, 10% of managers and just 5% of executives and senior officials are identified as H/L.Retention. More than one in three H/L professionals surveyed (35%) are actively looking for a new job – and nearly one in three (31%) plan to leave their current company within a year.

The data clearly shows that there’s a lot of work to do universally, and below are a few examples of how Bloomberg supports our H/L colleagues.

How Bloomberg supports its H/L professionals

Bloomberg supports its H/L professionals by ensuring access to development and growth opportunities at every career stage, promoting real and sustained conversations about race to foster inclusion, and developing a culture of leadership accountability.

At Bloomberg, we understand that commitments are only meaningful when acted on. That’s why we’ve taken progressive steps — like enhancing onboarding and development opportunities — to create a culture of inclusivity for our H/L colleagues. These actions are not just words on a page but proof of our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Providing HR support to DACA employees

The Global Immigration team at Bloomberg created a support community for employees with DACA status, a federal policy that allows certain foreign nationals who came to the US as children to request deferred action for two years, subject to renewal. Though deferred action doesn’t grant lawful status, it allows DACA recipients to work in the US.

Bloomberg human resources liaisons were inspired to act after hearing conversations among employees expressing feelings of isolation and fear of disclosing their status. The team created a community connecting DACA employees who volunteered their disclosure, creating a safe space to share information and practical updates on evolving federal regulations. The community is still active today.

Creating an inclusive onboarding program

Diverse teams approach challenges from different angles, and that innovation drives our business forward. We actively recruit diverse talent, hiring the best and brightest whoever and wherever they are. But we don’t stop at recruiting.

In 2022, we redesigned our onboarding program for Analytics Representatives to improve preparation for entry-level hires while increasing the diversity of incoming talent cohorts. Each annual cohort includes 15 to 30 Analytics Representatives across the three Bloomberg offices (New York, San Francisco, and Sao Paulo).

Incoming Analytics Representatives spend 12 to 24 months in their role learning about the company, its products, and the sales markets. Following their time in Analytics, most representatives transition to Sales, where they continue to receive professional development. Since not all representatives require the same level of support, the program includes various levels of visibility, including routine office hours, exposure to leadership, and feedback opportunities.

While H/L talent recruitment is not specific to this program, Bloomberg partners with Hispanic-serving academic institutions (HSIs) and Latino professional advocacy organizations like the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) to encourage talent affiliated with these groups to explore Bloomberg’s career opportunities.

Now in its second year, the program’s initial success has led to conversations about expanding it to other global Bloomberg offices and teams, including Bloomberg’s London office team, which is piloting a similar program.

Accelerating Latino/a potential

Bloomberg launched GOAL (Growth, Opportunity, Access, Leadership) in 2016, an enterprise-wide program that provides underrepresented groups with development support and visibility to accelerate their potential.

The program is designed to provide bespoke growth, exposure, and networking opportunities to its participants, as well as access to a Bloomberg mentor/sponsor and an external career coach. GOAL is also designed with a tiered structure that ensures every employee from an underrepresented group, regardless of title, performance, potential, or tenure, has an engagement, development, or advancement opportunity open to them.

In an interview with Bright Networks, Sangita Clarke, Global Diversity Talent Specialist at Bloomberg, shared that GOAL’s aim is “to elevate this group of high-performing, high-potential talent and provide them with growth opportunities.”

How we stay accountable

At Bloomberg, we recognize the importance of acknowledging H/L professionals’ unique challenges and will continue addressing them. We also recognize that accountability is necessary for progress.

To hold our organization accountable, we set aspirational targets and measure and track the progress of our diversity initiatives through weekly and quarterly reports shared with senior leaders and diversity champions across the company.

While our work is far from done, our efforts are producing results.

Learn more about Bloomberg’s actions in promoting ethnic diversity.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 25, 2024 /3BL/ – Global education leader Discovery Education today announced that it is offering elementary educators nationwide the unique opportunity to participate in the development of its latest product, Mystery Writing by Discovery Education, through a free, year-long trial. Individual educators interested in claiming their free trial can visit the Mystery Writing website here.

Mystery Writing engages students in grades K-5 with “wow!” content that captivates young learners and builds their confidence in writing. Featuring no prep, open-and-go lessons, Mystery Writing helps multi-subject elementary educators quickly and easily provide students with differentiated lessons that explicitly teach the writing process. Mystery Writing’s innovative approach combines subjects of high interest to students with step-by-step written, visual, and auditory directions to ensure no young writer experiences the dreaded “fear of the blank page.”

Educators participating in the free trial will receive access to the current collection of genre units and essential skills lessons created for grade 3-5 classrooms. Following their use of Mystery Writing materials, educators will be asked to share qualitative and quantitative feedback on their experience using the lessons. ­This feedback will be used in real time to refine current and future lessons. This process replicates the iterative process used to create the CODiE Award-winning Mystery Science by Discovery Education, the most widely used K-5 science program in the United States, per Rand.

