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Self-sustaining employee healthcare may be the latest “hack” for big companies that are fed up with increasing costs and complexities of for-profit health insurance. And as one industry giant has recently suggested, there may be other areas of healthcare that could stand a touch of business innovation.

In January Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan announced they were looking at ways they could team up to disrupt the U.S. healthcare system and create “an independent company that is free of profit-making constraints.”

The new network, while still sketchy in details, would be designed to serve the medical needs of their workers, and conceivably replace the web of requirements, restraints and ballooning costs that define today’s healthcare insurance system.

The American healthcare system, as President Trump ruefully noted last year when his party failed to pass a replacement to the Affordable Care Act, is “unbelievably complex,” so how could three businesses – admittedly giants in their own fields – come up with a way to rewrite the industry?

The answer to that question could be unveiled by Amazon, which is working with AARP (the American Association of Retired Persons) to come up with a whole new platform of products and services for seniors.

The new Amazon market: senior healthcare

Medicare costs make up about 20 percent of the federal healthcare dollars these days. Yet that $672 billion doesn’t begin to account for the total costs that seniors are expected to face in their retirement years.

According to Fidelity Investments, the average 65-year-old couple can look forward to an average bill of $275,000 during their golden years. The company notes that figure won’t include long-term care expenses, which are often covered by Medicaid, private insurance or out-of-pocket payments.

But the Baby Boomers are also a relatively untapped market, particularly when it comes to the growing role that technology is expected to play in senior healthcare products. According to the 2016 report, Aging in Place Technology, the tech market that caters to an aging population is due explode, growing from it current value of $2 billion to $30 billion in the next few years.

The rising percentage of seniors living at home has given way to a flood of innovative technology designed to help residents, caregivers and medical facilities and staff address new ways to support that trend.

But it isn’t just preference that is driving aging populations to stay in their homes. It’s the cost of healthcare. Seniors, like other sectors of the population are being forced to make difficult, economical choices about how to maintain under the increasing weight of healthcare and living expenses, says Aging in Place Technology Watch.

And that demand is helping to create new opportunities for Amazon and AARP, which have been in secret discussions about new products and services since 2015.

At the same time, it’s afforded new opportunities for company leaders like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, to review the way that healthcare is provided for his employees. At more than 1 million employees and counting, Amazon now carries considerable clout in the marketplace, Maulik Bhagat, managing director of healthcare for AArete told Retail Drive. AArete is a global consultancy firm based in Chicago.

“At a minimum [Amazon’s size] gives them more power in holding their existing payer vendors more accountable for health and cost outcomes for their employees,” Bhagat explained.

Of course, healthcare is much more than numbers and exerting influence, as both Congress and healthcare lobbying organizations have found out in recent years. It takes having a network of providers for all sorts of services and products, not just doctors, hospitals and diagnostic providers. And it takes consensus about costs and profits, and how those obligations are going to be met. But most of all, it takes access to a reliable and faithful customer base.

“Expand this to the number of captive and loyal customers these firms collectively touch and you suddenly have the possibility of this becoming a huge disrupting development,” said Bhagat

Eight years have passed since the signing of the Affordable Care Act into law by President Obama; four years since its official launch. Those eight years have taught businesses and the government a thing or two about what it really takes to build a reliable, efficient and affordable care system for Americans.

With Congress still attempting to reach consensus about what a for-profit, insurance-driven healthcare system should look like, it may be well-established businesses that will be able to find that middle ground.

Building a sustainable healthcare system that cuts overhead by ensuring their employees can afford medical care and that is complemented by cutting-edge technology (some of which Amazon is already marketing, like the Alexa voice-recognition software for health practitioners and new medication systems and products) that do make money for the company, may be the new American model for profit-driven companies.

Flickr/James Duncan Davidson

By Stacey Hanke

Most people consider themselves to be good listeners, finding it hard to admit otherwise. We know listening is vital to building strong relationships with coworkers, managers, clients, and leadership. In fact, it is considered to be the single most important communication skill necessary, valued more highly than speaking, in the business world.

We spend between 70 to 80% of each day engaged in communication, with over half that time devoted to listening, and yet we struggle to do it effectively. Because we hear speech at a rate of 500-1000 words per minute, and only speak 125-175 words per minute, we become easily bored, distracted and inattentive.

By recognizing listening as a skill necessary to establish and grow business relationships, we can begin prioritizing our need to do it well.  Here are eight ways to immediately stop talking and start listening:

1. “My Turn, My Turn!”

