Tag: 3BL

A determined group of people will brave the freezing night at McDonald Park in Kamloops, BC on Dec. 8. They’re not homeless, but they want to put a spotlight on youth homelessness.

A Way Home Kamloops (AWHK), a non-profit organization, has organized an annual Campout to End Youth Homelessness since 2017 to promote awareness around the issues of youth homelessness, and raise funds to support youth programs.

“The idea is that people get to experience a little taste of what it might be like to be homeless for one night,” says Tangie Genshorek, AWHK Executive Director. “We encourage people to take part in any way they can that could give them a bit of perspective on youth homelessness.”

Genshorek stresses that youth homelessness differs from street homelessness, often remaining hidden, with youth sleeping in cars, on couches, or in inappropriate or unsafe housing.

A Way Home Kamloops offers housing and support services to at-risk youth up to the age of 27. The society also serves as a transitional home for those who have no place to go after leaving the foster care system at age 19. Founded in 2012 by Katherine McParland, a former homeless youth, the group also offers a variety of programs for necessary life skills, aiming to foster independence and healthy community integration.

“We offer life skills training programs like self-development, physical and mental health wellness planning, as well as education and employment development,” says Genshorek. “The first step youth need to take is come to us, ask for help. We’ll do a housing intake, which will help us understand how we can best support their needs.”

A Way Home Kamloops currently has 30 beds to house homeless youth, but the numbers of young people in need are rising and AWHK is seeing younger and younger youth looking for help. The provincial government is working with the organization to build a place with 39 units of low-barrier housing for youth at risk of homelessness, called Katherine’s Place, in honour of McParland, who passed away in 2020. Katherine’s Place is set to finish construction by year-end with a targeted opening date in October 2024.

Meanwhile, the annual campout began to raise funds to help support the youth programs initiated by McParland. This year, they aim to raise $155,000, targeting 100 people to campout in person and online. In 2022, 50 camped out at McDonald Park, with an additional 25 joining online from their backyards, parking lots, and even on top of Harper Mountain.

Five Enbridge employees have pledged to join the campout in person. The company also donated $10,000 to support the organization through its Fueling Futures program.

“It’s alarming to consider that almost half of our region’s homeless population has experienced youth homelessness,” says Dean Freeman, Director of Field Operations for Enbridge’s BC Pipeline system. “Our community should provide these vulnerable young people the shelter they rightfully deserve. A Way Home Kamloops embodies this mission, and we are grateful and proud to be a part of it.”

On December 10, 2023, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It’s a day to honor and remember the universality and indivisibility of human rights.

For this occasion, I sat down with SAP Chief Sustainability Officer Daniel Schmid and Stephanie Raabe, human rights officer at SAP, to explore what role enterprises including SAP play, what’s new in the company’s recently updated human rights commitment statement, and what trends and challenges both see for human rights in business.

Q: Daniel, what do human rights mean to you? And why is it important for businesses to respect human rights?

Daniel Schmid (DS): Human rights are basic rights for all people to live a life in dignity and be treated equally. For me it’s about ensuring a good life for all within the planetary boundaries. And businesses have a key role to play in this. While they can be a force for good around the world, they can also harm people and the planet; for example, through discrimination, unsafe working conditions, or industrial pollution and accidents with implications on human health. That is why the United Nations Guiding Principles (UN GPs) for Business and Human Rights not only set out the responsibility of states to protect human rights, but also the responsibility of business to respect human rights.

Q: How does this look in practice? How do companies in general and SAP specifically live up to their responsibility to respect human rights?

Stephanie Raabe (SR): Globally recognized frameworks such as the UN GPs or the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct provide clear guidance for companies. They describe how to establish ongoing human right due diligence processes to “know and show” where a company’s actual and potential negative impacts on people are and what actions are taken to prevent or mitigate these. This also entails tracking the effectiveness of actions taken over time, and communicating about efforts and results — internally and externally.