“Discovery Education has long prided itself on incorporating the educator voice into the design of our award-winning products,” said Discovery Education’s Chief Product Officer Pete Weir. “The innovative approach we are taking to building and refining Mystery Writing ensures that the final product will be effective, easy to use, and loved by teachers and students alike. We encourage any elementary school educator to claim their free trial and let their voice be heard.”

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions visit www.discoveryeducation.com and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

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About Discovery Education 
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, innovative classroom tools, and corporate partnerships, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contact 
Stephen Wakefield 
Discovery Education 
Phone: 202-316-6615 
Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com

Originally published in Principal Financial Group 2023 Sustainability Report

Principal® is committed to expanding the population of those living in financial security through long-term, responsible actions like advocating for financial inclusion and creating new opportunities for generations to come.

Customers want to do business with companies whose values align with their own. Our customers tell us these actions matter to them. They also matter to us. In fact, 2023 will mark my 40th anniversary with the company, and I’ve personally never known a time when everyone at Principal has been so focused on investing in what matters.

We aspire to create and maintain a work environment based on integrity, respect, community, and trust—so employees can contribute to their full potential and do their best work for our customers.

“I’m very proud of our nearly 20,000 employees worldwide who understand we have a unique opportunity to improve the lives of others through the work we do each day.”

Dan Houston
Chairman, President, and CEO of Principal

Our U.S. Diversity Index measures how well we’re living this out, and the 2023 Index exceeded our goal by nearly five percentage points. Additionally, our culture is regularly recognized by reputable third parties. Key workplace recognitions in 2023 highlight Principal as an ethical, responsible, and just company; a great place to work in both money management and information technology; a stand-out employer for women—and executive women in particular; and a company known for inclusion, diversity, and innovation.

Research and advocacy are two additional areas where we live out our values. In 2023, Principal sponsored the second annual Global Financial Inclusion Index,1 providing greater insight into the levers that enable or inhibit financial inclusion in markets around the world. Company leaders continue to use data from the report to drive meaningful conversations and to enrich our understanding of the customers and stakeholders we serve.

Recognizing the pressing climate concerns and investors’ interests in supporting climate action, we were honored to participate in COP28, the 28th annual United Nations climate meeting. We shared our views on sustainable investing, especially related to food and biodiversity in the face of a warming world.

That same week we released research on how global investors can help advance food security.

In communities around the world, Principal, together with Principal® Foundation, are leading efforts to foster financial security, diversity, equity, and inclusion—through financial education, volunteerism, grant- making, sponsorship, and more. Principal® Foundation committed $18 million to our communities in 2023, which is just one piece of the story. The Principal Foundation and Community Relations teams have diligently grown their initiatives globally, ensuring our programs and resources are aligned with our highest priorities.

Additional highlights from 2023:

In 2021, with support from Principal Foundation, we committed to double the number of diverse small and midsize businesses (SMBs) we support by 2025.
We are proud to have achieved that goal in 2023, and we’re setting a new goal for 2025.From an environmental perspective, we are confident we’ll reach our long-term goal of achieving a 65% reduction in our global scope 1 and scope 2 market-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2034. Our glide path goal is an average 4.3% reduction per year. We achieved this goal again in 2023, with meaningful decreases in our emissions both in the U.S. and globally. On average, since 2019, we’ve reduced GHG emissions by 11.5% each year.And, through our commitment to sustainable investing, in 2023 we implemented sustainability guidelines for the Principal Life Insurance Company® general account, covering two-thirds of the assets under management in our general account.

I invite you to learn more about these initiatives (and many more) as you read this report, including the progress we’re making toward our long-term commitments as shown on page 12. I’m very proud of our nearly 20,000 employees worldwide who understand we have a unique opportunity to improve the lives of others through the work we do each day. Their belief that financial security can and should be more universally accessible is inspiring, as is their dedication to supporting our customers and our communities.

Thank you for your interest in Principal and your desire to learn more about our goals and our progress. We know we can do more, and I look forward to seeing how we continue to live up to customers’ expectations and move the needle even further in 2024.

Dan Houston
Chairman, President, and CEO

To learn more, read the Principal Financial Group 2023 Sustainability Report.

1The Global Financial Inclusion Index is a proprietary model output based upon certain assumptions that may change,are not guaranteed and should not be relied upon as a significant basis for an investment decision.

Principal Financial Group Foundation, Inc (“Principal® Foundation”) is a duly recognized 501(c)(3) entity focused on providing philanthropic support to programs that build financial security in the communities where Principal Financial Group, Inc. (“Principal’ operates. While Principal Foundation receives funding from Principal, Principal Foundation is a distinc independent, charitabl entity. Principal Foundation does not practice any form of investment advisory services and is not authorized to do so. © 2024 Principal Foundation.

