Employees

While the unemployment rate falls in the U.S., there’s a growing gap between the needs of the employers and the skills of those looking for work. In July 2019, there were more than 7.3 million job openings and only 6 million available workers to fill them, and many of those workers lack the right skills to fill the open jobs.

Accenture launched its professional apprentice program in Chicago and San Antonio in 2016 to provide under-represented groups greater access to digital economy jobs and help reskill those whose jobs have been—or will be—disrupted by technology. In three short years, the company grew the program to 16 cities across the nation and will have 450 apprentices trained by the end of 2019.

Accenture’s apprenticeship program creates new career pathways for non-traditional hires. Structured as earn-and-learn programs—running three months to one year—the program is designed to help the apprentices become job-ready for specific technology and business roles. The program provides on-the-job learning to help apprentices develop proficiency in targeted technology areas, supplemented by soft skills to augment the individual’s performance and prepare them for success. All of the apprentices have the potential to take on a full-time role with Accenture at the completion of their program.

The company’s apprentices work across a variety of areas within Accenture and they fill many in-demand roles in cybersecurity, digital, data analytics and cloud migration to name a few. They work both within Accenture’s internal IT group and also on client-facing work.

In 2019, Accenture expanded the program into other areas of its business, including finance, marketing and human resources.

Because Accenture believes that apprenticeship programs, particularly at the local level, are critical to igniting interest in technology fields and building a pipeline to help address the skills gap in the U.S., the company has teamed with Aon and the Business Roundtable to create a national apprentice playbook to help employers jumpstart their own apprentice programs.

Accenture is committed to providing its people with programs that enable them to take care of themselves and their families—and that fit with their lifestyles. Examples include Accenture’s Truly Human workshop, Stop:Start campaign and the Accenture Mindfulness Program.

Accenture developed its Truly Human workshop, based on scientific health and well-being research, in partnership with wellness company Thrive Global. Accessible to all employees, the workshop includes self-assessments, journaling and science to help teams to think about how they work and agree to make small changes to their daily routines.

The global Stop:Start campaign encourages employees to share what micro-changes they are making to be at their best, and creates a forum for them to publicly commit so others will listen and keep them challenged.

Teaming up with Potential Project—a global leader in corporate mindfulness—Accenture created the Accenture Mindfulness Program, which helps employees learn how to train their minds to become more mentally focused.

Accenture is working to create truly human experiences across its office locations, introducing different workspace configurations for sitting, standing and lounging, healthy snack options and providing spaces for prayer and meditation.

Nearly a decade ago, Accenture launched its Skills to Succeed initiative to address the U.S. and global need to close skills gaps and prepare individuals to get a job or build a business.

Through Skills to Succeed, Accenture is addressing—at scale—the U.S. and global need for skills that open doors to employment and economic opportunity. To date, with other strategic partners, Accenture has equipped more than 600,000 people in the U.S. and 2.8 million plus people worldwide with the skills to get a job or build a business. Accenture’s goal is to equip more than 3 million people by the end of 2020.

To address the changing skills demand, Accenture is continually evolving its programs to include training on universal skills such as technology basics, problem solving and interpersonal skills, coupled with relevant specialized skills, to address local priorities and market-specific needs.

With these areas in mind, Accenture aims to support people through their entire employment journey.

Through a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, AECOM, as part of Savannah River Remediation, leads cleanup work involving nearly 10,000 people at the site of a facility that fabricated weapons-grade plutonium outside Aiken, South Carolina. As part of its outreach efforts since 2014, AECOM recruits and hires military veterans on a part-time and full-time basis through an educational cooperative program that exposes them to STEM fields. The effort connects to a range of veterans and military support services programs the company does through its DOE and DOD contracts and its community give-back activities.

AECOM’s first Global Well-Being Week celebrated all aspects of well-being: physical, emotional, financial, social and planet. AECOM held more than 135 events, including more than 40 in the US, that ranged from on-site financial well-being seminars to health fairs and de-stressing sessions. WellBeingatAECOM.com welcomed thousands of visitors who spun the digital Well-Being Wheel and explored resources across all five pillars of well-being. AECOM leadership recorded videos to encourage participation, and the results generated 18% in reduced healthcare costs for participants, while improving overall culture and productivity.

In a message to all Aflac U.S. employees, Aflac executives have announced new measures designed to provide additional safety and security for the more than 5,700 Aflac employees across the United States. These measures are in place through June 30, 2020, and allow for up to an additional 30 calendar days of paid leave for employees who experience symptoms consistent with or diagnosed as COVID-19. All Aflac employees and their dependents who are covered under the company-sponsored major medical policy will also experience a waiver of their copays when using telemedicine to receive a consultation for symptoms related to COVID-19. The company will cover 100% of the cost for COVID-19 tests.

With recent research indicating welders are at increased risk for pneumonia, Alcoa voluntarily launched a free vaccination program in June 2017 for all employees who undertake any welding at our locations globally. In 2017, Alcoa offered all employees who weld the option of a single dose of the pneumococcal vaccine (23vPPV). Through the end of 2018, 285 employee welders had been vaccinated, about 37% of all eligible individuals. Alcoa’s successful undertaking of this campaign and the results were published in a scientific journal in December 2018. Since then, Alcoa health leaders have shared this story with the International Aluminum Institute Health Committee as well as in other professional forums.

Amazon has launched a health care pilot with Crossover Health, an expert in comprehensive primary care services, to establish local, convenient health centers near Amazon fulfillment centers and operations facilities across the country. The first Neighborhood Health Center location will be available for Amazon employees and their families in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Crossover Health is a national medical group that works with self-insured employers to connect every employee to an integrated care team that delivers comprehensive primary care to the whole family. The first Neighborhood Health Center for Amazon will be located in Las Colinas, Texas, with extended hours to accommodate various employee work schedules. The Neighborhood Health Center will be available exclusively to all local Amazon employees and their families. Crossover Health will fully operate and staff the Neighborhood Health Centers, which will provide a full spectrum of primary care and referral services.

In 2020, Amazon has promoted more than 35,000 operations employees, and 30,000 of its employees have taken advantage of Amazon’s Career Choice program. Amazon has invested more than $60 million in Career Choice—an innovative program designed to help upskill people who are interested in pursuing a future in a high-demand field. Amazon has partnered with more than 85 education partners and community colleges in the U.S. and continues to grow its educator network. Further, in preparation for a busy holiday season, Amazon is creating an additional 100,000 seasonal jobs. Amazon offers jobs for people of all backgrounds and skill levels, and these 100,000 new, seasonal jobs offer opportunities for pay incentives, benefits, and a path to a longer-term career, or can simply provide extra income and flexibility during the holiday season.

