Future of Work & Family

Future of Work & Family December 2023 | www.futureofbusinessandtech.com

An independent supplement by Mediaplanet to USA Today

"Dismantling the gender stereotypes around caregiving is an important way to create equity and influence broader cultural change."

"Unmet mental health needs can impact an employee’s job performance, attendance, productivity, engagement, and communication at work."

Sascha Mayer, Co-Founder and CXO, Mamava

Tramaine EL-Amin, Vice President, Mental Health First Aid

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In partnership with:

Staying true to your purpose will see you through the toughest of times.

Read more on Page 08

Holly Branson

An interview with Virgin Group’s Chief Purpose & Vision Officer

Navigating 2024 with AI, Civility, and Global Resilience

IN THIS ISSUE WRITTEN BY Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. President and CEO, SHRM

"When we realign to place well-being at the heart of our organizations ... talent, productivity, and profitability follow."

Dr. Scott Cawood CEO, WorldatWork

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"Successful single working moms excel at delegation; they understand the importance of seeking help proactively."

Neferteri Plessi Founder and CEO, Single Moms Planet

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"A rut is not a sign that you’ve tanked. A plateau is not a cue that you’ve peaked."

Adam Grant Author, “Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things"

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@futureofbusinessandtech

Workers today face unique challenges in navigating personal and workplace demands. With an unprecedented five generations in the workplace, it is not uncommon for workers to have caretaker responsibilities for young children, aging parents, and, increasingly, grandparents — all at once.

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s we step into 2024, the business landscape is undergoing a profound transformation driven by the confluence of technology, societal shifts, and the need for heightened global resilience. In this dynamic environment, three key pillars — artificial intelligence (AI), civility, and global workers — will play pivotal roles in shaping the trajectory of work, workers, and the workplace.

Artificial intelligence: from exploration to essential AI has transitioned from an explorative technology to an essential business-driver.

Augmenting work with AI amplifies human potential by combining human intelligence (HI) with AI capability to heighten performance and productivity. Simply put, AI + HI = ROI. Its impact spans various domains, from revolutionizing HR processes to reshaping the workplace ecosystem. Recent advances in large language models (LLM) and generative AI have democratized access to AI, making it more attainable for businesses of all sizes.

To stay competitive in a rapidly evolving global economy, it is imperative to not only embrace AI but also to leverage its potential as a force multiplier. However, we must approach this with caution. Mitigating risks associated with AI implementation is paramount. Even with all the promise AI holds, it can inherit existing biases, jeopardize proprietary data, and further propagate the digital divide if not used properly.

To fully unlock the benefits of AI, businesses must strategically channel its power to elevate the workforce. Rather than displacing jobs, harnessing AI to automate routine tasks can free up time and energy, enabling employees to focus on more strategic functions. Charting the way forward requires a comprehensive approach that aligns AI implementation with organizational goals and human-centric values.

@MediaplanetUSA

Civility: nurturing collaboration in a diverse society As the United States approaches its presidential election year in 2024, the political landscape will likely be characterized by tight, contentious battles. This political polarization has implications for workplace dynamics, as divisions can hinder effective collaboration and engagement in an increasingly diverse workforce.

Our society is diverse along various dimensions — political, social, economic, gender, religious, geographic, and age. To foster a collaborative workplace, we must see beyond labels and recognize individuals as fellow humans with unique perspectives. Setting ground rules for civility becomes crucial in this context. Respect, curiosity, and a sense of shared humanity must be the foundation of workplace interactions.

Global workers: enhancing enterprise resilience through workforce development In an era of digitalization and global connectivity, the workforce is no longer confined by geographical boundaries. The complex, interconnected web of the global economy demands a strategic approach to workforce development. The rise of remote collaboration underscores the need for agile, mobile, and flexible workforce capabilities.

Developing a workforce capable of thriving in this interconnected world builds enterprise resilience. This involves expanding the workforce pool, nurturing global workforce development, and modernizing immigration policies to unlock talent and growth opportunities. Companies must recognize that what happens in one region can impact many others, emphasizing the importance of a globally engaged and developed workforce.

Ultimately, smart, cautious, and hopeful navigation through these trends will position businesses for success in an era defined by rapid change and interconnected challenges.

Contact information: US.editorial@mediaplanet.com

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Publisher Shannon Ruggiero Managing Director Julia Colavecchia Production Manager Taylor Daniels Lead Editor Dustin Brennan Cover Photo Courtesy of Virgin Group All photos are credited to Getty Images unless otherwise specified. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve USA Today.

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Why the Right Childcare Benefits Are Essential for Working Parents As a growing number of working families struggle to find appropriate childcare, employers, government, and other stakeholders can help meet the need by offering the right benefits.

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INTERVIEW WITH Gigi Schweikert CEO, Lightbridge Academy WRITTEN BY Cindy Riley

or many parents, balancing work, kids, and the household budget can be extremely challenging, and worrying about affordable childcare only adds to the frustration.