Admit it, when others start speaking you immediately begin thinking of what to say next. Speaking may be considered relatively easy by most, many fail to effectively listen. Stop competing for your turn to talk and simply listen. Deliberately concentrate your focus on the speaker, keeping natural eye contact, and tune into their facial expressions and body language. Clear your mind and focus on the message until they have completed their thoughts.

2. “Wait, let me get that.”

Few things are as inconsiderate or hard to ignore like the distraction of a device; yet, many of us are guilty to giving in to its demand for our attention. Even when we try, it is next to impossible to concentrate on someone speaking when the phone sitting next to us is buzzing with text messages, alerts, emails, and phone calls. If you’re in a conversation, silence your device. Give your respect to those speaking by removing any distractions that may compete with their message.

3. “I see. Go on.”

Active listening is more than just hearing what someone says, it’s about the desire to understand what someone is trying to convey. Mindtools - a career skills development group - reported that people only remember between 25-50% of what is heard, meaning we pay attention to less than half of what someone says. By using words of encouragement such as “I see” and “Go on,” we can boost our ability to retain conversational details. This style of interaction also promotes the conversation often revealing more details than the speaker originally considered sharing.

4. Silence is golden.

It’s important to get comfortable with silence in your conversations. Many of us are uncomfortable with quiet pauses and rush to fill the dead space. Instead, allow the silence to permeate the moment and give time for the speaker to transition between topics. Pausing between the end of their thought and the beginning of yours allows time for you to formulate a clear and concise response.

5. “What I understand you to say is…”

Imagine the number of times we could prevent miscommunication if we took a moment to paraphrase what we thought of the speaker to say. Paraphrasing helps create an opportunity of clarification if the speaker feels they were misunderstood. It provides them another chance to communicate their thoughts and ensure everyone is on the same page.

6. “How long has this been occurring?”

Open ended questions have power. They have the power to explore the conversation and shed light on facts that are missing. Consider how much more information you can learn if you were to ask a venting coworker “How long as this been going on,” versus “Has this been going on long?” A simple yes or no response doesn’t provide the speaker an opportunity to elaborate, but the open ended question invites them to continue in detail.

7. “What are you saying without saying?”

While many of our conversations may be casual, some of them serve a purpose not so easily heard. Listening for the intent of someone speaking can help reveal the reason they are sharing with you in the first place. By listening intently, you can witness whether their body language, gestures, and facial expressions match their message. If not, listen for their intent. Read between the lines and identify what they are saying without saying.

8. “Just checking in on you.”

Empathy is powerful. Just because a conversation has ended doesn’t mean the situation has. If you want to build a trusting relationship with your coworkers, work on your ability to demonstrate empathy. Empathy expresses compassion and understanding for the conversation shared. Whether you are empathetic throughout the conversation or after, bringing this level of engagement to the conversation will further your relationship and create a degree of mutual respect.

By mindfully listening to coworkers and colleagues, you will begin establishing relationships built on trust and respect. The credibility you earn as your peers’ listener will help you become their partner in success.

Stacey Hanke is the founder and communication expert of Stacey Hanke Inc.  She is the author of Influence Redefined: Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be, Monday to Monday and Yes You Can! Everything You Need From A to Z to Influence Others to Take Action. Learn more about her team and company at www.staceyhankeinc.com.

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons 2.0

 

 

 

By Alison DaSilva, Executive Vice President, Cone Communications

Just over a month ago, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were thrust into a national debate and catalyzed national media events and walk outs in schools across the country to rally for gun control and school safety measures. This weekend, their efforts will culminate in “March for Our Lives” on Saturday, March 24. The demonstration will bring together students, teachers, parents and allies who are demanding action on gun control. As the discussion continues, companies are increasingly more comfortable standing up for and speaking out on hot button issues that have dominated the news over the last year.

Americans are looking to businesses to take the lead and address issues outside their transactional footprint – and they are willing to buy and boycott based on those corporate values. Now, in the wake of the tragic Parkland school shooting, gun control is taking center stage. The culmination of student activism and the hyper-awareness of social justice issues spurred by 2017 has catalyzed a new movement, pressuring companies to cut ties with the NRA and for consumers to boycott those companies who refuse to take a stand. The call for action is impossible to ignore and brands are responding with a range of actions:

• Discontinuing NRA Member Discounts: Dozens of brands including Delta, United, MetLife, First National Bank of Omaha, Symantec, Avis Budget Group, Hertz and Enterprise Holdings took to social media to announce they will be discontinuing their discounts for NRA members. Many cited “customer feedback” as the main cause for distancing themselves from the organization.