More than two years ago, we launched an interdisciplinary human rights due diligence project at SAP to take our existing human rights commitment statement, governance, processes, and disclosure to the next level and prepare for compliance with rising legal requirements such as the modern slavery acts in UK, Australia, or Canada, the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG), and the upcoming EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. We identified gaps in our policies and procedures, which we have been working to close.

Q: What kind of gaps? Could you share one or two examples?

SR: One example is our grievance mechanism. We collaborated across teams to expand the existing “Speak Out at SAP” tool to cover human rights and environment-related complaints from anyone, be it internal or external. We defined clear rules of procedure of how incoming complaints are processed and followed up on in a confidential and, if desired, anonymous way.

DS: Another example coming to my mind is related to living wages. As a founding member of the Value Balancing Alliance (VBA), we applied the living wage methodology co-developed within the VBA. This helped us find few employees in SAP Brazil in 2022 whose compensation had to be adjusted to meet our ambition of ensuring a decent living wage for our own workforce as measured through the VBA methodology. We are now working toward regular reassessments to avoid future deviations.

SR: I would like to add a third example related to our supply chain. As we proceed with integrating human rights due diligence into our supplier code of conduct and procurement processes, we increasingly notice how important it is to get not just colleagues from SAP’s procurement organization onboard, but also all other employees involved with supplier selection. All of us need to consider human rights and environmental criteria in our buying decisions. The earlier this happens, the better. The point at which contract negotiations with suppliers start may be too late.

Q: Coinciding with Human Rights Day 2023, SAP just recently updated and expanded its Global Human Rights Commitment Statement. What’s the reasoning and what’s new?

DS: When looking back at our sustainability journey that started in 2009, I remember human rights being embedded in SAP’s holistic understanding of sustainability from the beginning. It has been part of our objective to create positive economic, social, and environmental impact all along. We therefore also established our first Global Human Rights Commitment Statement in 2011.

SR: That’s right. SAP’s commitment to respect human rights is not new. But it evolved during the past years beyond our operations to also encompass our extended supply chain and product lifecycle.

In the latest update of our Global Human Rights Commitment Statement, we have expanded the description of our downstream action areas and how we aim to avoid negative impacts that can result from the use or abuse of SAP’s products and services. We added an entirely new chapter on the implementation of human rights due diligence at SAP, elaborating in detail on our procedures, including governance, risk analysis and prioritized risks, preventive measures, complaints process and remediation, monitoring and reporting, and stakeholder dialog. It makes transparent the results of our human rights due diligence project and helps us better meet the requirements by the UN GPs as well as the German Supply Chain Act.

Q: Speaking about the human rights impacts through the use of SAP solutions, where do you see the biggest risks and opportunities at the moment?

SR: As part of SAP’s downstream human rights due diligence, we have identified artificial intelligence (AI) as high impact solution area in the context of human rights. It’s also been frequently addressed as key topic throughout the recent UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva. AI is transforming our economy and society. This trend is expected to accelerate in the coming years, bringing new opportunities and challenges for society and human rights. SAP actively addresses legitimate concerns, coming up with new AI technology through SAP’s Guiding Principles for AI Ethics and dedicated due diligence governance, processes, and the SAP Global AI Ethics Policy. In addition, we have started to investigate human rights risks and mitigation measures in our upstream supply chain linked to the outsourcing of generative AI training.

DS: On the other hand, I also see the opportunity for SAP to advance human rights by developing innovative solutions that help customers embed human rights into their business and supply chain strategies. This includes our supply chain management solution that offers risk mapping based on financial as well as sustainability indicators, which also cover human rights aspects. Our human resource management solutions furthermore provide tools and features to address unconscious bias in recruitment and hiring, support inclusivity, and ensure equitable remuneration and career advancement. Finally, there is also the opportunity to leverage corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs to advance economic, societal, and cultural rights that support youth-in-need to thrive in the sustainable and digital economy. A prime example of our efforts is SAP Educate to Employ, targeting youth-in-need aged 14 to 30 with skill-building programs to bring them into jobs in the broad SAP ecosystem and beyond by linking education with employability within a sustainable and digital economy.