“As educators, the importance of early childhood education and childcare has always been ingrained in us, but the public saw childcare as a true necessity for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now again, as families are facing the childcare cliff,” explained Gigi Schweikert, CEO of Lightbridge Academy, one of the nation’s leading educational childcare franchise systems.

“Having access to reliable childcare isn’t just important for working parents seeking flexibility,” Schweikert said. “It also helps ensure children have the opportunities to meet key educational and social milestones, and are prepared to succeed."

An emerging need In September, a portion of the funding for the American Rescue Plan Act expired for the federal government plan that provided almost $24 billion in childcare stabilization grants.

The funding enabled facilities to improve workers’ compensation, cover expenses like rent, and invest in initiatives to offer higherquality programs.

“Much of the money that was given during that time of crisis was used to support the increase in teacher’s salaries and many states have seen the value and are continuing this initiative,” Schweikert explained.

Schweikert says most families don’t have the ability to resign from their positions to stay home with their children. The expiring funds mean more than 3 million children could lose access to care, which has led to a critical need for communities to come together to find ways to provide working families with peace of mind by offering childcare benefits that best suit their needs.

“Benefits should follow the child, so that parents who can afford to pay do, and those in low-income or single-parent households receive the benefits they need,” she said. “Childcare benefits should serve the children who are currently in the greatest need of care.”

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Photo courtesy of Lightbridge Academy

Available benefits Schweikert says it will take private and public partnerships, and the entire community working together, to identify multiple solutions to the crisis presented by the childcare cliff. For example, employers can help lighten the load by offering a variety of flexible benefits to workers in the form of childcare discounts, backup care solutions, and other community partnerships.

“These include childcare stipend or direct reimbursement of childcare expenses to employees, on-site childcare facilities, and backup childcare services for unexpected situations when primary childcare arrangements fall through,” she said.

For example, an employee discount program arranged with local childcare providers can help reduce the financial strain on families. And for employers, the barrier to entry is minimal as these are often available at no cost to them.

Where to turn While many employers may no longer have young children, it’s important for them to understand the needs of working parents in order to stay competitive with their recruitment efforts to create a valuable benefit to foster retention. Working families also need to speak up by educating employers on their needs and the challenges they face due to the childcare cliff.

“If you aren’t familiar with the childcare benefits your company offers, reach out to your HR Benefits department to see if there are any solutions available to you,” Schweikert said.

“If there are none in place, there’s no harm in asking if your employer can look into these options.”

There are also many local childcare resource and referral agencies, and advocacy groups may be able to offer assistance.

“The answer is beyond an individual employer, childcare center, or family,” Schweikert noted.

“If there’s government funding available, it should follow the child, so that each family is empowered to choose the solution that works best for them.”

To learn more, visit lightbridge academy. com

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Why Well-being Is the Future of Work’s Foundation

Acquiring and retaining the best talent is no longer just about salary, and it’s time we embrace that it never really was. Why? Employee experience isn’t exclusively crafted through compensation.

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WRITTEN BY Dr. Scott Cawood, CCP, GRP, CSCP, CBP CEO, WorldatWork

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ork is about a mutual reciprocity, alignment, and exchange. Only when there’s a continued match in these key factors of employee engagement are we able to foster our team members. We must take time to ensure there’s a shared mission and set of values between our organizations and people, as it fuels work that matters. Just as important is the ongoing cultivation of programs that meet the needs of our people.

To state as clearly as possible so that we can all focus on what truly makes a difference in the contemporary workplace: Well-being is the future

of work’s foundation. Our stakeholders are rightfully demanding that we treat them as whole people who bring their full selves to work, not as replaceable means to an end.

When we realign to place well-being at the heart of our organizations — when we understand that people are our business and act accordingly — talent, productivity, and profitability follow. Only then do they tend to stick around.

The keys to realignment So, how do we accomplish that realignment?

We ask our people the right questions that put them in positions to succeed, not just as

employees, but as human beings. At times that may include uncomfortable, very personal conversations we’re not used to having at work. That’s what it takes to best understand and address people’s needs, which is key to well-being.

Do your benefits meet the physical and emotional health needs of your entire workforce? If you don’t know, ask then act.

We approach our co-workers with empathy. The real world is messy and so, oftentimes, are the solutions to its problems.

We approach our total rewards programs — compensation, benefits, recognition, career development, and wellness — as a manner of not only compensating our people, but also to empower and support them.

In practice, this means we acknowledge that an infant in the background of a Zoom call is a hallmark of a colleague’s humanity, not their lack of professionalism. With multiple generations in the workplace, it can also mean holding space, providing benefits, and granting flexibility for caregivers who support young children and ailing or older family members at the same time.

The things that make you a good friend — attentiveness, empathy, respect, and shared outlooks — are the same things that make an organization appealing to existing and potential employees. Meeting people where they are and acknowledging their needs fosters a truly positive future of work.

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ADULT EDUCATION IS A TALENT PIPELINE TO THE WORKFORCE AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE. An investment in adult education is an investment into the economy!

Without a major correction, tens of millions of Americans will be unprepared to fill the next wave of jobs, and we could face a dramatic increase in unemployment nationwide. Indeed, we must ensure that the 43 million working-age Americans who possess low literacy skills get the education they need to access the skills training that will help fuel our future economy.