Insurance products issued by Principal National Life Insurance Co (except in NY) and Principal Life Insurance Company®. Plan administrative services offered by Principal Life. Principal Funds, Inc. is distributed by Principal Funds Distributor, Inc. Securities offered through Principal Securities, Inc., member SIPC and/or independent broker/dealers. Referenced companies are members of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392.​

3646640-062024

Originally published in T-Mobile’s 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report

One important factor that influences student success in school is having consistent access to a reliable internet connection. Connectivity affects everything from student participation and attendance to motivation and academic performance. And, as digital skills become more essential for careers, it’s important that the next generation can effectively and responsibly engage in the digital world to prepare for an increasingly connected future.

In 2023, we continued to go all in to tackle this issue through Project 10Million and other education initiatives — underscoring our commitment to support families across the U.S. who are disproportionately affected by the digital divide.

We’re offering a free mobile hotspot and free internet connectivity to up to 10 million eligible student households across the U.S. T-Mobile also offers school districts free and heavily subsidized data plans for their students. Through this program, both students and their families also have access to affordable laptops and tablets.

We’ve already made a big impact in bridging the digital divide in America by connecting nearly six million students to the internet and providing over $6.4 billion in products and services.

With millions of students11 still unconnected, we’re working tirelessly to reach as many eligible households as we can. That’s why we partner with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBS), one of the country’s most trusted non-profit organizations, with a network of 230 agencies across 5,000 communities. Together, we’re increasing awareness of Project 10Million and the huge opportunity it presents to eligible families.

Students Connected 

Offer connectivity to up to 10 million eligible K-12 students through Project 10Million and other education initiatives

2023 – 5.9M 

2022 – 5.3M 

2021 – 3.2M 

We’re also working alongside school districts and education partners to collaborate on the best ways to serve students’ evolving needs and provide ongoing and adaptable solutions to promote digital equity. While we’re proud of the impact we’ve made on this important issue so far, we know we have a lot more work to do to make connectivity equitable for all.

School district administrators can apply here and eligible student families can sign up here.

Learn more about Project 10Million and sign up to connect your family today.

11 https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/featured-content/files/final_-_what_it_will_take_to_permanently_close_the_k-12_digital_divide_vfeb3.pdf

Originally Published in Webster Bank’s 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report

Dear Shareholders,

Our 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report is a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to environmental, social and governance principles. It summarizes our strategic approach to creating a positive social and environmental impact within an effective governance framework, based on strong ethics and risk management.

This Report demonstrates how our values drive our collective commitment to serving our clients, our communities and each other every day.

During the past year, we marked several achievements that helped grow our businesses, while supporting our sustainability initiatives. Under the leadership of Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer Marissa Weidner and her team, we launched a multiyear Community Investment Strategy bringing greater scale and additional resources to the communities we serve. In the two years since its inception, this investment strategy is creating an even stronger foundation to provide more opportunities and value across our footprint.

As part of our Community Investment Strategy, we introduced the “Webster You’re Home” program, a new Special Purpose Credit Program designed to increase access to home ownership. We launched our Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise program, which delivers financial solutions and serves as a catalyst for economic empowerment and self-sufficiency through greater access to capital. We also expanded our signature Webster Finance Lab initiative by working with nonprofit partners in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts to empower youth, help them learn about the financial industry and build our future workforce.

Our colleagues live our values of Integrity, Collaboration, Agility, Accountability, Respect and Excellence, and we’re guided by those values in the way we do business every day. They form the cornerstone of our culture, bringing us together to create a great place to work, and to attract and retain talent.

Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Council, which I co-chair, helps shape our program throughout the organization. During the past year, our Business Resource Group members volunteered their time to network, build awareness and foster belonging with their colleagues. They also support our communities by sharing their time and talents. We strive to be an employer of choice, providing colleagues with opportunities to grow and develop professionally in a challenging and rewarding business environment.

Building on our strong governance foundation, we continue to incorporate recognized ESG frameworks into our reporting to further enhance transparency. We believe in conducting business in a responsible manner that supports the well-being of our cities and towns. We continue to advance plans to create efficiencies in our operations and seek to maintain low-emission and energy-smart work environments.

We are embedding our environmental and social priorities within our business processes, elevating our approach to these important initiatives. All of these efforts are possible because of the unwavering support from my Webster colleagues to the shared values and mission that drive our progress.

As always, I would like to thank our passionate colleagues whose selfless contributions and dedication to excellence have helped make our company and the communities we serve a better place. Webster moves forward in 2024, proud of our achievements, and with a steadfast commitment to continue to make progress with purpose.

Sincerely,

John R. Ciulla

President and Chief Executive Officer

This commitment to excellence drives our corporate responsibility strategy.

Learn more about Webster Bank’s achievements, and commitment to continue to make progress with purpose.

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

Aflac is firmly rooted in a culture of caring — for employees, policyholders and throughout the communities where we live and work. Giving back is at the heart of the company and our employees who lend their time, talents and passion to help those in need. In fact, in 2023 alone, Aflac employees spent 10,000 hours volunteering, making a difference and creating positive change in their communities. 

Watch the video above to learn more about what drives some of Aflac’s employee volunteers.