• Changing Gun Purchasing Policies: Walmart (the largest seller of guns in the country), Dick’s Sporting Goods, L.L.Bean* and Kroger announced they will no longer sell guns and high-capacity magazines to anyone under the age of 21. In addition to the policy changes, Dick’s said it will no longer sell assault-style rifles in its stores. Walmart had made that decision back in 2015, but has extended the ban to items resembling assault-style rifles, including toys guns and air rifles.


• Leveraging Purchasing Power and Dollars to Influence Others: Mountain Equipment Co-op and REI announced that it would suspend future orders from Vista Outdoor, the parent company of CamelBak and Giro, as well as Savage Arms, a manufacturer of AR-15-style semi-automatic rifles. While the outdoor retailer does not sell guns, the company hopes to sway its vendors to “work towards common sense solutions” to prevent more tragedies. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset managers, stopped short of saying it would divest its funds of gun companies, but said it will speak with weapons manufacturers and distributors “to understand their response” to the Florida shooting and is putting pressure on companies such as Sturm Ruger & Company Inc. and American Outdoor Brands Corp.


• Allying with March For Our Lives: Gucci was one of the first brands to financially support March for Our Lives, donating $500,000. Bumble has also donated to the march and announced it will no longer allow images of guns on its user profiles. Whitney Wolfe Herd, CEO of Bumble, told the New York Times, “This is not super black and white. It’s a very tricky battle we’ve chosen to take on, but I’d rather pursue this than just ignore it.” In addition to a $500,000 donation, a group of Viacom networks will be airing special segments on gun violence prior to March 24, and will also offer live coverage of the event. To show support, Lyft is leveraging its ridesharing assets to provide free rides to the rallies across the country.

While nearly two-thirds of Americans expect companies to stand up for gun control, organizations must to be thoughtful about if and how to respond. Companies need permission to engage in an authentic way and must consider the impact of their actions on the business and all relevant stakeholders. By reflecting on their heritage, business policies, employees, consumers and other stakeholders, companies can diagnose which actions align best with the brand’s business practices and values – inspiring the most thoughtful and authentic responses to hot button issues. And it’s important to remember, not every company can or should go head-to-head with the NRA, but there is a spectrum of ways to engage to make a difference in a way that is authentic and meaningful.

This new group of passionate, empowered, well-articulated students has already made strides in rallying allies around stricter gun laws. As the discussion continues with “March for Our Lives” all eyes are on this powerful group to see if they can further influence companies and politicians to take a stand on the future of gun control.

* Cone client

Image credit: March For Our Lives Facebook page

By Joshua Gordon

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association looks across the health care systems of the 10 highest-income countries around the globe to examine what makes our system uniquely inefficient -- spending almost twice as much per person, with worse population health outcomes on measures like life expectancy.

What the authors find -- that our health care prices and administrative costs are significantly higher than everywhere else’s -- isn’t a complete surprise. Yet the authors also were able to challenge some long-held assumptions about the reasons for our nation’s exceptionally poor health care value.

Relative to the other countries, our demographic characteristics don’t explain our higher spending and lower relative outcomes. We have the youngest population in the group with higher rates of obesity but lower rates of smoking.

Some researchers have suggested that perhaps lower U.S. social spending led to worse population health. The new study, however, found few differences in general social spending between the U.S. and other countries.

The study also found few differences in the mix of specialists relative to primary care doctors or in the utilization of health care services (thought to be incentivized in the U.S. via the fee-for-service system or the medical malpractice system). We also spend less on hospital care as a share of total health spending than other countries do.

Where the U.S. did differ was on its higher salaries for doctors and nurses that are not explained by the cost of medical education. The prices for brand-name drugs are higher in the U.S. and thus we spend more on prescription drugs even though our generic drug usage is higher than in other countries. Our administrative costs, at 8 percent of spending, are higher than the 1-3 percent range in the other countries.

We also have a larger population of uninsured along with the highest amount if dissatisfaction with the health care system in general.

Ultimately these results, in challenging common explanations and settling on others, should help policymakers refocus and act with urgency to address our inefficient and expensive system through new legislative ideas and through building on current reform efforts.

Those current efforts, spurred on through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the bipartisan changes to Medicare physician payments, are largely aimed at restructuring the misaligned incentives that encourage high utilization. The results so far have been mixed. Although utilization does not explain the differences between the U.S. and more efficient systems, we should be able to capture savings and efficiencies by aligning incentives. So building on what we learn is still important.