Business leaders connect with a local adult education program near you: www.behindeveryemployer.org

Increase your skills at a local adult education program in your community: www.moveaheadwithadulted.org

How Olympia LePoint Went From Failing Math to Building Rockets We asked author and professional speaker Olympia LePoint about her path to becoming a rocket scientist, and her advice for young women aspiring to similar career paths. Here's what she said.

Tell us a little more about your story and your progression from being a kid who struggled in math to where you are now.

I had a lot of issues growing up. We lived in the middle of gang violence, and walking home from school, we didn’t know if we’d get home alive. This fear translated into difficulties at school. I took fear with me and allowed it to stop me.

At 16, I was tutored by a calculus teacher who volunteered to help struggling students, and it was during that time that I realized that I was smarter than I thought I was. What stopped me wasn’t a lack of intelligence, but just the fear in my head. In that moment, I decided that I was going to do things that were really hard. I owed it to myself to do that.

We all fail, but those who change their frame of mind succeed in the end.

What has been your proudest achievement throughout your life, both professionally and personally?

Receiving my bachelor’s degree was definitely my biggest achievement. I grew up in inner city Los Angeles, where your inevitable future is to become a drop-out or a victim of gang violence. I defied those statistics and decided my own future: to become a rocket scientist.

When you have a degree, you earn it, and no one can take that away from you.

You can take the degree and use it to choose your own future. That’s why I’m such a passionate supporter of education.

STEM classes have not been popular amongst women and young girls. Why do you think that is, and how do you think it’s progressed in the last 10-20 years?

When I first started my career in 1998, I would be the only woman in a room

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Olympia LePoint

of 200 men. My mentor, Steve Hobart, showed me how to communicate effectively with those men so they could improve the engine design with my knowledge.

I learned that women communicate differently than men, and women and minorities bring a new viewpoint to STEM that benefits the workforce.

Women are brilliant systems thinkers and can find one solution that will solve many different problems. Minorities have a brilliant ability to think outside of the box. Both groups bring a tremendous benefit to STEM fields, and I’m happy to say that now I’m no longer the only woman in a room of 200 men. More diversity is still needed, however.

So many people across the planet have brilliant ideas, and tapping into how people think in different ways can create solutions that last a lifetime.

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5 Key Benefits of Hiring Older Workers

Significant profitability and performance gains have been reported for companies with above-average diversity.

For example, according to an AARP report, companies with above-average diversity in age, gender, nationality, career path, industry background, and education on their management teams report innovation revenue that is 19% higher and profit margins that are 9% higher than companies with below-average diversity.

� When you think of new hires, who do you picture? While you may expect applicants to be 20-somethings straight out of college, or 30- to 40-somethings making a career change, in reality, you'll likely see more applicants who are older adults.

A WRITTEN BY Gary A. Officer President and CEO, Center for Workforce Inclusion

ccording to a U.S. Special Committee on Aging report, workers 55 and older will soon represent 25% of our nation's workforce. Now more than ever, businesses must recognize that older workers bring much-needed experience, emotional intelligence, and generational diversity to our workplaces.

Not convinced? Here are five key values older workers offer employers:

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Problem-solving abilities Problem-solving is a critical skill attained over time. Through their lived experience in the workforce, older workers have accumulated a wealth of industry-specific knowledge they can use to make informed decisions that help your business thrive. More importantly, they can impart this knowledge to younger colleagues, providing mentorship opportunities and leading to a more innovative team.

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A 2018 study by Cloverpop found that multigenerational teams with an age range of 25 years or more (from the youngest to the oldest member) met or exceeded expectations 73% of the time, while those with a narrow range of less than 10 years did so only 35% of the time.

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Reliability Older workers are incredibly reliable.

You can count on them to show up on time to meetings, meet strict deadlines, and provide a consistency that may be missing from your workplace. Best of all, they set a positive example for the rest of the company.

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Improved team productivity It’s been reported that 7 out of 10 workers in the United States enjoy working with people from other generations. These benefits extend beyond workplace satisfaction.

Adaptability Older adults have seen technology rapidly change throughout their lifetime.

Contrary to popular belief, older workers are adaptable, and willing to learn and master new skills and technologies.

The fact is that they've had to adapt quickly to keep pace with the increasingly connected and technologyforward world. These experiences have taught them to effectively navigate change, a valuable asset for businesses across many industries.

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Low turnover Hiring and training new employees can cost a company extensive time, money, and resources. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that workers ages 55-64 typically stay with a company for nearly 10 years, more than three times the rate of workers ages 25-34.

Age is a value-add, not a detriment While working for the Center for Workforce Inclusion, I've seen firsthand the benefits of hiring older employees.

Embracing age diversity in your workforce can only help to improve your company's overall performance and workplace culture.

To learn more, visit centerforworkforce inclusion.org

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Holly Branson on How Businesses Can Find Their Purpose As Virgin Group’s chief purpose and vision officer, Holly Branson focuses on empowering the company’s employees and making sure the business makes a positive impact every day. She shared how other organizations can find a purpose that’s meaningful for them, and how this helps workers and the business succeed.

