Month: June 2024

Originally published by TriplePundit

Finding common ground is inherent to human nature. It’s how we establish rapport, make meaningful connections, and relate to one another each and every day. Encouraging individuals’ diverse perspectives and embracing their unique experiences should be at the center of any successful business. People are increasingly looking for a genuine community built on a foundation of respect, shared ideals, values, genuine connection and, ultimately, a sense of belonging.

The challenge, especially as companies work to reach pre-pandemic levels of productivity, is that many employees feel excluded at work. This can be especially true for those from marginalized communities. In the 2023 Belonging Barometer from EY, 41 percent of workers said the workplace is where they feel the greatest sense of belonging, but 75 percent said they’ve felt excluded there. In addition, more than half reported feeling reluctant to share dimensions of their identity while at work for fear it could hold them back professionally. While this can sound disheartening, it points to an incredible opportunity for businesses to build workplace communities that ensure all belong.

Fostering that sense of community is a core element of the Subaru Love Promise – the Subaru commitment to show love and respect to all people at every interaction, including our workplaces. While we often talk about the impact we make on the communities around us, the Love Promise begins at home within our own walls and with our own employees. For us, that means fostering an inclusive workplace where people feel they can bring their authentic selves to work. It is important that we create an environment that values diversity and inclusion, where our employees feel celebrated and valued for their diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives. Toward this goal, we support employees to voluntarily organize and participate in groups to recognize, embrace, and leverage the richness of their backgrounds, experiences, and outlooks.

This commitment to our employees has come to life in several ways, most notably through our employee resource groups (ERGs). While we have our eye on growing ERGs further, we currently have five: Black and Latino Employee Network for Diversity at Subaru (BLENDS); Evolve, which focuses on access to physical and social wellness for all; Out + Ally, a network of LGBTQ+ employees and allies; Subaru Armed Forces Resource Group for Employees (SARGE); and Subaru Women’s Network.

We established ERGs as an opportunity for employees from historically marginalized groups to organize and create safe spaces to connect, educate, and become champions for the unique needs of underrepresented groups within the company. In the spirit of inclusivity, the ERGs are open to all. Employees can receive peer support, explore leadership and volunteer opportunities, and actively help us work toward the bigger goal of cultivating a more inclusive workplace. We believe there is something in it for everyone, whether you personally identify with one of the groups or not.

At Subaru, we see ERGs as an integral part of our culture, and we treat them that way. We invest time and resources to ensure they are set up for success. That means providing a framework for each group with structure, clearly defined operating processes, strategic goals, and financial support.

Each group has two employee chairs, a steering committee, and a budget that allows them to host events and invest back in the community through nonprofits aligned with their unique mission. Each group also has two executive sponsors who also sit on our corporate diversity council. This ensures that senior leaders are directly involved in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) efforts at a grassroots level and better positions them to identify and champion new ideas or initiatives that support our inclusive and equitable workplace goals.

We leverage our ERGs to help us cultivate a more inclusive culture, but their support extends beyond hosting events and volunteer activities. We also see them as trusted advisors on company policies and benefit packages. It is important to us that our ERGs have an opportunity to make an impact on how we support people, and asking for their input is our way of including their unique perspectives and diverse ideas in shaping a more inclusive employee experience and support system.

But what is particularly special about ERGs at Subaru is that they reach outside of the walls of our headquarters to make a difference for the causes that matter to them. The Subaru of America Foundation, which supports organizations that benefit our hometown of Camden, New Jersey, allocates funding to each ERG to donate to a charity of their choice in the city of Camden. ERGs work together to select the charity, present their proposals to Subaru executives, and coordinate the donation and volunteer opportunities for members to make a real difference in the causes they care about. At its heart, it’s our Subaru Love Promise extending to the communities where we live and work and having a meaningful impact.

Working with intention on our ERG programming over the past five years has strengthened our culture in immeasurable ways. We have seen an increase in employee engagement scores, and group membership has increased year over year. We’ve also heard from new hires that our thriving ERG community was a key driver in their decision to work at Subaru. It’s one of the reasons why we have incorporated ERGs in the recruitment and onboarding process.

Most importantly, the key ingredient to our ERGs is aligning them to our guiding principle: the Subaru Love Promise. We unabashedly talk about how love is what makes Subaru “More Than a Car Company,” and it’s also what makes an office into a true community. When businesses allow the people in that community to pursue their passions in the workplace – and put true support behind it – incredible things can happen.