However, policymakers can’t ignore the variables driving our relative inefficiencies. There are bipartisan ideas for controlling pharmaceutical costs that both President Trump and President Obama proposed in their budgets. Increasing price and quality transparency could help consumer-based pressure reduce prices. Increasing regulation in instances of broken health care markets or greater provider consolidation can also be a possibility.

Most importantly, policymakers cannot continue to let arguments over the relatively small sliver of insurance spending represented by the ACA distract them from the need to confront the much greater problem of health care cost growth. Otherwise that growth will continue to push the federal budget in an unsustainable direction.

Joshua B. Gordon is Policy Director, The Concord Coalition.

Photo: Flickr creative commons

This article originally published at The Concord Coalition.

 

 

Harmful algal blooms, typically caused by excess phosphorus, pollute freshwater in more than 15,000 waterways in the U.S. and impact all 50 states. The issue threatens drinking water and wildlife and is estimated to cost the U.S. economy $2.2 billion annually. Those are the sobering topline facts, and that’s just as of today—the problem is growing worse, rapidly. With water scarcity becoming a larger issue for business and the general population alike, dealing with this pollution is becoming more urgent.

To raise awareness of the global environmental and economic challenges caused by harmful algal blooms in fresh waterbodies, the Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation has released a three-part docuseries with National Geographic photographer Andy Mann, to coincide with World Water Day.

To help document the most troubled waterbodies in the U.S., and uncover how this crisis is affecting communities across the nation, the Foundation has worked with Mann and his team of photographers for the past year, creating a series of short videos that will be distributed beginning today on social media and the Foundation’s website.

The three-part docuseries captures stories of major watersheds impacted by algal blooms. Viewers will hear stories from farmers, fishermen, scientists, non-profit organizations, and families – all of whom are affected by and working toward a solution.

“When I visited these watersheds and started speaking with the people in the communities affected, I realized the severity of the algae bloom problem,” said photographer Andy Mann. "I met parents afraid to give their children water to drink, fishermen losing businesses because the fish have left and scientists working around the clock to get ahead of the next bloom. I also uncovered stories of innovation and progress that gave me great hope that a solution is within reach.”

“We’re proud of the steps that our company has taken to improve the enviroment as well as the support that our foundation is providing to groups who share our goals,” said Jim King, president of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation. “Water is our world’s most precious resource and it’s everyone’s job to protect it. Through the art of storytelling and the power of Andy’s amazing videography, the goal of this series is to help the public better understand the magnitude of this issue and to shine a light on the world-class efforts that are underway to help solve it.”

To view the full docuseries or learn more about water quality issues and solutions, visit www.ScottsMiracleGroFoundation.org. Follow Andy Mann at www.instagram.com/andy_mann/

Photo: Miracle-Gro Foundation

Now that renewable energy technology is maturing, the low carbon economy of the future is in sight. The main challenge is how to focus global financial firepower on the kind of civic infrastructure needed for a sustainable future. That's a formidable task, but a new "Green Bond Pledge" could provide corporations, as well as government agencies, with a way to amplify their sustainability profile.

The new Green Bond Pledge

The new Green Bond Pledge was developed by a familiar group of experienced  climate action and financial organizations, including the Climate Bonds Initiative, the global climate initiative Mission 2020, the Carbon Disclosure Project, the green investor group Ceres, Citizens Climate Lobby, California Governor's Office, California Treasurer's Office, Global Optimism, Natural Resources Defense Council and The Climate Group.

The pledge was unveiled earlier this by Christiana Figueres, head of Mission 2020 and former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, at the Climate Bonds Initiative annual conference in London.

The basic goal is to accelerate the alignment of public and private capital financial strategies with the realities of climate risks, and with global goals for climate action, renewable energy and carbon emissions.

That process is already under way. The Green Bond Pledge organizers note that green bonds were first issued in 2007. Things initially got off to a slow start but the green bond market really began to take force in 2014. That year, about $37 billion in green bonds were issued, more than triple the amount in 2013.

In 2015, Triple Pundit noted that investors were paying over market rates for green bonds, and in 2016 Standard & Poor's proposed its first green bond evaluation tool.

The rate of increase has slowed somewhat but the numbers are still impressive, with more than $155 billion issued in green bonds for 2017.