“At Amazon, we believe in providing our employees with great jobs and better futures. We’re proud to see our employees grow through promotions to the next level at Amazon and also through programs like Career Choice, which help them pursue careers in high demand fields. These 35,000 newly-promoted Amazonians came from a variety of backgrounds, and many started in seasonal jobs like we’re announcing today. They have made a big impact for our customers and contributed to a positive and safe work environment, and we’re thrilled to congratulate them on their next step.” – Alicia Boler Davis, Vice President of Global Customer Fulfillment, Amazon

Amazon will spend more than $500 million on one-time bonuses for employees and some contractors, following months of strong demand from consumers stuck at home during coronavirus-related lockdowns and pressure on workers handling the jump in orders. Full-time employees at Amazon, its Whole Foods Market business and drivers working through its contracted delivery program will receive $500, while those in part-time positions will receive $250. Leaders at Amazon and Whole Foods will receive a $1,000 bonus, while owners running contracted delivery-service operations will get $3,000. Amazon will also pay $150 to some drivers working through another one of the company’s initiatives.

Amazon will provide backup daycare to all of its U.S. employees, the company announced Tuesday, after a number of employees had called for it to offer the benefit. Through October 2, all of Amazon’s 650,000 part- and full-time U.S. employees, including Whole Foods associates, will have access to 10 days of subsidized emergency backup child or adult care. Amazon moved to offer backup daycare as a result of new challenges experienced by working parents during the coronavirus crisis, the company said. Schools and childcare centers closed early on during the pandemic, forcing many parents who were newly restricted to working from home to handle childcare on top of their daily job duties. With affordable childcare increasingly hard to find in the U.S., experts say the coronavirus crisis may result in more employers providing childcare assistance and family leave policies.

Diversity and inclusion are key components to AEP’s business strategy and helps the company remain competitive and attract and retain the best talent. A diverse, inclusive and highly engaged workforce not only improves performance but also improves company culture – creating an environment that welcomes different experiences, beliefs, ideas, backgrounds and thoughts. In 2018, AEP developed a Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan – the Roadmap to 2025 – that focuses on workforce diversity; inclusiveness and engagement; accountability and sustainability; and fostering external partnerships. Each of the four goals is accompanied by strategies and measures designed for successful companywide implementation.

Ameriprise is dedicated to helping women advisors serve their clients, grow their practices and develop in their careers – that was the message conveyed at the firm’s 3rd annual Women Advisor Summit for franchise advisors. More than 600 women from Ameriprise – including advisors, field leaders and corporate employees – gathered in San Antonio, Texas for the three-day event, which featured compelling keynote speakers, business-building insights from Ameriprise executives and top women advisors, and breakout sessions featuring practical strategies and actionable takeaways. Ameriprise hosts Women Advisor Summits each year as part of the firm’s broader diversity and inclusion strategy to recruit, retain, develop and engage a diverse workforce.

To recognize the unusual circumstances and to help put associates’ mind at ease, Anthem is offering up to 80 hours of paid emergency leave for qualifying needs – including if associates are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or are caring for young children whose schools have been closed. Anthem is also expanding the use of sick time to include caregiving related to COVID-19. To support the transition of many of its associates who will be working from home, hourly associates who do not currently have internet access will be reimbursed for installation and monthly internet service. To support associates’ physical and mental health, Anthem is offering free workouts through our health and wellness app, Engage, and through other fitness tools, such as Wellbeats.

Apple’s committed donations to the global COVID-19 response — both to help treat those who are sick and to help lessen the economic and community impacts of the pandemic — have reached $15 million worldwide. The company is also announcing that it is matching its employee donations two-to-one to support COVID-19 response efforts locally, nationally and internationally.

All of Apple’s hourly workers will continue to receive pay in alignment with business as usual operations. Apple has expanded our leave policies to accommodate personal or family health circumstances created by COVID-19 — including recovering from an illness, caring for a sick loved one, mandatory quarantining or childcare challenges due to school closures.

As part of the Assurant Cares Employee Support or ACES Fund, Assurant launched a special COVID-19 Emergency Relief program to support eligible employees who experienced severe financial hardship caused by the pandemic. The company has raised more than $1 million through the support of its foundation and personal donations from its management committee, the Assurant Board of Directors and the generosity of hundreds of employees. Since its inception in late March, the special ACES Fund has helped more than 800 families manage through turbulent times.

Assurant enhanced its wellbeing philosophy with an expanded and more holistic focus on wellbeing to help employees be their best selves. Across the globe, Assurant offers programs and resources to boost individual and collective wellbeing of employees. In March 2018, Assurant used employee feedback from the prior year to shape their planning. Assurant added many new wellbeing initiatives throughout the year, a global steps challenge and more drawing reward choices. As part of the Live Well program, Assurant also refreshed MyWellbeing, a site where employees can participate in a variety of exciting activity challenges, take a Wellbeing Assessment, schedule a health screening, get personalized coaching (online or by phone), track their progress, earn rewards and have fun while doing it. In 2018, Assurant saw even higher MyWellbeing site registration. Employees joined challenges and earned points toward rewards, all while taking steps toward better physical, emotional, financial and social wellbeing.

In 2017, AT&T launched the Personal Learning Experience (PLE), as a single platform where employees can go to manage their learning. PLE allows employees to search for a desired job and quickly see how their current competencies match up. They might find 10 jobs for which they are a 50% match, pick out the one or two they are most interested in, and then build a Learning Path to close the gap.

Bank of America has hired 4,700 employees from low-to-moderate-income (LMI) communities, well on its way to its goal of hiring 10,000 employees from LMI neighborhoods over five years.

Bank of America’s employees earning $50,000 per year or less haven’t seen a health insurance premium increase since 2012. In 2011, Bank of America reduced annual family coverage medical premiums by 50 percent for U.S. employees who earn less than $50,000 a year, and kept those premiums flat for seven consecutive years. For employees earning between $50,000 and $100,000 per year, we reduced premiums by 15 percent, and have limited premium growth to approximately one-third of the national trend. On average, Bank of America subsidizes 75 percent of health care costs across our employee population, giving each employee with family coverage an average benefit value of about $17,000.

Bechtel University provides offers thousands of courses (online or in-person) on leadership development, professional development, technical skills, sustainability, learning new languages, safety & ethics, as well as continued learning in all functional areas within the business. We are proud to have won multiple awards for our learning programs, and Bechtel University is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education & Training to grant continuing education credit for professional certifications for employees. The program helps more than 7,500 workers earn or maintain professional certifications.

Best Buy Co. Inc. is committing to an ambitious new goal that will help power the important work of technology for users to learn, work and stay connected. Over the next two years, Best Buy has committed to hiring more than 1,000 new employees to its technology team. These new team members will include product managers, engineers, data scientists and user experience designers. All of them will help create incredible experiences for its customers every day. It’s incredibly important that Best Buy’s workforce better represents all communities, which is why the company has committed that 30 percent of these new hires will be diverse — specifically Black, Latinx, Indigenous and women candidates. Best Buy’s search for talent will extend beyond its headquarters in Minneapolis, with full-time opportunities in the company’s San Diego, Boston and Seattle technology offices.