What does being a purposeful business mean to you? And how can purpose lead businesses and their people to success?

As chief purpose and vision officer at Virgin Group, it pretty much means everything to me.

After beginning my career as a doctor in London, my career path took a major pivot in 2011 when I joined our family business, Virgin, full time. Once I started working on developing and embedding our purpose into the very DNA of our business, I knew I had found my calling.

Working within the Purpose Team, I found my “why” and also realized that Virgin’s purpose (Changing Business for Good) was and should always be our “why” as a global brand.

Defining our purpose has been a journey of discovery. If your company is on a similar journey, you’ll have many ups and downs, but by involving your people, your customers, and all stakeholders, you’ll be off to the right start. You’ll also want to test your purpose, ask for advice, and then follow through with action. I believe you truly will put your business on a successful future path.

Your purpose will give you clarity of thought when it comes to decision-making that will bring profit while also creating a positive impact.

It will encourage your people to innovate, to be creative, and to have a sense of pride and drive that no other company initiative can achieve.

How can employers build a culture that empowers employees to succeed for themselves and the organization?

Our people have been our No. 1 priority from Day 1 at Virgin, and I genuinely think we have led by example on many exciting areas when it comes to well-being, inclusion, and sustainability. I’ve always been proud of the fact that our head office has embraced fully flexible working from Day 1. My dad [Richard Branson] built Virgin on the ethos that it’s not where you work, but how you work best, 08

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Holly Branson | Photo courtesy of Virgin Group

and how passionate you are about it.

When thinking about building a culture of empowerment, it must come from a place of trust. Trust your people when they come to you with new ideas. Instill trust in people by being open and human yourself. And trust that your people will get the job done, with passion, creativity, and pride, when they feel seen, valued, and empowered to succeed in their roles and other areas of their lives, too.

How do you balance work and family life?

It can be tough! As a mother of three children 8 years old and under, it’s hard to juggle work, life, play dates, homework, fun family time, and quality time with your partner.

Every parent or guardian reading this will know exactly what I mean. Everyone’s situation is different and there is not one hard-and-fast way to find that balance — for many working mums and dads, they may never find it.

A couple of things that might help is to admit that it’s not easy, open up about your challenges, and don’t beat yourself up when things don’t go to plan. Being open, honest, and accepting that it’s normal to feel like you're failing at parenting some days, and it’s normal to feel like you’re failing as a colleague or a friend the next day. It simply means you’re human and you’re doing your best.

The only thing that keeps me sane is meticulous scheduling to make sure I try and fit in time with everyone, including time for me each week. That’s easier said than done though!

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How Empathetic AI Is Guiding the Future of Work historically unempathetic experiences, leading to contradictory participation and utilization numbers.

The past three years have sparked a revolution for the future of work.

Key technology trends, like AI, and a heightened focus on employee well-being as a core component of organizational growth have illuminated just how intrinsic empathy is to the success of the modern workplace.

W WRITTEN BY Jon Shanahan President and CEO, Businessolver

e’re watching AI take the world by storm this year with sweeping innovations like generative text models, anti-bias machine-learning, and data analytics. But AI has been around for a while.

What's new about these AI innovations is how they can drive more meaningful and empathetic experiences for the people who engage with them.

The primary innovation we're seeing at Businessolver is the infusion of empathy into AI technology — with a direct focus on bettering the human experience.

Empathetic AI is making a significant shift to the way we engage with people, marked especially by its ability to help drive better connection, efficiency, and engagement in the workplace.

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We have studied the impact of empathy in the workplace since 2016 and I’ve witnessed several trends that have held steady over these eight years: • Benefits are one of the top ways employers can show empathy • Benefits expectations are shifting beyond the scope of medical, vision, and dental • Workplace flexibility and voluntary benefits top the list of empathetic benefits • Empathy is a top reason employees will stay at or leave their current company Today’s employee expects a broad suite of benefits that support their holistic wellbeing.

Yet 85% of employees are confused about their benefits, a direct result of

Empathy continues to evolve But empathetic AI is poised to change that — and so much more — within the workplace experience. AI has helped drive meaningful connections between humans, technology, and benefits simply by infusing technology with the ability to meet people where they’re at, regardless of expertise.

We’re already seeing the positive effects of AI in real time in the employee benefits space: AI is helping reduce barriers to benefits, serving up critical insights from large data sets to HR teams, empowering more diverse talent sourcing and retention, and broadening an organization’s ability to express and scale empathy for its employees.

As empathy continues to evolve in the AI space, its value will shift from simple efficiencies and cost savings to more complex value drivers, such as helping employees select and engage with meaningful benefits, serving HR critical insights to inform their strategy, and driving more stability and growth for a business’s bottom line.

No amount of automation can erase the value — or need for — empathetic human interaction. But empathetic AI technology can be used to scale empathy for more meaningful, personalized interactions that pay dividends in happier, healthier customers and employees.