The green muni market also began to gather steam in 2013, with the first one issued by Massachusetts in 2013. That same year, SolarCity (later acquired by Tesla), issued the first Asset Backed Security.

The Green Bond Pledge is designed to assemble all of this momentum into swift, high profile action:

The Green Bond Pledge seeks to have cities, public authorities and world’s largest corporates commit to increased use of green bond finance to ensure new infrastructure meets the challenges of climate change and contributes to the accelerated transformation of the economy that is necessary and achievable by 2020.

The initial goal is to recruit a substantial number of pledges by September 2018 for the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, and build momentum that carries into 2019.

More than just another pledge

Sustainability pledges of one sort or another are common. The Green Bond Pledge stands out because it signals that participants recognize the value of acknowledging climate-related risks. That could translate into concrete bottom line benefits.

Here's the explainer from Figueres:

“When green investments move from business plans into budgets and balance sheets a wealth of opportunity will be unlocked across the value chain. Organizations committing to the Green Bond Pledge will benefit from these opportunities and help the necessary acceleration of capital flows - before 2020 - to deliver a sustainable future for everyone.

The Green Bond Pledge organizers emphasize that green bonds send a signal that climate risks "have been deliberately incorporated into the planning and deployment of infrastructure projects." They further argue that this signal has a bottom line value:

Long-term infrastructure and capital projects, which are typically financed with bonds, are increasingly scrutinized by investors for sustainability. Such traditional infrastructure as transportation, water, wastewater, buildings, energy and other projects need to be adaptive and resilient to climate related risks -– and not create unintended climate problems.

The organizers also take note of the role of natural infrastructure investments, including reforestation, wetlands restoration, open space preservation, and levees.

Lance Pierce, President of CDP North America, emphasizes the depth of opportunity in the green bond market:

“...In 2017 alone, CDP has seen over 500 cities from around the world reporting on 1,000+ infrastructure projects, worth over US$52 billion. These projects are potential candidates for financing via green bonds and increasingly, we're seeing a renewed appetite for the stability green bond instruments can provide.”

So, how does it work?

The Green Bond Pledge complements a Ceres initiative called ""Investor Statement of Support for Low Carbon Investment," which opens with this observation:

We, the institutional investors that are signatories to this Statement, are acutely aware of the risks climate change presents to our investments. In addition, we recognise that significant capital will be needed to finance the transition to a low carbon economy and to enable society to adapt to the physical impacts of climate change.

The Green Bond Pledge itself is quite simple. It reads in full:

We agree that all infrastructure and capital projects will need to be climate resilient and where relevant, support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

We welcome the role that green bonds can play in helping to achieve the financing of that infrastructure.  

As a signatory to this pledge, we support the rapid growth of a green bonds market, consistent with global best practices, that can meet the financing needs we face and issue, whenever applicable, bonds for infrastructure as green bonds.  

We pledge to support this goal by establishing a green bonds strategy that will finance infrastructure and capital projects that meets the challenges of climate change while transforming our community into a competitive, prosperous and productive economy.

If the Green Bond organizers were looking for momentum, they appear to have found it. The launch of the pledge received a generous share of the media spotlight in the financial press. A concurrent effort to recognize leadership by the Climate Bond Initiative has also helped to hold attention.

Image (screenshot): greenbondpledge.org.

By Caitlin Hotchkiss

In recent years, we have watched CSR evolve from a luxury to a priority for organizations of all sizes. Companies are increasingly venturing beyond their own walls to advocate for solutions around issues such as education, environment, poverty, equal and human rights, and other issues. They are taking philanthropy to a level of engagement, providing ways for employees to donate or volunteer on behalf of their workplace.

Consider Walt Disney as an example of this higher-level thinking. The company’s social mission is to strengthen communities “by providing hope, happiness, and comfort to kids and families who need it most.” Disney gave more than $400 million to nonprofit organizations in 2016 but the CSR mission didn’t stop with philanthropy. Their “VoluntEARS” program, which encourages employees to donate time, has totaled to nearly three million hours of community service since 2012, with a goal of five million hours by 2020. If your organization can replicate a fraction of Disney’s impact over time, you have realized CSR success!

A CSR program is a great way to keep employees happy and see some great returns in the workplace and community. According to a Gallup poll, engaged employees nearly doubled their odds of success compared to disengaged employees – plus, there was less turnover in companies with engaged employees.