As the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain ignited social unrest across the nation this past year, Best Buy Co. Inc. employee Maxie Rosenbloom didn’t know where to turn. As a Black man, he felt present but not seen, heard but not understood. He pitched the idea to company leaders for a Day of Unity, and on Wednesday, Oct. 7, Best Buy employees came together — all backgrounds, races, religions and abilities — to show that the company is one in support of social justice. It was a chance to learn about the inequities and injustices that have systematically and historically affected people of color. It also means standing by the nation’s law enforcement officers and first responders. It was an opportunity to talk, listen and learn. Employees were encouraged to express their support for this important work by wearing specially designed “Together We Are One” t-shirts, which will also be used to show solidarity and unity as the company kicks off the holiday season.

Best Buy offers employees up to 10 days of subsidized backup childcare, ensuring they can still work if their routine childcare option is interrupted.

Best Buy has signed on as a founding member of the Parity.org Parity Pledge in support of people of color. ParityPledge is a public commitment to interview at least one qualified person of color for every open leadership role that is at the vice president level or higher, including the C-suite and board of directors. There are no quotas or deadlines. Best Buy aims to attract and retain employees from all backgrounds and identities who reflect its diverse customer base and the communities it serves. And as CEO Corie Barry said in a letter in June, Best Buy is committed to doing better when it comes to taking action to address racial inequalities and injustices.

Best Buy provides leave-of-absence policies that enable employees struggling with mental or other health issues to leave without having to worry about whether they will still have a job upon returning to full health.

When Kate Hobbins and her husband, Brian, decided to adopt their second child, Best Buy was there to support Kate with adoption assistance and paid caregiver leave.

Best Buy’s adoption assistance benefit provides employees with up to $14,080 in adoption expense reimbursement. Best Buy also recently launched a surrogacy benefit, which provides the same amount of financial assistance to families who choose to grow their families in that way. New parents through adoption and surrogacy are further supported by Best Buy with the ability to get four weeks of Paid Caregiver Leave, in tandem with 12 weeks of time off granted under the Family and Medical Leave Act, to help families bond during their first year together.

When Dennis Parry learned that Best Buy would require face coverings for employees as a safety measure during COVID-19, he grew concerned. Dennis is hearing impaired, and as a general manager, he relies on reading lips to communicate with employees and customers at his store in Easton, Pennsylvania. Face coverings would make that impossible. Company leaders quickly jumped into action to find a solution that would meet Dennis’ needs while still ensuring the safety of our employees and customers. Shannon Albu, senior manager of sales enablement, reached out to employee volunteers who already had been sewing face coverings for employees across the country. Sarah Cox, retail operations associate director, graciously offered to make the first batch of masks with the vinyl cutout to send to Dennis and his employees. The homemade face coverings were shipped to Dennis’ store just a few days after the initial request. And it immediately made it easier for him to communicate with his team.

Since 2011, Boeing has hired more than 10,600 veterans. In total, Boeing employs approximately 15,000 veterans, roughly 15 percent of its workforce.

Strong, capable men and women of the armed forces serve and protect. And just as Boeing is proud to support them on the front lines, Boeing also offers personal and professional network support and skill transition opportunities that ease the burden of the military-to-civilian transition process. These opportunities include skill development and training for workforce transition; support for recovery and rehabilitation programs that focus on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), physical injuries, and suicide; and employee volunteerism in veteran-specific communities.

In April 2019, Boeing joined forces with the Seattle Seahawks and other local nonprofit partners for a unique military hiring event at CenturyLink Field.

Approximately 400 veterans, military members or spouses took advantage of the opportunity, and nearly half of those visited with Boeing recruiters.

“Boeing really values our military service members,” said Liz Fifield, a Boeing talent recruiter. “We find they excel within our organization. They bring a lot of strength they’ve learned in their services that can be translated into the jobs.”

Nearly 15% of Boeing employees are veterans and more than 1,000 Washington employees are members of the Boeing Veterans Engagement Team.

Through its Learning Together program, Boeing has invested more than $1 billion in employees’ college tuition, books and fees. Full-time and part-time team members have the opportunity to participate, regardless of what stage they are at in their career, after just one year of company service. Boeing’s employees can pursue degree programs, professional certificates and individual courses in strategic fields of study at more than 270 quality colleges and universities.

Boeing encourages its people to explore new roles within the company throughout their careers, so coursework does not have to be related to the employee’s current job.

More than 91,000 Boeing employees and family members walked, cycled, swam and raced during the Boeing on the Move physical activity challenge launched in June 2017.

Boeing has been recognized by the U.S. National Business Group on Health with top honors as a “Best Employer for Healthy Lifestyles” on multiple occasions. Some of its company-paid and company-subsidized programs include: a voluntary annual physical activity challenge offered to employees around the world; on-site fitness centers located in certain areas; discounts to weight management programs and community fitness centers; and the Quit For Life® tobacco cessation program that has helped nearly 12,000 employees quit tobacco since 2002.

BP supports Service First, a partnership created by Rice University and the U.S. Air Force, that engages students from military families in STEM programming. BP hosted the organization’s 2018 camp on its Houston campus, instructing students on real-world applications for drone and augmented/virtual reality technologies.

When Bristol-Myers Squibb employees Ryan and Heather Fischer had their second child, they were able to take advantage of the company’s extended paid family care leave program, providing eight weeks of paid time off to each to help care for their growing family.

Bristol-Myers Squibb’s People and Business Resource Groups (PBRGs) don’t just focus on supporting the company’s diversity. They also work to bring awareness to wider health care disparities and promote STEM opportunities. For example, the Black Organization of Leadership & Development (BOLD) hosted a roundtable discussion with Black oncologists at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting to help identify the challenges of enrolling African American patients into clinical trials and other gaps in care. Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Network of Women partners with 4H to teach science lessons on Saturdays in local communities.

Thanks to an incredible outpouring of support from employees around the world and the company’s contribution, CBRE exceeded the $15 million COVID-19 Relief Fund goal. Together, employees and the company are giving more than $15.3 million to hundreds of organizations in the battle against COVID-19. Approximately one-third of the COVID-19 Relief Fund is helping CBRE colleagues who are struggling financially amid the economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis. More than 1,500 grants have already been approved through the newly established CBRE Employee Resilience Fund. Even beyond COVID-19, this program will continue to serve employees in the future during natural disasters and other crises.