Q: Would you agree that, with mandatory human rights due diligence on the rise, embracing human rights in business is becoming mainstream? Against this backdrop, how is SAP doing compared to others?

DS: In my conversations with customers and peers in leading sustainability positions, compliance with human rights legislation definitely comes up as a key priority. However, I also notice that companies continue to struggle to manage their social effects. It did not really surprise me, when I read that a 2022 Economist survey revealed that companies haven’t made as much progress on social as on environmental issues, and only 36% had incorporated social impact into corporate strategy compared with 47% for environmental. This shows that we still have a way to go.

SR: Indeed! According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), 160 million children are still engaged in child labor. More than 27 million people around the world are in conditions of forced labor. And globally, 2.4 billion women of working-age are still not afforded equal economic opportunity. These are just some numbers that underline the need for more action by businesses.

The good news is that mandatory human rights due diligence helps get more companies on board and strengthen the efforts of those that already are. There is good and open exchange and mutual learning among companies. It therefore seems less of a competition in which one enterprise strives to outperform the others. You rather share experiences and gain insights where you are already doing really well and where you can further improve.

Overall, I would say that SAP has been progressing well and is on track but can still do even better. Our ambition definitely is to not limit ourselves to compliance with mandatory human rights due diligence, but to go beyond.

Q: Looking into the future, what trends and challenges do you see?

DS: I believe that the momentum for taking respect for human rights seriously in business will further increase, driven not only by legislative pressure but also increasing stakeholder expectations. It’s important, however, that we as business leaders do not get consumed by navigating the regulatory landscape and ensuring compliance. Let’s not allow this to become a check-box exercise — we must keep people in the center. The aim is to improve people’s lives.

SR: I fully agree. Some of the legislation does keep you very busy with a lot of administrative burden. This unfortunately takes away your attention and resources from ultimately making a difference for the affected people. I also see a risk that because value chains are becoming ever more complex with reliable data missing and because managing the human rights risks down to tier-n can seem so overwhelming, companies chose to prioritize de-risking. They rather pull out of high-risk countries which may actually worsen the human rights situation. The increasing complexity of geopolitical crises and need for heightened due diligence further exacerbates this risk.

As companies mature in human rights due diligence, they will need improved databases and methodologies to help them measure their actual and potential impacts on people, prioritize their efforts and assess the effectiveness of the preventive and remedial measures they put in place. We are testing some of the approaches for SAP at the moment and I am hopeful that they will help guide us toward achieving better outcomes both for people as well as for our business.

Christine Susanne Mueller is deputy human rights officer at SAP.

Read Green digital solutions for corporate biodiversity action

By Gaya Herrington, VP Sustainability Research at the Schneider ElectricTM Sustainability Research Institute

This follow-up paper to “The Why, What, and How of Corporate Biodiversity Action” dives into what concrete biodiversity action can look like when it is bolstered by the clear business trend of technological disruption.

How can new technologies help in biodiversity conservation, to counteract unsustainable business practices? And, on the other hand, how can some of these be used in new nature-positive business products and services, making use of the growing profitability opportunities there?

What digital solutions hold the greatest promise for corporate biodiversity action, and why, will be discussed first. Emphasis is also placed on new frontiers in corporate biodiversity action as laid out in the last paper, namely supply chain mapping, biodiversity offset credits, and an advancing a circular economy that benefits local ecosystems and communities through new regulations, which are widely expected after the UN post-2020 global biodiversity framework was adopted in December 2022.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency.

We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.

We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values.

www.se.com

Discover the newest perspectives shaping sustainability, electricity 4.0, and next generation automation on Schneider Electric Insights.