Find out more at businessolver.com

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The Future of Work Is Here Our panel of experts shared how they're helping working parents and caregivers thrive in an ever-changing working landscape, and how other employers can do the same.

Jon Shanahan President and CEO, Businessolver

Richard Branson Founder, Virgin Group

Why is it critical for employers to lead with empathy in 2024? How can empathy lead to productivity?

Jon Shanahan: Employees want to feel valued and cared for at work. But as we’ve watched the empathy gap widen, leaders must grab on to the opportunity to adjust course and build meaningful connections across their organizations with meaningful and actionable investment into initiatives employees value most — notably mental well-being, flexibility in the workplace, and DEIB [diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging].

Without empathy in play, organizations risk losing their best asset — employees — as they seek out cultures and benefits that are more aligned with their needs and values.

Are there any initiatives or upcoming trends in employee health and wellness that you personally support?

Richard Branson: First and foremost, I believe in flexible working. It is important that employers appreciate their employees’ work-life balance and give them the flexibility to work around their personal lives.

We have embraced flexible working since 2013 and allowed our people to work from home or remotely, and stagger their working hours if they wish to. We trust our employees to work wherever and whenever they like as long as they get their work done on time and at a high-quality level; other Virgin companies may decide to follow this model in the future.

I also support unlimited leave. In my book, I wrote about how we were introducing an unlimited vacation policy, which is currently applicable to all employees at Virgin’s headquarters (Virgin Management) and our not-for-profit foundation (Virgin Unite). This allows our people to take as much vacation time as they feel they need each year, as long as they take a minimum amount of vacation to ensure they are getting time to rest and recharge. This gives our staff the flexibility to take more vacation time than previously possible, like during a special year when somebody gets married.

How can employers support caregivers in 2024?

Joshua Frick: Employers of caregivers need to have an in-depth understanding of both the fulfillment and the challenges that come not only with being a caregiver in one’s personal life, but also in a caregiving career. At Kiddie Academy, our franchisees have the unique honor of employing educational caregivers who nurture, educate, and care for children on a daily basis.

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Joshua Frick President, Kiddie Academy

Arianna Huffington Co-Founder, The Huffington Post; Founder and CEO, Thrive Global

These educational caregivers are a cornerstone of our communities. In the caregiving profession, employees need an organized onboarding program, ongoing training, and flexibility from the employer, which results in better employee satisfaction and engagement.

What is the main challenge HR professionals and managers are facing today when it comes to overseeing a hybrid workforce?

Arianna Huffington: We now know an enormous amount about how stress and burnout affect us, both at home and at work. The science is clear that when we prioritize our well-being, we’re more creative, productive, and resilient, and we make better decisions.

Well-being isn’t just a perk; it’s a competitive advantage. And there’s a direct connection between the health of a company’s bottom line and the health and well-being of every company’s most important resource: its people.

So, in the same way well-being boosts our immune system, culture serves as a company’s immune system, giving it the resilience to meet inevitable challenges.

How can employers and HR leaders leverage AI to improve their employees’ experience?

JS: Benefits confusion and empathy are among the top challenges for organizations. In 2024, empathy in AI will take center stage. When implemented at scale, empathetic AI will transform benefits personalization and access as we know it. Beyond personalization, we’re seeing AI drive benefits engagement and activation, evolving benefits from a one-and-done enrollment event to a front-of-mind, year-round experience.

What is the future of work and family in your industry?

JF: Our industry (educational childcare) is at the intersection of work and family. It is essential that dependable, safe, high-quality educational childcare exists for parents to be able to work outside of the home and provide for their families.

This is a responsibility we don’t take lightly.

We have always prioritized being a high-quality educational childcare provider that provides families with peace of mind while they are at work and prepares their children for life.

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How Gen Z is Redefining the Future of Work Generation Z will account for more than a quarter of the workforce by 2025. To prepare for their career journeys, they’ll need resources that reflect their unique experience while helping them build skills for success.

A INTERVIEW WITH Lisa T. Anastasi Chief Development and Public Affairs Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of America

INTERVIEW WITH Winnie Park CEO, Forever 21

s the first generation to grow up fully immersed in a digital world, Gen Z is poised to rethink and revolutionize the workforce in ways that previous generations could never have imagined. And their impact on careers and money-making is also slated to be huge as they currently make up 30% of the global population and are projected to account for 27% of the workforce by 2025, according to the World Economic Forum.

Having come of age in a landscape of rapid technological change, Gen Z aims to usher in a diverse and inclusive workforce culture driven by technology, entrepreneurship, and a strong commitment to self-expression and advocacy.

“Generation Z has a real passion for making their voices heard, being authentic, and being able to express that authenticity in whatever way they want,” said Lisa Anastasi, chief development and public affairs officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “They are youth who want to create and be a part of change.”

The first fully connected generation Generation Z has never known life without the internet. Instead, this group born between 1997 and 2012 has fully connected to digital devices and social media to gain free access to content, culture, and information from around the globe.

“For Generation Z, social media is not just influencers but rather a window to the world and means of communication,” said Winnie Park, chief executive officer of Forever 21, a national partner of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “As cultural omnivores, they embrace all aspects of culture including food, music, and relevant issues.”