This article series is sponsored by Subaru of America and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team. 

Lenovo returned to this year’s World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) in Brussels, Belgium, showcasing its commitments to the circular economy and its position as a committed, long-term player in the space. WCEF is a global event focused on advancing circular economy practices. Under the theme “Turning circular visions into actions”, the event gathered stakeholders from the business and political worlds to discuss sustainable, innovative, and bold solutions to face the urgency of embracing a circular economyapproach in all industries. and share innovative ideas.    

For Lenovo, WCEF was a great opportunity to talk about its transition to a circular economy through innovations in its supply chain, product design, services, and business models. With its latest innovations in product design and packaging, Lenovo is at the forefront of circularity. Lenovo integrates recycled content into more than 298 product lines. In collaboration with Toray and Boeing, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 includes recycled carbon fiber material made from aircraft manufacturing by-products.  

Lenovo is also innovating to increase sustainable packaging in products, and has adopted more sustainable materials like sugar cane and bamboo in select product packaging, enabling a transition away from Styrofoam and plastic. By FY2025/26, Lenovo aims for 90% of PC product’s plastic packaging to be made from recycled materials, and plastic-free primary packaging will be expanded. Lenovo’s infrastructure solutions group has also reduced cardboard packaging consumption by 105 pounds per rack through rack integration shipping methods.  

Furthermore, repairability is a key driver for the circular economy and Lenovo has been proactively empowering self-repair for its commercial laptops as shown with its recent partnership with iFixit for the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 and T16 Gen 3; achieving a provisional iFixit repairability score of 9.3 out of 10. By FY2025/26, Lenovo aims for 84% of repairs to be completed at the customer site, without having to send the PC to a service center (excluding Android tablets and visuals), a step that should increase speed of repairability. 

In addition to internal commitments, Lenovo is also helping its customers in their own sustainability journey and contributions to the circular economy, enabling reuse or responsible disposal of assets with end-to-end Lenovo services. Lenovo Asset Recovery Services (ARS) helps mitigate end-of-life IT and data security risks and promotes the reuse of parts wherever possible. With Lenovo Certified Refurbished, customers can give their devices a new lease on life. Lenovo PCs are refurbished, repaired, and certified to the highest quality standards — helping customers realize cost savings and increased sustainability for their IT fleet.

Collaboration is key in accelerating turning circular economy from vision to actions. “Collaboration across the value chain is critical”, said Pascal Bourguet, Global Channel Chief & COO, Lenovo International Sales Organisation. “We will continue to incorporate circularity into every aspect of our business – from designing our products or services, to partnering with suppliers to develop innovative new applications for recovered materials. We will engage with governments and standards bodies to establish the right frameworks and incentives to promote circular activities.” As a community, the Lenovo 360 Circle leads the way in collaborating with Lenovo’s ecosystem to drive action in the circular economy and support business partners in their own sustainable transformation, promoting circular economy from design to use, return, reuse, and disposal. 

Lenovo’s participation in the WCEF was also an occasion to network with peers, European government officials, policymakers, and UN Institutions about the future of circular economy in Europe and globally. The implementation and governance of regulations will be critical to an equal playing field, with input from all stakeholders to sustain lasting progress. Global alignment of the definitions and enforcement of quality standard will be key to build trust in refurbished devices. The collaboration between the private and the public sectors must be considered as a key enabler to a faster implementation of circular economy principles in the tech industry.  and Lenovo is committed to enhancing its influence and supporting its ecosystem in this journey. 

Furthermore, in addition to the main WCEF event, Lenovo joined two WCEF Accelerator sessions: “Platform-driven transition: scaling circular solutions” and “Empowering the circular economy: integrating AI, digital transformation, and skills development” organizedin collaboration with Microsoft. It represented other opportunities for Lenovo to join the conversation and demonstrate its commitment and concrete actions for circular economy in the tech industry.  

Read more about Lenovo’s efforts to create a smarter, more sustainable future for all in the company’s FY 2022/23 ESG Report. 

June 5, 2024 /3BL/ – The LA Galaxy in partnership with LA City Recreation and Parks PlayLA Youth Adaptive Sports Program, U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA), Dignity Health and Anthem will host the second annual PlayLA Adaptive Sports Blind Soccer Experience at Galaxy Park on Thursday, June 6 at Dignity Health Sports Park. Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) blind and visually impaired students will learn about the Paralympic sport of blind soccer and meet members of the first-ever USA Blind Soccer National Team members.