By Nestor Mato

The scenarios are make-believe, but the lessons are of real value.

Regions associates kicked off November by holding events that gave youth a reality check. Regions Next Step Reality Check is an interactive and engaging way for students to learn about building and balancing a budget. The goal is to make the assigned decisions during the course and complete the experience with a budget surplus. During Regions Next Step Reality Check, students are assigned a persona and then select real-life options that will directly impact their budget.

Regions Bank teams have been busy taking the Regions Next Step Reality Check program all over Southwest Florida. Their latest stop was at Fort Myers Technical College.

“We collaborated with various departments, including Mortgage, Commercial, Retail and Wealth, and Community Affairs, to bring these enlightening events to the region,” said Earnest Wilks, market executive for Regions Bank in Sarasota, Bradenton, Fort Myers and surrounding areas. “These presentations are designed to empower young individuals with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed financial decisions.”

In this session, Regions associates guided students through various aspects of managing monthly financial obligations. These include categories like Housing, Utilities, Transportation, Food, Savings, Charitable Contributions, Entertainment, Loans, and the concept of taking on a second job.

“The students at Fort Myers Technical College were very excited with the opportunity to learn more about financial wellness from Regions Bank,” said Renato Freitas of Fort Myers Technical College. “Many students entering technical colleges may have limited exposure to financial literacy and planning, and this is an enjoyable way to engage with them.”

Typically hosted every six to eight weeks throughout the year, these presentations have been a success in Lee and Collier counties, prompting the expansion of the program to Charlotte County in the coming year.

Together, we work to make financial education fun for youth all over our area. 
Cynthia Valenti Smith, Regions Mortgage Production Officer and Naples Market Executive

“Regions Bank’s commitment is further demonstrated through its collaboration with community organizations, including Quality Life Center, Urban Strategies, Guadalupe Center, Goodwill and Pace Center for Girls,” said Cynthia Valenti Smith, the bank’s Mortgage Production Officer and Naples Market Executive. “Together, we work to make financial education fun for youth all over our area.”

Regions Bank teamed up with Volunteers of America of North Louisiana for two Regions Next Step Reality Check events in Shreveport. At LightHouse, the afterschool program at Booker T. Washington High School, volunteers taught students about avoiding financial pitfalls and understanding how to manage debt to help save students from costly errors.

“Here it is about more than just counting coins; it’s about appreciating the value of money,” said Regions’ Shreveport market executive, Denny Moton. “It is especially helpful for these students as many prepare to go off to college. Between loans, books and other expenses, this exercise really does help set them up for future success.”

The second Regions Next Step Reality Check was at Teen Club, which provides a safe haven for high school students to meet positive and encouraging people who help them prepare for their future.

It was the right place for Regions volunteers to interact with a dozen more teenagers to learn about building and balancing a budget – putting the math taught in the classroom into real-world practice.

“These presentations can serve as a valuable source of education on various financial topics, including saving, investing, and debt management,” said Anna Whittenbarger who is not only Vice President-Trust Advisor in Private Wealth Management for Regions Bank but is also on the leadership board of Volunteers of America North Louisiana. “I am so proud of the work done here, which can last a lifetime. This is helping lead to greater financial stability, well-being and success in both their academic and professional lives.”

Originally published in Northern Trust’s 2022 Sustainability Report

At Northern Trust, our approach to sustainability is grounded in our enduring principles of service, expertise and integrity.

These principles have guided us in our ability to sustain the organization for nearly 135 years, and will continue to anchor us during the current uncertain macroeconomic and dynamically evolving environment. Our path forward, with respect to sustainability, is paved by consistently and relentlessly (1) developing awareness, (2) creating alignment and (3) balancing actions to not only solve today’s challenges, but to innovate and secure a future for all people, the planet and our collective prosperity in accordance with our key stakeholders’ expectations.