Chevron’s Healthy Heart program provides education to employees about how diet, exercise and lifestyle choices affect their health. This global program addresses risk factors (e.g. smoking, stress, nutrition, weight, high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure and sleep problems) that increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases. In 2018, eight of nine risk factors improved for the group of more than 5,500 participants with multiple years of program participation. In 2019, 73 percent of employees actively participate in the Healthy Heart program. Employees can reduce the amount they pay for their company-provided medical plan by participating in certain wellness activities.

In addition, Chevron maintains a robust, internal Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that focuses on psychological wellbeing and resilience at the individual and organizational level. Our EAP advisors provide confidential consulting to help employees address personal, family and work-related concerns or problems. They also offer access to counseling to address depression, anxiety and other emotional-health and wellbeing concerns.

Chevron also contributes in other ways to its employees’ health. For employees who work 20 hours or more per week, Chevron offers a medical PPO and two High Deductible Health Plans, as well as HMO plans in certain locations. Chevron also provides prescription drug, dental and vision benefits and voluntary Group Critical Illness Insurance and Group Hospital Indemnity insurance. All of Chevron’s medical plans offer access to one of two tax-advantaged accounts, either the Health Care Spending Account or a health savings account, or HSA. Employees with an HSA keep the money, even if they change jobs or medical plans and could build it to have nest egg for qualified medical expenses when they retire.

Chipotle will expand its Debt-Free degree program to include Paul Quinn College, the nation’s first urban work college and one of the oldest Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the country. Chipotle covers 100% of tuition costs up front for over 75 different types of business and technology degrees for eligible employees, including crew members, through its partnership with Guild Education, the leading education benefits company in the country. After 120 days of employment, employees are eligible to pursue debt-free degrees from leading nonprofit, accredited universities, including Paul Quinn College, the program’s first HBCU. Additional schools in the debt-free degree program include the University of Arizona, Bellevue University, Brandman University, Southern New Hampshire University and Wilmington University. Since the launch of Chipotle’s Cultivate Education program in 2016, more than 8,000 employees have enrolled in classes leveraging the tuition reimbursement benefit or debt-free degrees introduced last year.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is expanding its education benefits program and will now provide employees with the opportunity to earn a degree in 75 different business and technology fields, debt-free. The initiative, in partnership with Guild Education, covers 100 percent of tuition costs up front, for eligible employees to earn associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in fields ranging from cybersecurity to supply chain logistics at the University of Arizona, Bellevue University, Brandman University, Southern New Hampshire University and Wilmington University. Chipotle employees can also seek up to $5,250 in tuition assistance reimbursements if they pursue a degree outside of the program run by Guild Education. Since 2017, Chipotle has distributed more than $20 million in tuition assistance.

Chubb sponsored a 12-week team weight loss competition this January – “Team Up To Slim Down” – which was open to employees and their spouses and resulted in 1,172 participants losing a total of 12,578 pounds, an average weight loss of 5 percent of body weight. The winning team lost 15.64 percent of its body weight.

One employee said, “I want to thank whoever came up with the Chubb Slim Down Challenge. I put my heart into this and the results have been amazing! I have lost 28 pounds and I am so thankful that Chubb started me on my healthy journey to slim down and be healthy! It is truly remarkable what a couple of months did to improve my life and I plan to continue on with a healthy lifestyle! Thank you!”

Cigna is taking several actions to support and protect its colleagues in the United States so they can continue serving the company’s more than 170 million customers worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic . Effective immediately, the company is giving 10 days (80 hours) of emergency paid time off for colleagues for COVID-19 related absences through 2020. This additional time off applies to all full-time benefits-eligible employees and provides added relief for those who are sick or in quarantines, unable to work or caretaking for sick family members, children or elders. Cigna is providing premium compensation and additional assistance to reward its employees who continue to work onsite during this challenging time, including front-line health care professionals, such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists who are delivering much-needed medical care directly to COVID-19 impacted patients and others.

Over the past year, Cisco has made it a priority to not only end the taboo against talking about mental health, but encourage people to ask for help. It all started with an email. In 2018, in the face of growing concerns about mental health in society, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins sent an email to all Cisco employees. In it, he expressed Cisco’s concern for those who are struggling, sharing that no one needs to go it alone. The response was overwhelming. Robbins received more than 100 replies from employees saying thanks and sharing stories of themselves and their loved ones. Since then, even more people have courageously spoken about personal struggles in company blog posts and the Cisco Beat.

Coca-Cola has been on the forefront of ensuring equality for its LGBTQ associates. Since 2011, Coca-Cola has offered transgender-inclusive health insurance coverage, and in 2015 began assisting with the costs of taxes imposed on employees whose same-sex spouse/partner is enrolled in health benefits but lives in a state that does not recognize same-sex marriage.

Coca-Cola was also one of the first companies in the U.S. to publicly support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and it stood along 379 businesses to file an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of marriage equality. Partnering with local and national LGBTQ organizations, Coca-Cola further launched the “Next Generation LGBTQ Leaders’ Initiative” – a program designed to connect, educate and inspire young LGBTQ leaders to advance the community across all sectors.

Through these initiatives, the company celebrates LGBTQ associates within its Coca-Cola family.

Cummins supports veteran workers by welcoming service dogs in the work environment. Russell Walters, a 12-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran and team manager at the Cummins Emission Solutions Plant in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, has a service dog named Buster who accompanies him at work.

Russell manages 50 to 60 employees and oversees daily operations at the plant, and is living with PTSD and injuries related to his Marine Corps service. Buster is a 120-pound Silver Lab, and after extensive tactile intervention training with SemperK9, a non-profit organization serving veterans, he was matched with Russell to help remind him to take medications and take a breath when the stress is too great. Buster also prevents Russell from sleepwalking and checks his breathing at night. A few of Busters’ many trained tasks include: tactile stimulation; social interaction assistance; nightmare interruption; and fetching medications and summoning assistance when needed.

A key to working at Cummins, and especially in a plant environment, is staying safe and using the appropriate personal protective equipment, also known as PPE. This is true for Cummins’ four-legged friends as well. When Russell first joined the Mineral Point team, a risk assessment was done to ensure Russell’s daily routine would allow Buster to safely accompany him both in the office and on the shop floor. 

When Russell is in the office environment, Buster can often be caught snoozing on the job. However, when it’s time to make the rounds on the shop floor, Buster suits up with his own special set of PPE to protect his feet, eyes and ears while watching out for any hazardous situations he and Russell may face. 

Russell, Buster and the Mineral Point team are such great examples of how diversity, inclusion and safety work together to create an environment that matches Cummins’ values.

Cummins is leveraging Indiana’s own resources and expertise to help make the state a hotspot for electrified power systems by partnering with the state’s Battery Innovation Center (BIC). The partnership provides Cummins support in the testing and validation of its next generation battery systems and customized training for its workforce.