Starting a CSR program can seem daunting, but it doesn’t need to be. Here are six ways to get started:

1. Start with simple donations

You don’t have to have an extensive, complicated CSR program to engage employees. Start with small opportunities for employees to give back, such as enabling employees to support special causes or give back in a time of need to disaster relief campaigns. Be sure to communicate how quick and easy it is for employees to make donations, then make it easy for them with a link that jumps to an online fundraising form. As the program grows, consider rolling out an annual campaign that employees can to look forward to each year.

You can kick it up a notch by providing a charitable match program. Cone Research found that 79% of employees think it’s important that their companies match their charitable giving. So while it’s great that employees make donations, it’s even better that their contributions are doubled by their employer.

2. Use surveys to help choose partnerships

When choosing which nonprofits to partner with in order to provide donations, giving your employees choices is a smart move – but it’s also good to highlight reputable nonprofit partners that align with your company’s mission in that process. Design short surveys that ask employees for feedback on engagement opportunities they are interested in, so they see that their employer cares about what they care about. Gauge sentiment in the office (offer anonymous options on the surveys!) to make sure your efforts are going in the right direction. This thoughtful process will produce partnerships that represent the company “brand” to employees and consumers.

3. Foster (team and paid) volunteering

Nearly three quarters of employees who volunteer through work report feeling better about their jobs. Explore local charities or nonprofits to partner with (especially if their causes align with your company mission) in order to set up a regular volunteering partnership. Consider allowing 1-2 paid days per year for employees to volunteer or do charitable work for a nonprofit of their choosing.

Encouraging employees to work together in teams to reach a volunteer or fundraising goal can increase participation and engagement at work. Whether departments compete or you bring groups together to help the community, it is a great chance to get staff to bond for a good cause.

4. Lead by example

Make sure senior executives are taking part in charitable efforts as well, and not just for a photo opp. A leading driver of employee engagement and participation is transparency with senior leadership. Employees look for communication and accessibility from company executives – so they have to set the tone. In addition, a company that matches donations and/or supports paid time for volunteering further demonstrates its commitment to CSR programs. These efforts show employees that budget has been allocated and approved. The majority of the Fortune 500 offer corporate gift matching programs to employees, often matching donations dollar for dollar!

5. Keep employees informed

Today’s technology has made communication easy; when employees know when, where and how to participate, they are more likely to do so. Engagement hinges on regularly communicating the opportunities available for donating and volunteering. Send out emails, include events in company newsletters, and bring opportunities up in team meetings. Close the satisfaction loop by sharing results at the end of a campaign. This validates employee fundraising efforts and sets the stage for future campaigns. Establishing a company culture where the annual giving goal is to raise more year-over-year helps create excitement around annual campaigns.

6. Recognize your champions

Last, but not least, recognize top employee giving and volunteer participation. We all want our staff give and volunteer out of the goodness of their hearts, but it is also important to recognize their contributions. Recognition does not have to be expensive. A thank-you note from the CEO, a casual dress code, a front-row parking space, lunch with the boss, or gift cards, show ample appreciation.

Putting together a CSR program doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. You can pick and choose a few simple strategies and supporting technologie to get started and then build from there. The important part is making sure that your program inspires employees to feel like they’re a part of something bigger.

Caitlin Hotchkiss is social media and content manager for FrontStream, which powers the online fundraising of more than 10,000 charities and nonprofits worldwide. She can be reached at caitlin.hotchkiss@frontstream.com

Over the past few months, many companies have been scrambling to show they are taking a stand on movements including Time’s Up, #MeToo, gun violence and the inclusion of all citizens within our economy and society.

But today, World Water Day, is an important reminder that companies also have an opportunity to support the preservation of public lands, especially as critics of the current administration and Congress claim public lands have been under unprecedented attack. As the longtime environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently wrote, policy changes coming out of Washington, DC “have encouraged the destruction and pollution of thousands of miles of rivers and streams, beaches and other waterways.”

One company that is stepping up when it comes to advocating for land preservation and water stewardship is the outdoor gear retailer REI. The company recently sponsored an “Open Preserve Day” with Central California-based Sierra Foothill Conservancy (SFC). Together, the organizations held this event at the Ruth McKenzie Table Mountain Preserve, one of the many open spaces that the nonprofit manages across California’s Gold Country and Sierra Nevada foothills. Visitors to this and other open days could hike, learn about nature journaling, take a yoga class, or even just have a picnic nestled between the lava formations that give Table Mountain its name.