Developing awareness begins with knowledge and understanding of the sustainability matters that are most significant to Northern Trust’s long-term value proposition. To that end, we conducted a materiality assessment in 2022. We partnered with a third party to help us understand post-pandemic shifts relative to environmental, social and governance issues from our stakeholders’ perspectives with context from the competitive landscape and regard for the needs of the communities in which we work and live. The roadmap that resulted from the assessment sets the stage for the development of detailed implementation plans to address the top priorities over the next two to three years. Our expertise is further fueled by education through involvement with leading sustainability frameworks, such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), participation in industry groups, such as the Bank Policy Institute (BPI) and continuous engagement with stakeholders through business activities and our stewardship efforts.

Creating alignment around strategy and best practices is paramount as regulations emerge and intensify. Alignment through governance allows us to properly plan to mitigate risks and maximize opportunities for value creation for all of our stakeholders. Over the last year, we have continued to evolve governance structures and roles to effectively monitor and manage material sustainability matters. For this purpose, we revitalized our Enterprise Sustainability Council (ESC), which assembles senior leaders across geographies and functions to foster collaboration, mobilize and steer execution for the firm through its working groups. We also named our first chief sustainability officer, who is responsible for helping the organization, through ESC, build capabilities and embed best practices to develop business and sustainability goals and aspirations. Our principle of integrity enables the transparency, governance and alignment needed to achieve our goals and aspirations.

Last, but not least, balancing actions that impact a globally diverse and complex universe of stakeholders is essential to fulfilling our corporate purpose of creating better financial futures that advance the world. While our stakeholders’ expectations and demands vary by topic and timing, it is our responsibility to navigate the ambiguity in a way that honors our commitment to people, the planet and prosperity for current and future generations. From our efforts to bolster inclusion in the workplace, to our philanthropic and social impact portfolios, and our human rights advocacy through our Modern Slavery Act Program, we continue to make positive contributions where social issues persist and are significant to Northern Trust. Likewise, with increasing climate events around the world, we are actively managing our business operations toward net zero carbon, achieving carbon neutrality for the first time in 2022. Our balanced approach is derived from leveraging data to gain business insights and is critical to our success in client service and along our sustainability journey.

Thank you for your interest in our journey, and for reading our 2022 Sustainability Report.

Kim Evans
EVP and Head of Corporate Sustainability, Inclusion and Social Impact

Mike O’Grady
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Read the full report here more.

Originally published on HARMAN Newsroom

HARMAN’s Automotive division has been recognized with numerous industry accolades on our continued journey of delivering consumer experiences at an automotive grade, and the momentum continued in 2023!

HARMAN Automotive creates road-ready products for a safer, personalized, and more connected in-vehicle experience, and our commitment to quality has never wavered. Since our look back at recent automotive industry awards earlier in the year, HARMAN has continued to capture the attention of leading industry organizations and key customers. It is an honor to receive these prestigious recognitions for automotive excellence, and we owe this success to our HARMAN Automotive team members whose dedication, collaboration and innovative thinking make it possible for HARMAN to deliver incredible experiences for drivers and passengers.

Take a closer look at some of the latest customer, HR, and industry honors that HARMAN’s automotive teams were awarded in the past few months.

Industry & Innovation Awards

Fast Company Innovation by Design Award: HARMAN Ready Care was honored in Fast Company’s 2023 Innovation by Design Awards, one of the most sought-after design awards in the industry, for purposeful integration of several key technologies to enhance driver safety and well-being.AutoTech Breakthrough V2X Company of the Year: This award exemplifies everything we are working towards as automotive technology integration experts, seamlessly keeping vehicles and drivers situationally aware even in complex environments. In the fourth annual awards, AutoTech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization, recognized the top companies, technologies, and products in the global automotive and transportation technology markets today.Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year Award: Frost & Sullivan presented HARMAN with this year’s Best Practices Company of the Year Award in the global connected car platform industry. This recognition is Frost & Sullivan’s top honor and based on extensive analysis of the Global Connected Car Platform industry.Resilinc’s R Score® Top 30 List: Resilinc scored HARMAN as a top 5 supplier in the high-tech supply chain with the best risk and resiliency programs based on its Resilinc R Score®, which measures supply chain resiliency based on key metrics including performance, network resilience, transparency, continuity of supply, and risk program maturity.