“Building and supporting our full range of electric storage capability globally would not have been possible without BIC’s dedication to helping train our employees, as well as validate and test our battery systems, in Cummins’ headquarters state of Indiana,” said Julie Furber, Executive Director – Electrified Power.

In addition to hands-on technical development and testing, BIC also supports the talent development and acquisition strategy for Cummins. BIC has customized their existing multi-day Energy Storage Short Course, which is Continued Education Unit (CEU)-accredited, to fit the specialized needs of Cummins employees. Currently, there are more than 1,000 Cummins team members who are in the process of completing BIC courses on topics ranging from advanced energy storage technology and chemistry, to implementation and safety.

CVS Health is embarking on the most ambitious hiring drive in the company’s history, with plans to immediately fill 50,000 full-time, part-time and temporary roles across the country. CVS Health is also recognizing the essential role employees are playing as the country faces the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is awarding bonuses to employees required to be at CVS facilities to assist patients and customers in this time of unprecedented need. Bonuses will range from $150 to $500 and will be awarded to pharmacists and certain other health care professionals on the frontlines, store associates and managers, and other site-based hourly employees.

Dell’s Diversity Leadership Accelerator program promotes diversity in the leadership pipeline. Employees participate in a two-and-a-half-day offsite program focused on diversity in leadership. At the end of the offsite, employees participate in an eight month follow-on program that encourages participants and their sponsors to drive visibility and seek opportunities aligned to their goals at Dell.

In a letter posted on LinkedIn and delivered to all Dell team members, CEO Michael Dell discussed the need for the company to create a more diverse and inclusive space to combat the disproportionate impact of racial injustice nationwide. He wrote, “Later this week, our Black Networking Alliance ERG will hold a moment of reflection to recognize and hear from those who are most affected by recent acts of violence. I’d ask that everyone please join with us in this moment. Additionally, our Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Brian Reaves, is talking internally and with our partners to see where additional investment is needed. We need to do things differently now so that we can lead measurable change and truly be an employer of choice for all. I encourage you to get involved.”

Dell Technologies supports new parents by providing 12 weeks of leave for all parents after a birth, adoption or fostering of a child, and the company offers adoption reimbursement of up to $6,000 to cover eligible expenses.

To aid in providing continued service to our customers through this event, Duke Energy will expand assistance to employees, in order to maintain the highest level of service to customers. The company is providing five additional personal days off to employees who experience a disruption in dependent care due to school, daycare or other child-related care. Duke Energy will also provide a $1,500 stipend to assist with unplanned expenses resulting from costs related to COVID-19 issue. As part of the company’s larger donation, for Duke Energy employees, the company is donating $100,000 to the Relief4Employees program, which is a fund that employees can draw on for short term financial help during times of personal need. The company has also announced $1.3 million in donations by The Duke Energy Foundation to support hunger relief and help local health and human services nonprofits across its service territories.

ExxonMobil’s Veteran Advocacy and Support Team is an employee resource group for returning veterans and active service members at ExxonMobil. The group has recently launched the “online military translator tool,” which helps veterans identify ExxonMobil jobs that align with their technical skills.

ExxonMobil’s U.S. Culture of Health (CoH) program supports employees’ health. They have an occupational medicine doctor, who helps prevent conditions caused by physical, chemical and biological risks in the work environment.

As part of its efforts to continually innovate, EY has focused on creating opportunities for people on the autism spectrum through highly specialized roles in automation, cybersecurity, robotics. Since launching its EY Neurodiversity Centers of Excellence (NCoE) in 2016, the firm has hired more than 80 professionals on the autism spectrum in Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago, San Jose and Nashville.

The first NCoE professionals were hired in EY’s Philadelphia office, due to its i proximity to local universities with reputable STEM and autism-specific programs, its location midway between DC and NY and its history of generating strong candidates for SAP’s Autism at Work program. The office also had suitable workspace and a highly supportive leadership team. Creating the first NCoE took several months, and in June 2017, EY launched its second NCoE in Dallas. Armed with lessons learned from the pilot, the NCoE leadership team handled national and local sourcing, screening, interviews and candidate assessments. They designed and delivered customized training, extended offers to successful candidates and invited EY executives to meet the new hires and discuss their work. EY plans to launch more NCoE site across the U.S. and looking into expanding into international locations, like Canada, UK and Ireland.

FedEx announced a new program with the University of Memphis in August 2018 called the Learning inspired by FedEx (LiFE) program, which makes nearly 24,000 FedEx employees – including Express hub employees in Memphis, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Newark, and Oakland, and U.S.-based FedEx Logistics and FedEx Trade Networks employees – eligible to earn a tuition-free degree from the University’s online program.

In a letter written to all Ford team members, Executive Chairman Bill Ford and CEO Jim Hackett discussed the killing of George Floyd and larger issues of racial inequality in the country, including the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus in Ford’s hometown of Detroit. They wrote, “today is the start of an even deeper dialogue within Ford on these critical issues. We will be meeting with employees across the company, including engaging with the Ford African Ancestry Network (FAAN). We also plan to ask leaders throughout the company to hold dialogues with their teams to understand how people are feeling and discuss how we can get better together. We promise to share updates as we continue on this journey.”

The United Auto Workers (UAW), General Motors Co., Ford Motor Company and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) have formed a COVID-19/Coronavirus Task Force to implement enhanced protections for manufacturing and warehouse employees at all three companies. The joint task force’s areas of focus include vehicle production plans, additional social distancing, break and cleaning schedules, health and safety education, health screening, food service and any other areas that have the potential to improve protections for employees. As the joint task force identifies enhancements, each company, together with the UAW, will provide regular updates to the workers in their facilities.

Freeport-McMoRan provides employees with quality of life benefits, including tuition reimbursement for regular full-time, domestic, salaried and non-union hourly employees who have worked a minimum of six months of continuous employment to further their education related to their professional development within the company. The program includes reimbursement for tuition, registration fees, required textbooks and software, as well as the college level examination program.

A scholarship program for the children of full-time employees is also provided, awarding up to 20 new scholarships each year ranging from $1,000 to $5,500 per child.

For employees who are fulfilled by engaging in their communities and supporting the communities they call home, the Company’s Foundation provides a Matching Gifts program that matches 2:1 for the first $1,000 contributed by an employee and 1:1 for any amount above $1,000, as well as an Employee Volunteer Fund that matches an employee’s gift of volunteer time with a financial gift based on hours served.

GM’s Take 2 program helps professionals who previously worked at GM but have a career gap of two or more years re-enter the GM workforce with paid training, professional development, networking opportunities and personalized mentoring/coaching opportunities to help with the transition. Since its launch in 2016, over 120 women and men have participated in the program.