REI’s sponsorship of this and similar initiatives has several purposes. One obvious reason to fund such programs is that just as in the case of Patagonia, the preservation of open spaces is integral to these companies’ core business. And with the budget constraints that the current presidential administration is imposing on the management of public lands, organizations such as SFC are left to pick up the slack – yet can benefit immensely from the support of companies like REI.

Furthermore, opportunities such as last Sunday’s Open Preserve Day opens the door for citizens who many not have the opportunity, or income, to enjoy local national parks such as Yosemite and Kings Canyon/Sequoia. Per capita income in nearby Fresno County, for example, is almost 30 percent lower than the statewide average in California; surrounding counties in the San Joaquin Valley also struggle with poverty and limited job opportunities outside of agriculture. Meanwhile, local budgets often leave no room for the acquisition of lands for recreation and preservation.

Finally, circling back to World Water Day, REI’s sponsorship of such events helps local environmental organizations perform a most important task: ensuring that local water supplies stay safe, clean and plentiful. The 6,481 acres SFC manages help preserve and replenish local groundwater supplies, encourage sustainable agriculture and ranching and also provide a forum by which local volunteers can educate the public about the need to do what is possible to conserve this most precious resource.

Image credit: Leon Kaye

Author’s note: The author dedicates this article to his friend Jason Kump, a Fresno resident who has been missing since February 15. Jason loved the outdoors and appreciated the beautiful spaces and hiking opportunities that are plentiful in the Sierra Foothills. A Facebook page has been set up in order to share information about Jason so that his friends and family can do whatever is possible to bring him back home safe.

In a recent ground-breaking webinar on “Activating the SDGs into business operations”, 3 senior leaders from Dell, Tetra Pak, and the University of Cambridge shared their experiences and strategies to successfully integrate the SDGs into business strategy.

From the discussion, it was clear that to meet the SDGs is highly complex, but being able to know what shift in thinking and operations across both the business and industry is needed is now crucial.

Click here to receive the complimentary recordings

This webinar covered:

• Where to start: Picking the right SDGs to suit your business
• Identify the right partners to drive this change; internal departments, NGOs, academia, start-ups and competitors
• Discover how businesses are forecasting these future positive impacts on business, the industry, society and environment

Click here to receive the complimentary recordings

Media Contact:
Candy Telani Anton
Head of Europe | Ethical Corporation
0207 375 7162

Last month Unilever issued a strong warning that it will take action against social media platforms that foster hate, and now the company has just followed through with a new pledge to help consumers pivot away from "fake news and toxic online content." Although the new announcement may seem like an incremental step, it is actually an extraordinary move in the context of recent news. Unilever is treading on extremely fraught territory here -- namely, the international security threat posed by Russia's use of social media to interfere with the 2016 US presidential election.

In other words, Unilever just challenged a global superpower over control of the facts, taking corporate social responsibility into entirely new territory.

Why Russia matters: social media and troll farms

To be clear, toxic online content goes far beyond activities traced to Russian "troll farms." However, the troll farms -- specifically, Russia's Internet Research Agency -- complement other known Russian strategies for manipulating public opinion. Interference with the 2016 US elections is a stark demonstration that online social media platforms can impact events in real life, even to the extent of undermining national democratic norms.

US security professionals have reached a consensus on Russian interference in the 2016 elections, though US President Trump has been reluctant to accept those findings, take action to prevent additional malfeasance or articulate any precautions to the public.

Recent events may have forced the President's hand, at least partially. An international crisis is brewing over the poisoning of former Russian official Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England, which British officials have linked to Russian operatives. Late last week word also broke that another Russian ex patriot was murdered at his London home.

In the latest development, last week the US joined with Britain, Germany and France in a statement condemning the poisoning and linking it to official Russian policy. The statement noted that the poison marks the "first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the second world war.” President Trump also affirmed the finding in remarks to the press.

Australia has also weighed in, raising the possibility that other British allies will take action.

In an indication that Trump is still reluctant to apply the full force of US policy against Russia, though, late last Friday night US Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired longtime Russia investigator and FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. The firing appeared calculated to undermine public trust in the FBI and was celebrated by Trump via Twitter as a "great day for Democracy."

In other late breaking news related to Russia and the 2016 elections, last Friday Facebook announced that it was suspending the Russia-linked Trump campaign consultant Cambridge Analytica for breaking its rules on data sharing.

And, into this swirl of events steps Unilever.

Unilever steps in where White House fears to tread

Unilever's new policy on hate speech was articulated by CMO Keith Weed in a keynote speech last week at the Interactive Advertising Bureau Annual Leadership Meeting in Palm Desert, California. The theme of the annual gathering was "How to Build a 21st Century Brand."