Customer Recognition

Toyota Guangzhou “Quality Kaizen Pioneer Award”: Toyota Guangzhou recognized HARMAN for outstanding quality performance in 2022, with zero defective units in a full year of manufacturing — a level that few suppliers achieved.General Motors Supplier Quality Excellence Award: HARMAN’s Querétaro and Juárez facilities were granted the GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award for high quality and performance. In Querétaro, HARMAN has received this prestigious award for 2 years in a row for manufacturing plant 1 and 3 years in a row for manufacturing plant 2.Toyota Performance Logistics Award: HARMAN’s Manaus, Brazil facility was also recognized by Toyota for delivering 100% of orders on time without logistical problems and delivering on our commitment to quality and efficiency in operations logistics.

HR Awards

Family Friendly Workplace Award: The Family Friendly Hungary Center recognized HARMAN Hungary for our dedication to employee well-being and work-life balance. To support our employees’ well-being, the HR team in Hungary launched various initiatives based on feedback and employee satisfaction surveys, including flexible work arrangements, health screenings, housing allowances, annual family days and more, as part of our efforts to foster employee loyalty and attract qualified new talent.Tódor Kármán Prize: University of Óbuda, our educational partner in enriching higher technical education, nominated HARMAN Hungary for this award for our support of education, training and scientific research in Hungary. HARMAN is involved with five universities throughout Hungary where we support dual education programs and employ nearly eighty dual students. Together, we have carried out extensive programs promoting innovation and growth in the academic field.

HARMAN secured additional HR and industry recognition this past year in key regions like China, Hungary, and Mexico as well. HARMAN’s Dandong, China facility was recognized with Built in Quality Supply-Based Certification for its successful implementation. Both HARMAN’s Dandong and Suzhou, China facilities achieved Top Employer status based on independent research of the human resources environment by the Top Employers Institute. In Hungary, HARMAN was recognized as a Responsible Employer for corporate social responsibility and as one of the Best Workplaces for Women. In Mexico, HARMAN’s facilities also received recognitions for efforts to give back and promote inclusivity: HARMAN Juárez was honored with the Socially Responsible Company award HARMAN Queretaro received the Commitment to Gender Equality award.

Each of these accomplishments reaffirm HARMAN’s leadership in setting the standard for quality, safety, and innovation in the automotive industry worldwide. Congratulations to our global HARMAN team for helping us achieve these incredible milestones on our journey to reimagine the in-vehicle experience!

Originally published in Scaling Circularity: Novelis 2023 Sustainability Report 

Our carbon neutral by 2050 goal demonstrates our long-term commitment and is the pinnacle of our sustainability journey. To further our progress in the near-term, we set a target to reduce absolute carbon emissions by 30% by FY26 from a FY16 baseline. 

We calculate our absolute Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 (Category 1 and Category 4) emissions in line with the guidance of the GHG Protocol. By the end of FY23, our absolute emissions decreased by 14% compared to our FY16 baseline. Novelis enacted a change in how we calculate our carbon footprint. We now follow the equity share approach outlined in the GHG Protocol to account for and report our GHG emissions metrics. In FY23, we engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) to perform a limited assurance engagement on certain Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emission metrics for the first time. See PwC’s Report of Independent Accountants on page 63 and Management Assertion pages 64-65.

We updated our baseline and FY22 to reflect the change to the equity share approach. Our FY16 baseline increased by 0.7% and our FY26 target is now 14.0Mt. 