General Motors CEO Mary Barra released a letter to GM’s employees, suppliers and dealers detailing the actions GM would take to promote inclusion and racial justice within the company. Effective by the end of Q2, Barra will be commissioning an Inclusion Advisory Board (IAB) of both internal and external leaders, which she will chair. The initial purpose of the IAB is to consult with GM’s senior leadership team, with the longer-term goal of inspiring the company to be the most inclusive in the world.

GM’s LifeSteps wellness program provides employees and eligible family members with a broad range of tools to help them take an active role in their own health, including health education, risk identification, personal coaching, goal setting and tracking. When employees achieve agreed-upon objectives for a healthy lifestyle, such as providing certification of an annual preventive physical exam, they can receive cash incentives or Health Savings Account contributions. In 2017, 84 percent of eligible employees received this LifeSteps initiative. Joint Wellness Committees focused on key areas for improvement are in place at large GM facilities.

In a letter written to all Goldman Sachs people globally, Chief Executive Officer David Solomon committed to several steps to advance diversity and inclusion in the firm. He wrote, “We have identified two additional important areas of focus where we have now set new aspirational goals – enhancing the diverse representation of our vice president population and significantly increasing our hiring of Black analysts. We are aiming to achieve, by 2025, representation in our vice president population of 40 percent women globally; 7 percent Black professionals in the Americas and the UK; and 9 percent Hispanic/Latinx professionals in the Americas. Building on our existing aspirational goals for entry-level analysts and associates – and continuing our long-term relationships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) – we will double the number of campus analyst hires in the US recruited from HBCUs by 2025.”

Goldman Sachs offers resources such as “Strategies for Working Parents,” “Working Parent Forums” and a “Family Matters Resource Room” to help new parents transition back into the workplace and manage work and family priorities. Goldman also requires all managers and leaders at the firm to complete training that focuses on how to support team members before, during and after their parental leave.

L3Harris offers all employees, regardless of gender, four weeks of fully paid parental leave (beyond medical leave and other paid time off), within the first year of a child’s birth or adoption.

Harris offers tuition reimbursement for continuing education. Last year, ~570 employees took advantage of this offering, an investment of $4M.

The HearstEDGE (Employee Development, Growth and Education) platform gives Hearst workers access to more than 3,200 courses in topics ranging from career development to technical skills. Hearst Data University provides courses in data and analytics for Hearst Magazines’ employees across all job functions, from editorial to marketing and sales.

Taking care of elderly or ailing loved ones can be complex and challenging. To help employees manage caregiving, Hearst offers free support through Wellthy, a concierge service that matches families with a Care Coordinator (personal health care assistant) who creates a plan and gets tasks done, all online. Care Coordinators schedule appointments, fill prescriptions, liaise with insurance companies and more. Wellthy supports a variety of caregiving situations for employees and their extended families, including cancer, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, mental health concerns, autoimmune conditions and self-care after an injury.

To support The Home Depot’s 35,000 veteran and military spouse associates, the company has launched a new program that will guarantee employment opportunities to associates who are spouses of relocating members of the military. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 89 percent of the nation’s military spouses have some college education, yet 31 percent are underemployed due to frequent relocations required by military service. With 78 percent of military bases within 20 miles of a Home Depot store or distribution center, the company will guarantee an offer of similar employment at a nearby location when military families relocate due to service requirements. The Home Depot Foundation will cover mortgage payments for 500 veterans in need for the month of November as part of its second annual Veterans Day Operation Surprise initiative. This effort expands on the Foundation’s veteran housing program and aims to assist with the unique challenges many veterans from across the country are facing in 2020.

When Home Depot stores meet sales targets, employees are rewarded with a share of the profits—roughly $256 million in 2017, disbursed to hourly associates at 99 percent of Home Depot stores.

Home Depot is expanding its paid time off policy to address the needs of hourly associates to help alleviate some of the challenges they may be facing as a result of COVID-19. All hourly full-time associates will receive an additional 80 hours of paid sick or personal time, and part-time hourly associates will receive an additional 40 hours of paid sick or personal time. These hours can be taken anytime from now until the end of the year. Associates diagnosed with COVID-19 or advised by health or government officials to self-quarantine due to direct COVID-19 exposure will continue to be paid during that time.

Huntington Ingalls offers employees annual flu shots and biometric screenings for possible health risks.

At Huntington Ingalls Industries, CEO and Business Roundtable member Mike Petters donates all but $1 of his base salary to fund scholarships for the children of his employees. Since its establishment, the Huntington Ingalls Industries Scholarship Fund has awarded or renewed 578 scholarships totaling more than $1.5 million.

Huntington Ingalls offers a suite of wellness programs that encourage employees to lead healthier lives. Programs include providing employees with opportunities for education and guidance from fitness experts on physical conditioning and nutrition.

Huntington Ingalls offers free tobacco cessation programs for employees who smoke and preferred health insurance rates that are $660 cheaper than the standard rate for employees who do not smoke.

IBM’s Veteran Employment Accelerator helps veterans gain the skills to get meaningful jobs. Efforts to broaden the talent pool and open doors of opportunity also focus on military veterans and service members, who often encounter difficulty re-entering the civilian workforce at the conclusion of active service. The program provides software training, certification and job placement assistance to those pursuing careers as data analysts. IBM experts lead five–day training sessions at dozens of locations each year. The initiative works with Corporate America Supports You (CASY) and Military Spouse Corporate Career Network (MSCNN) to host sessions and recruit participants. The program has certified hundreds of veterans in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, and helped many get jobs. Veterans interested in working at IBM can use the Watson Candidate Assistant, which matches their credentials to open IBM positions.

International Paper provides $100 per month—up to a lifetime maximum of $9,000—to help salaried employees repay student loans.

Since 2001, International Paper’s Employee Relief Fund has combined tax-deductible employee contributions with dollar-for-dollar IP matching donations to support employees impacted by natural disasters like Hurricane Florence. In 2018, more than 1,200 employees received assistance.

Johnson & Johnson’s expanded parental leave policy enables new moms to take 17 paid weeks off, while all new parents—maternal, paternal and adoptive—can take eight weeks of paid leave during the first year of a new child’s birth or adoption.

Johnson & Johnson’s Bridge to Employment (BTE) initiative has inspired young people (ages 14-18) in disadvantaged communities to stay in school, excel academically and elevate their career aspirations. The program aims to increase higher-education enrollment numbers and increase the number of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Manufacturing and Design (STEMD). The initiative started with staff from J&J’s corporate office working with students from the local New Brunswick high school, and has since grown to over 87 local BTE sites in 21 countries across 6 continents.

To help increase the diversity of the candidate pool of applicants and remove bias, Johnson & Johnson is leveraging innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence-powered solutions, like Textio, to remove gender bias from job descriptions.

