The Future Of Collaboration. Can Businesses Actually Make The World Better While Making Money? When we think of businesses acting in the community, several images may come to mind: fundraising in the office for a charity, colleagues getting active with a day out volunteering or pro-bono services, or maybe a product line that ties sales to giving something to those in need. Increasingly, however, today’s corporate leaders think their social action should become less about "giving" and more about "acting"--moving corporate activity into what was previously firmly charity or government turf.
A delivery service can use its infrastructure to transport goods for purchase, as well as to link up with charities and rural delivery systems to create a new network for delivering supplies for medical relief. A freight management firm can use its expertise in risk avoidance to minimize costs, as well as to consult with local government and NGOs and build a mutually beneficial partnership for improving road safety. The idea has gone mainstream. So how do businesses begin to go about this? The No-Hour Workweek: Reinventing Employee Expectations For The Modern Economy. A University of Southern California researcher, Alexandra Michel, recently reported on the disastrous effects of the highly stressful work environment of investment banking, citing insomnia, alcoholism, heart palpitations, eating disorders, and explosive tempers among the health hazards of the job.
These toxic working habits are not sustainable for the individual or the company. Nor, evidently, do they produce good business practices. The poster child of bad corporate culture, banks may be the worst culprit, but they’re not the only ones fostering negative working environments. A study by Gallup-Healthways found that nearly one third of all Americans, across all ages and income levels, were unhappy or unmotivated by their careers. What is a Good Job? There’s a noticeable shift in what people value most in their careers. Is the old adage that there’s more to life than money finally sinking in?
The Startup Conundrum Startups are notorious for long hours, hard work, and high pressure. Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action. TEDxPortsmouth - Dr. Alan Watkins - Being Brilliant Every Single Day (Part 1)