These tech-savvy, globally inspired youth — who, along with the rest of the world, experienced an accelerated shift in remote work and collaborative tools during the COVID-19 pandemic — are quickly mastering such emerging technologies as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality. As digital

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Photo Courtesy of Boys & Girls Clubs of America

natives, they are quick to accept and adapt to new software and digital platforms, embracing innovation in the workforce.

What they’ll need, however, are the skills to navigate their workspaces and social landscapes with confidence and assurance to see their ideas realized — and that’s where Boys & Girls Clubs can help.

Foundational skills for brilliant futures According to Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s 2023 Youth Right Now survey, 93% of 11th and 12th graders say they know what education or training they need for the career they want.

The survey also shared how hopeful and eager youth are about their potential post-high school graduation.

“The youth are our future,” Park said. “We want to be present in helping them advocate for themselves. We want to be a partner to them.

We’re turning on our curiosity, asking questions, and listening closely to engage and co-create with them.”

Since their partnership’s inception, Forever 21 has worked closely with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to champion programs in character and leadership development so young people can positively impact their communities.

“Our partnership is all about lifting our youth up to give them transformational opportunities,” Anastasi said.

Forever 21 has raised more than $7 million for Boys & Girls Clubs to empower youth with digital literacy skills, as well as interview etiquette, personal branding, problem-solving, planning, and teamwork skills. With both organizations dedicated to setting up young people for success in the workplace, Generation Z can readily access professional workplace attire, insight, and confidence to start and strengthen their career journeys.

Learn more and support bright futures for America’s next generation at bgca.org /forever21

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Creating Better Workplaces for Working Parents Sascha Mayer is the co-founder and Chief Experience Officer (CXO) of Mamava, the creator of freestanding lactation spaces for breastfeeding on the go. We talked to her about how employers can better support all workers — especially new parents — and why these inclusive measures are good for business.

INTERVIEW WITH Sascha Mayer Co-Founder and CXO, Mamava

How can employers create better workplace experiences for working parents?

One of the first things employers can do is provide paid parental leave for all new parents (not just birthing parents). Dismantling the gender stereotypes around caregiving is an important way to create equity and influence broader cultural change. Putting in place care infrastructure in workplaces validates the bodies and experiences that have been too often ignored or invisible.

Why is investing in working parents good for business?

Before creating Mamava, most of my career had been in brand strategy consulting. I know from experience working with clients that employees are the best source of brand advocacy. Investing in the well-being of working parents goes

far beyond employee retention — engaged, inspired, and well-caredfor employees are a critical resource for building a successful business.

What’s the biggest challenge employers currently face when trying to improve the well-being of their employees?

The biggest challenge I find as an employer in improving the workplace experience and well-being of our employees is the diversity of needs. Whether it’s supporting different ways of working (introverts vs. extroverts, in-person or at-home) or establishing schedule flexibility for caretaking responsibilities at home, everyone needs something a little different. So, it’s necessary to design workspaces and employee benefits that acknowledge the range of life experiences and needs.

How have work and family responsibilities shifted in the post-pandemic era? How has this impacted business?

Nearly 75% of employees are caregivers in some capacity, whether they’re raising children or caring for elderly family members.

The pandemic put the challenges of working parents in full view (quite literally on Zoom cameras) for those of us lucky enough to work from home. But the truth is that the work of caring for a family has always existed; it was just less visible pre-pandemic.

Employees were able to examine their priorities and find better ways of working and being with their families. And both employers and employees recognized that productivity didn’t decline with increased flexibility.

Mamava’s lactation pods and mobile app empower parents to meet their breastfeeding goals, and help organizations create more inclusive spaces (while complying with the PUMP Act).

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Sponsored

Your Working Parents Are Starved for Breastfeeding Benefits WRITTEN BY Sarah Kellogg Neff CEO, The Lactation Network

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Parents don’t intend to have difficulty feeding their babies. We’re here if they do.

very day across the country, streamers, cakes, gift cards, and parental leave OOO plans make their way around workplaces. “Congrats on your new addition!” e-cards read. Working parents are wished well, sent off, and assumed to be swaddled in newborn bliss until their return.

But at The Lactation Network, we’re familiar with a reality more visceral and common than many employers know. We see sleep-deprived mothers unnerved by the gap between the rosy anticipation of breastfeeding and its unforeseen difficulty in practice; working parents weaning their children early without the means to pump in their offices; and defeated, helpless partners of all kinds juggling calls to pediatricians and in-laws for advice.

Put simply: There is often a gap between what working parents expect to experience when breastfeeding and what they actually experience. That fact is why The Lactation Network exists.

Breastfeeding difficulties aren’t minor, unexpected occurrences.

Parents feel failure when they struggle to help their babies latch, and deal with low breastmilk supply and cracked, bleeding nipples. On top of these alltoo-common challenges, families then feel frustration when arguing with health plans about coverage, burdened when they pay hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket for care that should be covered, and defeat in the face of postpartum depression and anxiety.