Johnson & Johnson provides eligible employees 100% of company pay plus employees military pay for up to 24 months while activated for any reason. Johnson & Johnson also provides paid time off for transitioning back to work after activation.

A healthy lifestyle class offered by the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute helped employee Brian Meier lose 40 pounds through exercise and healthier eating.

In 2018, for employees making less than $60,000 per year, JPMorgan Chase reduced medical plan deductibles by $750. Additionally, the majority of JPMorgan Chase U.S. employees have access to one of the company’s 28 onsite Health and Wellness Centers, which are staffed with physicians, nurses and other health care professionals. The centers handled 791 health emergencies in 2018.

Kimberly-Clark has awarded $900,000 in Bright Futures College Scholarships to 45 children of Kimberly-Clark employees across North America. The high school seniors were selected based on academic achievement, leadership, work experience and extracurricular activities. Now in its 28th year, the Bright Futures program provides scholarship grants worth up to $20,000, or $5,000 per school year, for full-time students attending accredited colleges and universities. The program is administered by the Kimberly-Clark Foundation and since its inception has awarded nearly $44 million in scholarships to more than 2,200 students.

Leidos’ Operation MVP is their company-wide initiative to hire, train and support returning veterans. Leidos assists these employees through the often-difficult transition from military life to a career in the private sector. Leidos is committed to supporting veterans as they pursue challenging and rewarding careers within their company.

Marriott International’s TakeCare Relief Fund makes need-based financial grants available to associates at managed Marriott International locations who are facing financial hardship. The fund has provided over $5 million in monetary assistance to thousands of associates.

Marriott strives to improve access to convenient, affordable health care for our associates and their families. Marriott has increased the company’s contribution to health care and offers a variety of programs and resources, including: A choice of medical plan options with a range of copays, deductibles and low out-of-pocket costs to meet the diverse needs of our workforce; free onsite health clinics at some of their largest hotels; $5 copays for access to Minute Clinics; free generic medications and half-priced brand name medications for certain chronic conditions; incentives for mothers to proactively engage in prenatal care; free expert second opinion programs and treatment decision support for many diagnoses and surgeries; and 24/7 access to a doctor via telemedicine, including therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists to diagnose and treat mental health concerns.

McCormick & Company recognized and supported employees who physically worked in locations critical to keeping its operations running globally. The company increased hourly wages, further extended paid leave to care for sick family members and maintained salaries if operations were suspended. In the U.S., workers who were required to work on-site received an additional $2.00 per hour. Paid leave to care for family members was provided for up to 5 days of pay and up to an additional 11 weeks at 2/3 pay. In situations where operations were suspended, employees received 100 percent of their base pay up to 12 weeks in coordination with any government benefits.

Sometimes, things happen that employees can’t plan for, whether it’s a hurricane or a house fire. McKesson supports their employees through life’s unplanned events via grants from an employee relief fund.

In the U.S. and Canada, the Taking Care of Our Own Fund is a relief fund that supports McKesson’s people when the unexpected happens. Since 2013, it has provided cash grants to employees who face hardship after sudden and severe events, including natural disasters and personal hardships. It is supported by donations from McKesson and the McKesson Foundation, as well as from employees.

In McKesson’s fiscal year 2018, the fund supported more than 280 McKesson employees that lived in the paths of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Medtronic has released its 2020 Integrated Performance Report: “Putting Purpose Into Action” detailing new objectives for significant environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. As part of its ongoing focus on equity and diversity in 2020, Medtronic achieved 100 percent gender pay equity in many countries including the U.S. and 99 percent gender pay equity for employees globally. In 2021 and into 2022, Medtronic has committed to several actions that will advance its global inclusion, diversity and equity work for employees and the communities where it operates. The company will establish a new governance framework for inclusion and diversity where executive leadership is directly responsible for its success. Medtronic will also create standards to measure the company’s long-term progress in diversity and inclusion which will be reported and overseen by its board.

The Motorola Solutions Young Professionals Group (YPG) allows employees to create networking, professional development and volunteering events. The YPG was founded by two employees in 2016 to energize the workforce, help recruit new talent and provide leadership opportunities for engaged employees. With the support of the company’s Executive Committee, the YPG has expanded to 10 groups with more than 100 volunteers globally at the end of 2018.

The YPG hosted more than 100 events in 2018, serving well over 2000 attendees. Additionally, the group led outreach efforts to employees of acquired companies to ensure a cohesive company culture and helped refresh the company’s internship program. For the past two years, Motorola Solutions has been recognized by WayUp for having one of the top 100 internship programs in the U.S., due in large part to the YPG’s efforts.

Recognizing the stress and financial burden that student debt can create, New York Life launched a student loan repayment program in 2017 offering up to $10,200 over five years for eligible employees*, as well as student loan advice and online planning tools. Through the benefit, employees who have taken out student loans for themselves will receive assistance to accelerate their student loan repayment plans. If they have taken a loan out for their child, they will receive counseling and advice to help guide them through the repayment process.

New York Life made these benefits available to eligible employees on day one of their employment, with no waiting period. This new offering builds on New York Life’s existing assistance programs, including a tuition reimbursement program that has enabled hundreds of employees to enroll in undergraduate, graduate or independent study courses, and a New York Life Family Scholars Program that assists the children of employees and agents who plan to attend college or vocational/technical school programs.

 * Eligible employees include non-officer employees with student loans in New York Life Insurance Company, NYL Investors, New York Life Investment Management and Index IQ.

Northrop Grumman’s Operation IMPACT (Injured Military Pursuing Assisted Career Transition) initiative assists severely wounded service members who are transitioning from the military to a private-sector career. Should the severity of a service member’s injuries be so extensive that he or she is unable to work, in addition to providing him or her with support, career support is extended to the service member’s spouse or other immediate family primary wage earner. If support is provided to a family member and the service member becomes able to work, support will then be extended to him/her.

NRG Energy champions the health and well-being of employees by making healthy nutrition easy and encouraging physical activity. PositiveNRG, NRG’s philanthropic program, in partnership with Human Resources, brings local farming into the office by providing a stipend to those who sign up for Community Supported Agriculture programs within a 50 mile radius from company locations. This model allows employees to have access to fresh, healthy local fare while supporting local farmers. Employees who are interested in participating in local runs and other physical activities that raise money for local non-profits are also encouraged; NRG provides team-centric training and matches donations to the charitable cause.

NRG Energy embarked on a wellness journey in 2015 through a program called Power Up My Life. The program is built on three pillars: nutrition, activity and resilience. NRG introduces regular mini-challenges that include education about the health benefits as well as activity.

