A recent Gallup poll asked more than 13,000 U.S.-based employees what they value most when considering a new job, finding that women place more importance on many of the organizational attributes that are most important to them.
Gallup asked male and female workers about 16 factors that are most meaningful to them when seeking a new job, with four of the top five most important qualities present on both lists. For example, 66% of women said they consider greater work-life balance and better well-being to be a very important factor when assessing a would-be employer, with 56% of men saying the same.
Meanwhile, 65% of women seek increased income and improved benefits, with 63% of men desiring increased compensation and more robust benefits. Another 62% of women want a job that allows them “to do what [they] do best,” compared to 53% of men who reported feeling the same way.
“The most significant difference between what men and women deem important when considering a potential job change is how much women value an organization’s diversity and inclusivity,” wrote Kristin Barry, director of hiring analytics at Gallup.
Indeed, the survey found 52% of female respondents saying that diversity and inclusion is a very important consideration in their decision whether to take a job, versus around one in three male participants indicating as much.
“Organizations that prioritize DEI and communicate their values accordingly,” said Barry, “are going to win the competition for female talent.”
Better.com Lays Off Thousands
Better.com CEO Vishal Garg first grabbed headlines and shocked employees at the digital mortgage company he heads when he fired around 900 workers during a video meeting last December.
More mass layoffs are underway at the company, and affected workers are reportedly finding out only when seeing a severance check in Better.com’s payroll app accounts.
As TechCrunch reported, an estimated 3,000 of the company’s 8,000 employees in the United States and India are being let go.
The layoffs were apparently meant to be announced on March 8, but Better.com executives moved the date to March 9 when news of the initial date leaked after “they accidentally rolled out the severance pay slips too early,” one Better.com employee told the technology-focused online news site on the condition of anonymity.
The unnamed employee told TechCrunch that affected employees received “no email, no call, nothing,” saying that the layoffs were “handled disgustingly.”
After the “payroll blip,” Better.com CFO Kevin Ryan sent an email to employees informing them that the company had to adjust to volatility in the interest rate environment and refinancing market, according to TechCrunch. Ryan also told employees that the organization would not be enforcing existing non-compete provisions, but that non-disclosure provisions would remain in effect.
Amazon Boosts Upskilling Initiative with College Partnerships
As part of ongoing enhancements to its Career Choice upskilling program, Amazon is partnering with more than 140 national and local colleges and universities to provide fully funded college tuition.
With these partnerships, the program now includes dozens of educational institutions such as Southern New Hampshire University, Colorado State University-Global and National University. Amazon is also partnering with GEDWorks and Smart Horizons to provide high school and GED preparation, and Voxy EnGen and goFLUENT to provide English language proficiency training, all of which is free, according to an Amazon statement announcing the new alliances. Amazon employees are eligible to participate in the Career Choice program after 90 days of employment.
“The expansion of Amazon’s Career Choice program and the partnerships being forged with a wide range of colleges and universities is great news for nontraditional learners seeking new paths to career success,” said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, in a statement.
“Higher education is our nation’s most powerful engine of social and economic mobility, and this initiative will both expand access to postsecondary education and increase the number of learners who succeed in completing their degrees.”
Macy’s Invests Billions in Social Purpose Platform
Macy’s Inc. has unveiled an enterprise-wide social purpose platform, known as Mission Every One, that will direct $5 billion of the company’s spend, scaling through 2025, to “the partners, products, people and programs that help create a more equitable and sustainable future,” according to a Macy’s statement announcing the platform’s launch.
For example, Macy’s is increasing its investment in underrepresented designers, brands and business partners, products and service providers across the Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s brands “to amplify diverse voices, create more choices and expand opportunities for our colleagues, partners and communities,” according to the organization.
A portion of Macy’s overall $5 billion commitment will support retail and non-retail diverse-owned businesses, investments in diverse retail development programs, including “The Workshop at Macy’s,” a retail development program for underrepresented suppliers.
The department store chain is also accelerating its representation goals for its leadership by achieving 30% ethnically diverse representation by 2025 at the director level and above. Macy’s Human Capital Report outlines steps being taken to achieve this goal.
In addition, Macy’s is providing an enterprise-wide, fully funded education benefit program for all of its colleagues; and is focusing corporate grant funding toward organizations “on the frontlines of advancing human rights, racial justice, workforce development and economic opportunity,” such as the Human Rights Campaign, National Urban League and the Asian American Business Development Center.
“ …We are transforming our business from a position of legacy to one of leadership. In this evolution, how we run the business is as important as what we sell,” said Jeff Gennette, Macy’s chairman and CEO, in a statement. “As part of our transformation, we seized the opportunity to create a social purpose platform that leverages our scale, unique strengths and culture to create more meaningful change in the world.”
Florida Approves Nation's First Law Restricting How Employers Talk About Race at Work
Florida lawmakers have approved legislation restricting how race is discussed in the workplace. If signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, it would be the first law of its kind in the country.
According to USA TODAY, the measure takes aim at any corporate training that makes employees feel discomfort or distress by suggesting that they are responsible for actions “committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, sex or national origin.”
It is part of a nationwide push to control how issues of race and identity are taught in corporations. The state Senate on Thursday voted 24-15 along party lines to approve the measure. If signed by DeSantis, workers could sue their employers.
Across the country, conservatives are pushing bills that put varying limits on workplace diversity training, reported USA TODAY. The measures tend to use language banning “divisive concepts” such as “an individual, by virtue of their race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive.”