These challenges have potentially lethal implications in the postpartum period: Suicide is a leading cause of death for new moms in the United States.

Much like their employees, most employers aren't clear on the benefits they provide to their employees when it comes to breastfeeding support.

Legal rights The Affordable Care Act (ACA) specifies that parents have a legal right to comprehensive coverage for lactation support, including supplies and counseling. The ACA also mandates that health plans provide coverage for lactation services throughout the duration of the breastfeeding journey (not just in the hospital), provide patients with in-network lactation consultants, and cover services when no in-network providers are available. Have you confirmed that your health plan meets those requirements?

You might want to check.

Millions of families are falling through the cracks of a system where insurance providers avoid covering care, employers don’t understand the extent to which their coverage is failing employees, and lactation consultants can’t reach the families who need them. This issue often goes unseen by HR teams as working parents suffer in silence: Breastfeeding issues usually happen in the first few weeks of leave, and most parents are unaware that employers have influence over what their health plan covers. That means that by the time most parents return to work, they don’t mention their struggle to their HR teams — and many have already given up breastfeeding.

It’s time we bridged the gap.

As the largest network of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants in the nation, The Lactation Network partners with employers and health plans to bring clinical, expert care to families via telehealth or in person, in the comfort of their own homes.

Working parents everywhere deserve nothing less.

READ MORE AT FUTUREOFBUSINESSANDTECH.COM

To learn more, visit lactationnetwork.com

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What Single Moms Need to Succeed at Work Model, TV personality, and producer Neferteri Plessy founded Single Moms Planet to help end the poverty cycle of single mothers in America through financial literacy and business development programs. We spoke with her about how businesses can empower and utilize this marginalized group, and why single moms can be dynamic in the workplace.

How can employers better support single working mothers?

Employers can enhance the support for single working mothers through actionbased workshops, empowering them to curate and maintain a resource list, while nurturing relationships. Fostering a flexible environment that acknowledges their unique challenges will allow single mothers to demonstrate professional integrity while staying close to their families.

What advice can you give to working parents going through difficult times, such as loss, divorce, or illness?

During difficult periods like loss or illness, I advise working parents to create "white space" for healing. Allowing time

for recovery without having to manage overwhelming schedules is key.

Gift yourself by paying for your alone time based on intentional self-care. Make it a point to invest in quality moments free from commitments. Prioritize your mental and emotional well-being.

What do successful single working moms have in common?

Successful single working moms excel at delegation; they understand the importance of seeking help proactively.

This approach enables them to maintain a lifestyle built on meeting professional and family responsibilities with resilience and grace.

Single Moms Planet Founder and CEO Neferteri Plessy

Know Your Child is Safe with Proof of Sobriety “I decided to use Soberlink because I knew what the outcome would be: the truth.”

-Krista, Soberlink Client

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The Keys to Prioritizing Workers’ Mental Well-being Mental Health First Aid at Work, from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, educates employees at every level and teaches them how to identify, understand, and respond to other adults who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge in the workplace. We talked to the program’s vice president, Tramaine EL-Amin, about the best ways to promote mental well-being at work.

INTERVIEW WITH Tramaine EL-Amin Vice President, Mental Health First Aid

Why should employers invest in the mental well-being of their workers?

Employer investment in the well-being of their workforce is essential because mental health is a fundamental part of our overall wellness.

Naturally, challenges may arise in the workplace.

Investing in the mental well-being of employees can help them implement best practices for self-care and build a more resilient mindset at work, especially during times of heightened stress.

Unmet mental health needs can impact an employee’s job performance, attendance, productivity, engagement, and communication at

work. Ultimately, if a company can tangibly demonstrate that they care about the health and wellbeing of its employees, they will attract and retain the type of talent that can help them succeed in the long run.

What is one thing any business owner or HR leader can start doing to improve the mental wellness of their workforce?

Business owners and HR leaders can use communication and inclusive language to help reduce stigma surrounding mental health and substance use challenges at work. Our choice of words can help break down misconceptions

and stereotypes about mental health challenges. For instance, using person-first or identity-first language, which puts focus on the individual and not their diagnosis, can go a long way in validating an employee’s experiences.

Leadership investment in employee workshops and trainings can also help staff learn about the signs and symptoms of mental health or substance use challenges at work. Before rolling out large-scale mental wellness programs in the workplace, it’s important that education is first provided to increase mental health literacy among team members.

Is your workforce mental health program working for you?

At One Mind At Work, we’re translating science to build workplace best practice that drives measurable impact on workforce mental health. We partner with leading global employers to build mentally healthy cultures, assess the maturity of their mental health programs and strategy, and engage in innovation. Join the movement today: inquire about membership at onemindatwork.org/become-a-member.

Building the future of workplace mental health. onemindatwork.org

READ MORE AT FUTUREOFBUSINESSANDTECH.COM

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How Businesses Can Get Caregiving Employees to STAY for the long term Three in four workers are caregivers — responsible for the safety and well-being of someone other than themselves, while also striving to be a productive employee. Businesses have experienced the impact of this caregiving reality, losing $23 billion annually in productivity costs due to childcare challenges faced by their workforce.