Excerpts from the speech appear in a March 12 Unilever press release under the heading, "Keith Weed demanded the industry work together to improve transparency and rebuild consumer trust in an era of fake news and toxic online content."

In the speech, Weed reminds his audience that the tech world is already experiencing a backlash against hate speech, and he calls for the industry to “collectively rebuild trust back in our systems and our society."

As Weed sees it, social media has already lost ground to more traditional news sources:

Across the world, dramatic shifts are taking place in people’s trust, particularly in media. We are seeing a critical separation of how people trust social media and more ‘traditional’ media. In the US only less than a third of people now trust social media (30%), whilst almost two thirds trust traditional media (58%).

Weed argues that the problem of trust has received widespread attention within the industry, but industry needs to go beyond tidying up its own house.

In the absence of national leadership from the White House, Weed underscores the seriousness of the issues as seen from a consumer point of view -- including issues related to Russian interference in the US elections:

Consumers don’t care about third party verification. They do care about fraudulent practice, fake news, and Russians influencing the US election. They don’t care about good value for advertisers. But they do care when they see their brands being placed next to ads funding terror, or exploiting children. They don’t care about sophisticated data usage or ad targeting via complex algorithms, but they do care about not seeing the same ad 100 times a day. They don’t care about ad fraud, but they do care about their data being misused and stolen.

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And it is acutely clear from the groundswell of consumer voices over recent months that people are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of digital on wellbeing, on democracy – and on truth itself. This is not something that can brushed aside or ignored. Consumers are also demanding platforms which make a positive contribution to society.

Weed issues a direct warning to social media:

Fake news, racism, sexism, terrorists spreading messages of hate, toxic content directed at children – parts of the internet we have ended up with is a million miles from where we thought it would take us. It is in the digital media industry's interest to listen and act on this. Before viewers stop viewing, advertisers stop advertising and publishers stop publishing.

Brands taking stands: Uniliever's recipe for social media responsibility

Weed provides a clear bottom line motivation for companies like Unilever to step up and take control:

This is a deep and systematic issue. An issue of trust that fundamentally threatens to undermine the relationship between consumers and brands...As one of the largest advertisers in the world, we cannot have an environment where our consumers don’t trust what they see online. So we must ask ourselves –what do brands stand for in the 21st century? To remain relevant, and trusted by consumers, brands have to take the lead.

Unilever has already begun drawing from the lessons of corporate social responsibility and supply chain management for its action blueprint. As described by Weed, companies should approach the digital, virtual supply chain in the same way they manage their physical supply chain:

...And in the same way that we have taken a positive stance with our supply chain across all our products, committing to sourcing all our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020, we have been taking a positive stance with our digital supply chain.

...If we are committed to making our supply chains sustainable, that is all of our supply chains. And the current digital supply chain is far from being sustainable.

Finally, Weed offers Uniliever's three-legged strategy as a means of ensuring that "social media should build social responsibility."

First is a pledge not to invest in platforms that fail to protect children, that "create division in society," and that "promote anger or hate."

Second is to recognize the Unilever brand as a content creator that can and will focus on "tackling gender stereotypes in advertising," using the promotional tool #Unstereotype. The new campaign also seeks to gather industrywide support through #Unstereotype Alliance.

The third leg of the strategy involves establishing norms for digital infrastructure with a focus on improving the consumer experience. Unilever has already done much of the heavy lifting on this score. Over the past three years, the company has established concentrated its efforts on the three "V's" of  viewability, verification and value (breaks added for readability):

...In viewability we have established and implemented industry leading viewability standards, including working with Group M and others on a new display news feed standard, and we are in the final stages of research to establish news feed video standards.

For verification – we are successfully working with third party to verify our media across all platforms across the globe.

All leading to greater value from our media spend. Our position here has not changed. And there is still more to do. But ultimately, these are table stakes.

To put all this in a bottom line context, Unilever is facing global competition from a new wave of "disruptive brands" such as Halo Top ice cream in the US.

By taking on social media, Russia -- and President Trump -- Unilever has seized control of the global narrative in a way that would be difficult if not impossible for emerging brands to imitate.

The company has already established a vanguard position in conventional CSR areas including waste management, public health, sustainable packaging and global food security.

It remains to be seen whether other leading brands follow Unilever as it steers the CSR ship into the gathering storm of a global political crisis.

Image credit: Adobe Stock / lazyllama