In 2028, Los Angeles will host the Paralympic Games for the first time in history and the U.S. Blind Soccer National Team will make its Paralympic debut. LAUSD students in attendance on Thursday, June 6 will have the opportunity to meet the USA Blind Soccer National Team and view a blind soccer demonstration. This event will show that soccer is for all, regardless of ability, and that this global sport is for everyone.

Blind soccer is a fast-paced and exciting game, played in more than 60 countries, and is the world’s fastest-growing Paralympic sport. With grassroots efforts to introduce the sport to children, teens and adults across the U.S., PlayLA and USABA are committed to bringing play equity and accessibility to the largest global sport in the world. Through the PlayLA Program, youth of all abilities have the opportunity to access quality sports available from their local neighborhood recreation center and join the Olympic and Paralympic movement.

About The LA Galaxy 
The LA Galaxy is Major League Soccer’s most successful club. Based in Carson, Calif. at Dignity Health Sports Park, the Galaxy have won the MLS Cup a record five times (2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014), the MLS Supporters’ Shield four times (1998, 2002, 2010, 2011) and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup twice (2001, 2005), and one Concacaf Champions Cup (2000) since their inception in 1996. Under the direction of LA Galaxy President of Business Operations and Chief Operating Officer Tom Braun on the business operations side and LA Galaxy Head Coach and Sporting Director Greg Vanney on the soccer operations side, the Galaxy are the premier club in MLS, with stars like Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard, Riqui Puig, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Javier Hernandez and Cobi Jones representing LA over the team’s 27 years in MLS. For more information on the LA Galaxy, visit www.lagalaxy.com. 

About Dignity Health 
Dignity Health’s Southern California Division includes seventeen acute-care nonprofit hospitals and one behavioral health hospital spanning across Central California, Central Coast, and Southern California. Dignity Health is part of CommonSpirit Health and the largest hospital provider in California, delivering health care services to diverse communities, allowing 1 in 4 U.S. residents to access care through our network of health care providers. This network of hospitals is supported by medical groups throughout the region, premier ambulatory surgery centers, technologically advanced imaging centers, outpatient services, and comprehensive home health services—all with one common goal: to provide compassionate, high-quality health care to 1 million patients in a safe and healing environment. To learn more about Dignity Health, visit www.dignityhealth.org/socal. 

About Dignity Health Sports Park
Dignity Health Sports Park is southern California’s home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. Managed by AEG, the $150 million, privately financed facility was developed by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California. Dignity Health Sports Park features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 25,174-seat stadium for soccer, football and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts; a 2,000-seat facility for track & field and a 2,450-seat indoor Velodrome – the VELO Sports Center – for track cycling. Dignity Health Sports Park is home to Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy, the five-time MLS Cup Champions. Dignity Health Sports Park is also home of the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) High Performance Training Center and the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). Additionally, Dignity Health Sports Park is home to Galaxy Park, a newly imagined complex on the campus of the facility that features five 5v5 soccer fields, three futsal courts, eight Pickleball courts, four Padel courts, and is home to a number of other recreational activities. For additional information, please visit http://www.dignityhealthsportspark.com. 

About PlayLA Youth and Adaptive Youth Sports 
The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks PlayLA Youth & Adaptive Youth Sports Program is a city-wide initiative that provides access to quality sports programming for youth of all abilities between the ages of 5 and 17. Made possible by an investment from the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), PlayLA is the single largest commitment to youth sports development in California and serves as a legacy before, during, and after the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

About U.S. Association of Blind Athletes 
Founded in 1976, the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) is a dual-mission organization proud to serve as the National Governing Body for the Paralympic team sports of goalball and blind soccer and providing sport and recreational opportunities for the blind and visually impaired community. USABA is a member organization of the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), and US Soccer. In addition to community outreach and grassroots work with athletes, coaches, and referees, USABA is committed to developing a comprehensive support system, fostering a culture of excellence, and ensuring athletes have the resources to compete in all levels of sport. Our commitment is to provide quality programming and enriching experiences for the blind and visually impaired. Learn more at www.usaba.org. 

About Anthem Blue Cross 
As a long-time trusted health partner, Anthem Blue Cross has been providing high-quality, affordable health care for Californians for more than 85 years. Anthem Blue Cross, together with its branded affiliates, provides health care services to more than 8.2 members in California. Anthem Blue Cross is the trade name of Blue Cross of California. Anthem Blue Cross and Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Association. To learn more, visit www.anthem.com/ca or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.