WRITTEN BY Sara Redington Co-founder, Best Place for Working Parents; and Chief Philanthropy Officer, The Miles Foundation

The future of a thriving workplace ecosystem — where businesses maximize productivity and profitability, and employees achieve the coveted “worklife” balance — hinges on modern, smart workplace policies that address the needs of a growing caregiving generation, while enabling business leaders to attract and retain top talent.

Recent research shows that family-friendly policies can measurably benefit caregiving employees and increase talent attraction, retention, motivation, and performance.

And one size does not fit all — there is an array of research-backed policies that range in implementation cost and complexity, so every business, no matter the size, has viable options to boost organizational and employee success.

For business leaders who are ready to integrate caregiving benefits into their workplace strategy, four steps can help build an effective family-friendly culture that encourages employees to succeed and STAY for the long-term:

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urvey to assess your business's unique employee needs A short employee survey can help determine where your employees are on the caregiving continuum and which policies would be most beneficial, rather than implementing benefits that may not be as impactful for their specific needs. It’s important to determine your specific workforce’s priorities before implementing any policy to ensure maximized ROI.

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ake (small) actions quickly, build toward bigger Based on employee feedback, what is the smallest action you can take? A Dependent Care FSA is a low-cost caregiver benefit that can save employers up to $382.50 per employee, while flexibility and remote work are both no-cost policies that have been shown to improve employee retention and loyalty.

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ssess employee awareness and usage Many employers offer policies that their employees simply aren’t aware of, so making it a habit to check in with employees regularly is vital. Some employers host weekly calls where employees can ask questions about their benefits, while others regularly update their benefits based on employee feedback.

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ou are a model for your culture Employees are more apt to follow how policies are modeled in the office day-today versus written policies. Leaders should be mindful of creating a culture that practices those family-friendly policies defined in writing to ensure the maximum benefit for their employees and the organization.

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Exploring Your Hidden Potential

Organizational psychologist and bestselling author Adam Grant has made a career out of helping organizations succeed by analyzing the science of motivation, generosity, and potential. Here, he shares some key points from his latest book, “Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things.”

WRITTEN BY Adam Grant Bestselling Author, "Think Again" and "Hidden Potential"

Excellence depends less on our natural talents than we might expect.

In a landmark study, psychologists set out to investigate the roots of exceptional talent among musicians, artists, scientists, and athletes. They conducted extensive interviews with 120 Guggenheimwinning sculptors, internationally acclaimed concert pianists, prizewinning mathematicians, pathbreaking neurology researchers, Olympic swimmers, and world-class tennis players — and with their parents, teachers, and coaches. They were stunned to discover that only a handful of these high achievers had been child prodigies.

Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.

Perfectionists often worry that failing even once will make them a failure. But take

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it from eight studies: People don’t judge your competence based on one performance.

It’s called the overblown implications effect. If you cook one bad dish, people rarely think you’re a terrible chef. If you leave a finger over the camera lens, they don’t conclude you’re a bad photographer. They know it’s only a snapshot from a single moment in time.

Incorporating play into our work is vital to maintaining passion and progress.

In an experiment with healthcare professionals, we found that burnout dropped after our team nudged them to inject a bit of deliberate play into their most stressful tasks. An allergy nurse started introducing herself as Nurse Quick Shot, which immediately put her young patients at ease. She let them time her, and when they came back for their next visit, they would ask for Nurse

Quick Shot and challenge her to beat her previous times.

A rut is not a sign that you’ve tanked.

A plateau is not a cue that you’ve peaked. These are just signals that it may be time to turn around and find a new route. After poring over more than a century of evidence on progress, cognitive scientists observed a fascinating arc.

When our performance stagnates, before it improves again, it declines. We often need to regress in order to progress.

Seeking out experts is not always the key to learning.

In a clear study, economists wanted to find out whether students really learn more from experts. The data across all fields showed the opposite: Students who took their initial class with an expert ended up with poorer grades in the next class.

Students learned less from introductory classes taught by experts in every subject.

You’re often better off picking up the basics from teachers who are closer to your level.

Improve by helping others improve.

The tutor effect reveals that you can gain competence by instructing others: The best way to learn is often to teach. And the coach effect highlights how you can gain confidence by advising others — giving guidance reinforces that you already have some of the tools you need to succeed.

The best teams have the most team players — people who excel at collaborating with others.

In a meta-analysis of 22 studies, scientists discovered that collective intelligence depends less on people’s cognitive skills than their social IQ. READ MORE AT FUTUREOFBUSINESSANDTECH.COM

82% of organizations reported a skills gap.* Biggest anticipated future skills gaps:

Critical-thinking and problem-solving skills

Leadership skills

Creativity and innovation skills

Upskill your organization and bridge skills gaps with ATD.

Providing talent development resources to create a world that works better. td.org/future-of-work-resources

@associationfortalentdevelopment

@atdofficial

* Bridging the Skills Gap: Workforce Development in Changing Times by ATD Research, 2022

1260045 1260045115

@atdnational