We also disclose our GHG emissions intensity, measured as our total CO2e per tonne of flat rolled product (tFRP) shipped. We use our intensity metric to assess our progress toward net-zero-carbon goal as our business grows. In FY23, our emissions intensity decreased by 17% compared to our FY16 baseline. In FY23, we reduced our emissions intensity by 13% compared to FY22. 

Compared to our FY16 baseline, in FY23, our Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services and upstream transportation and distribution decreased due to our increased consumption of scrap over primary aluminum inputs and conversion to modal transportation and distribution. Our Scope 3 emissions decreased by 14% compared to our FY16 baseline.

Read the full report here.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. , December 8, 2023 /3BL/ – Paychex, Inc., a leading provider of integrated human capital management software solutions for human resources, employee benefits, insurance services, and payroll, today shared the results of the annual Priorities for Business Leaders survey, which highlight a diverse set of challenges America’s business owners and HR leaders are expecting to face in 2024 – and nearly all (98%) will use artificial intelligence (AI) to help solve them.

The survey shows that 64% of companies said they spend over 570 hours a year and at least 11 hours per week on HR administration, and annual spending for the largest business is as high as $350,000 on HR tasks such as processing payroll, administering benefits, and tracking time.

Responses from the survey of 600 U.S. business and HR leaders with 5-500 employees across industries and geographies show the top business challenges respondents identified are:

Rising interest rates (65%)Overall inflation (63%)Threat of an economic slowdown (63%)

Additionally, the top HR challenges for organizations are:

Risk management, such as managing workers’ compensation (56%)Leadership development (54%)Attracting talent, total rewards, and offering competitive benefits and compensation (53%)

“It’s clear that the expectations of business and HR leaders continue to grow,” said Jeff Williams, vice president of enterprise and HR Solutions at Paychex. “In addition to competing in a tight labor market, macroeconomic pressures like rising healthcare and other benefit costs are forcing many to rethink HR and benefits strategies.

Other key survey insights include:

Nearly all leaders (98%) expect to use artificial intelligence (AI) in 2024. Eighty-five percent say they are already using it, and less than 10% are concerned with AI risk.Currently, respondents are most commonly using it to:Automate workflow (41%)Grow sales (39%)Manage business intelligence and analytics (37%)Some of the new ways respondents are planning to implement AI in the next 12 months are to:Support customer service (54%)Strengthen IT operations (53%)Screen resumes, tied with identifying potential candidates (52%)People management is also a focus for leaders, with 53% of leaders planning to optimize their benefits to attract and keep high-quality employees, which is also the #1 retention tactic (46%).

“Our study also found that organizations are spending more than a quarter of the average 40-hour work week on administrative HR tasks, costing them significant amounts of time and money,” Williams added. “To offset these costs, almost all respondents said they will lean on emerging technology like AI to lighten the load on them, their employees, and the bottom line.”

Download the Research Highlights for more survey insights.

Survey Methodology
The “2024 Priorities of Business Leaders” survey by Paychex yielded 600 responses from business and HR leaders in U.S.-based companies employing 5 to 500 employees. The survey was conducted online by Bredin, Inc. from August 1 through August 29, 2023.

About Paychex
Paychex, Inc. (Nasdaq: PAYX) is an industry-leading HCM company delivering a full suite of technology and advisory services in human resources, employee benefit solutions, insurance, and payroll. The company serves approximately 740,000 customers in the U.S. and Europe and pays one out of every 12 American private sector employees. The more than 16,000 people at Paychex are committed to helping businesses succeed and building thriving communities where they work and live. Visit paychex.com to learn more.

View original content here.

Originally published by the Catholic Standard

To kick off the season of giving, Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and Pepco on Tuesday, Nov. 21 served a sit-down Thanksgiving meal and distributed winter coats to those who are homeless or hungry.

Continue reading here

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

It was December 2005 and Julie Goodhue of Scottsdale, Arizona, was in the middle of an otherwise routine visit to the hair salon when something caught her eye. A gentleman sat down in the chair next to hers and handed his hairstylist a gift — a small, stuffed duck wearing a scarf and hat and sitting on a sled.

“I leaned right over and asked him where he got that cute thing,” Julie recalled. “No one has ever described me as shy,” she added with a chuckle.

“I’d never seen one before, but I knew I wanted one. Our kids weren’t even little anymore … they were already in college, for goodness sake … I just loved it so much.

“And that’s how our Aflac Holiday Duck tradition began.”

First introduced in 2001, the Aflac Holiday Duck — a plush, limited-edition collectible released each year by The Aflac Childhood Cancer Foundation, Inc.— helps raise funds that are distributed by the non-profit to hospitals that provide pediatric cancer and blood disorders research and treatment throughout the U.S.

Seventeen years of Aflac Holiday Ducks later, Julie, 67, admitted she still gets excited to see each year’s new design. But what started out as a small family tradition has now grown to include gifting ducks to friends and neighbors. She will give out 16 this year — but first, the fanfare.

For the last 10 years or so, on the Sunday evening after Thanksgiving, the nine families that make up “The Kings Avenue Gang” have gathered at the Goodhue’s home to kick off the holidays. They ceremoniously — with an “official big switch” — illuminate the display of lights that husband, Bob, has carefully placed along the house and yard. They enjoy piping hot chocolate “even when it’s been 80 degrees out.” And then … the “pièce de résistance.” The Big Reveal.

“It started after our first grandchild was born, the official unveiling of the newest Aflac Holiday Duck,” Julie said. Now, granddaughters Brynn, 10, and Claire, 8, help decorate the house with the assortment of Holiday Ducks they’ve collected over the years. An extra-large Aflac Duck, a gift from her brother, Jack, watches over the family room all year long and gets a sparkly headband or festive hat with each holiday. When everything is just so, Julie puts the holiday duck of honor in place and covers it with a cloth — she’s the only one allowed to see it before the big moment.

Then, without feather ado…

“We gather around and make a big fuss when the girls remove the cloth! Everyone seeing the latest Holiday Duck for the first time together … they love it!”

Natives of Mercer Island, Washington, Julie and Bob, both retired now, moved to the Phoenix area with their children, Robert and Laura, in 1990. University of Washington football fans and season ticket holders, they rarely miss the opportunity to see their Huskies play. There is one game, however, that Julie doesn’t mind missing.

She may be a huge fan of the Aflac Holiday Duck, but Ducks of the University of Oregon kind — the biggest rivals of her beloved Huskies — are a totally different story.

“I can’t even go to the Oregon-Huskies game because I’m afraid of how I’ll react, and so is my husband,” she admitted with another chuckle. “The ONLY ducks allowed in my house are my Aflac ducks. Period.”

“You may think I’m joking,” she added. “I’m not joking.”

What is it about the annual keepsake that she loves so much?

“They play such an important role in our Christmas,” she said. “And I love that donations go to help children with cancer and blood disorders. A fantastic cause.” It’s also one that means more than ever this year, as her best friend’s grandson passed away in July from a rare blood disease.

To date, net sales of Aflac Holiday Ducks have provided over $4 million to hospitals around the U.S. that treat pediatric hematology and oncology patients.

Julie said that probably the biggest reason she’s kept the tradition is because the Aflac Holiday Duck has brought the people in her life so much joy.

“In this day and age — all the time, but especially now, it seems — people need joy,” she said. “And I like being able to help spread some of it to my friends and family with these little ducks.”

The 2023 Aflac Holiday Duck wears a festive cap and scarf and holds a warm cup of cocoa with marshmallows in his wings. He is available in 10-inch ($20) and 6-inch ($12) sizes at AflacChildhoodCancer.org. Net proceeds of all sales go to The Aflac Childhood Cancer Foundation Inc. to help support pediatric cancer and blood disorders research and treatment at participating hospitals across the United States.

Aflac | WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road |Columbus, GA 31999

Z2301310