NRG also partners with Virgin Pulse Corporate Challenge to host a 100-day virtual walking challenge; in the first year, NRG had approximately 1,600 employees participate. Over the years, NRG has added weight management programs and other services to help employees and their families, such as expert medical services, diabetes management and employee assistance program

These activities and services, in connection with their existing health programs, have helped keep NRG employees and dependents more active and living healthier lifestyles.

In 2016, at four Pitney Bowes Presort sites, they piloted ESL training with 130 employees who had expressed interest in improving their communication skills. The 15-week program targeted improvement of vocational ESL skills through 48 – 60 hours of instruction. Following the success of the pilot program, they expanded ESL training to 19 Presort Services facilities in 16 states across the country in partnership with ProLiteracy Worldwide.  As a result, more than 500 PBPS employees have enrolled in ESL programs, working to improve their communication and workforce readiness skills.

Pitney Bowes turned 100 in April 2020, and the company did not reach this milestone without an eye to the future from innovation to their teams. Pitney Bowes has a clear message about leading for the long term and that includes developing talent across the organization. This includes targeted networks, internships, conferences and career development program. The Pitney Bowes Young Professionals provides a virtual community for early-in-career employees and their advocates. Young Professionals gather for seminars to learn more about the business, develop professional skills, participate in community service projects and network. In turn, the company leverages their insights and perspectives to fuel innovation, enhance client experience and resolve business issues. Further, the Early in Career program is a comprehensive career development experience that helps prepare the next generation of Pitney Bowes leadership. Employees are nominated for participation and go through over a year of development, counseling, mentoring and action-learning projects to enhance their skills for leading in our global markets.

As part of its ongoing Apron Relief Program efforts, Progressive Insurance has committed $46 million in advances and donations to provide additional support to independent agents during the current pandemic. One of the first offerings, Progressive’s Extraordinary Payout Advance, includes more than $43 million in bonus advance opportunities to provide early access to revenue that partner agencies may need to power through an uncertain business environment. Progressive Platinum, Priority and other eligible agents can opt in to receive an interest-free advance on their 2020 Performance Bonus payout, helping ease liquidity concerns due to the current pandemic. Funds will be accessible starting in May 2020.

The rapid growth of digital jobs has led to a talent gap, where supply for digital skills is not meeting demand. Seventy-nine percent of CEOs worry about the availability of skills, and by 2020 nearly 80% of all jobs will require tech skills. Fortunately, 84% of employees say they work because they want to learn, and organizations are taking on a new role as educator. PwC, for instance, has invested $3 billion globally in technology tools and resources to help its people, clients and communities be more prepared in an increasingly tech-driven world. As a result, people like John Heinen, a PwC senior manager, are taking advantage of digital academies, accelerator courses and a Digital Fitness app to become more proficient and tech-enabled. They are learning to work smarter and are finding new opportunities for clients and within the firm — but perhaps more importantly, they are finding a renewed sense of meaning in their work, as they automate mundane tasks and take on more challenging assignments.

Student loan debt has compelled borrowers to put off marriage, childbearing and home ownership, stifled entrepreneurship and career paths, and hampered Americans’ ability to save for retirement. By providing employees like Asabe Danpollo with a student loan paydown benefit, PwC is helping 8,500 employees better prepare for their financial future.

Tim Ryan, PwC’s U.S. chairman and senior partner, shared the results of the firm’s first-ever Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Transparency Report. Ryan pledged full transparency as part of six new commitments to accelerate PwC’s goal of racial equity in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. Women and racially diverse talent now account for 65 percent of entry-level hires, 7 percent of whom identify as Black and 12 percent as Latinx. Although the company acknowledges that Black and brown partners are still underrepresented, racially diverse partners have increased by 8 percent over the last three years, and PwC’s current partner class is nearly 50 percent women, or racially or ethnically diverse leaders. Ryan has been forthright on the subject of race and has encouraged the firm to confront difficult issues early in his tenure—including candid conversations about police violence and the criminal justice system. Part of that work includes Ryan’s CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, an alliance of some 1,200 CEOs who are working collaboratively on inclusion issues in their workforce.

PwC will be investing $3 billion into job training for all of its 275,000 employees over the next three to four years. That amounts to over $2,700 per employee annually, with the guarantee that employees who engage with the upskilling program will always have employment with the firm. The $3 billion will be split among four sections: the investment required for taking employees away from clients and putting them in classrooms; the further development of digital training tools; the deployment of employees to community projects that spread the same techniques; and leveraging existing partnerships with the United Nations and World Economic Forum to help adapt the training to each of their markets around the world.

Raytheon’s Relaunch Program provides a unique opportunity for experienced professionals returning to the workforce after taking a career break. This program provides multiple resources and opportunities that will assist participants in re-entering the workforce and re-engaging into their professional career paths. Meaningful and impactful assignments will provide on-the-job skill sharpening and development, while professional development, mentorship and networking opportunities will help propel performance to the next level.

Since 2015, more than 2,100 leaders at Rockwell have completed Conscious and Inclusive Leadership training to help mitigate the impact of bias in interactions and decision-making in the workplace. Since 2008, more than 1,020 leaders and 4,500 employees completed White Men as Full Diversity Partners training to gain awareness about dominant group dynamics and white male privilege, aimed at building a culture of inclusion.

S&P Global’s EssentialTECH program focuses on a straight-forward system of learning. Through this program, S&P Global employees are encouraged to access training on topics like Data Science, Agile Methodologies, Cloud Computing and other technology capabilities often viewed as critical to the company’s ability to power the markets of the future. Beyond the basics, deeper learning courses are available at team leaders’ and individual employees’ discretion. This provides varying levels of learning tailored to each employee’s needs and career aspirations as the S&P Global prepares for the workplace of the future.

Since its inception in 2018, S&P Global has launched and heavily promoted five Introductory Level Courses which are open and encouraged for all employees, along with deeper learning paths for practitioners or those interested in upskilling or reskilling. Through various EssentialTECH educational courses,  employees have completed more than 37,000 courses totaling nearly 18,000 hours of learning, to date. Notably, the courses on average have a 97% score for recommendations by S&P Global employees.

State Farm University is a training program to provide on-demand curriculum to employees, that allows them to strengthen skills in their current role or to reskill for other positions within the organization. High-demand training topics such as leadership prep courses, executive development, and industry designations/certifications are supplemented with access to the TED Talks library and thousands of book summaries through getabstract.com.

Steelcase will collaborate with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor and disease transmission specialist Dr. Lydia Bourouiba, director of The Fluid Dynamics of Disease Transmission at MIT, to study disease transmission in the workplace. Bourouiba specializes in fluid dynamics and understanding properties of turbulent gas clouds that are produced when people exhale, sneeze or cough and how that spreads respiratory pathogens. The goal of the research is to not only understand how these pathogens spread in typical office layouts, but also to develop design strategies for how to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses at work. Steelcase will be working with Dr. Bourouiba to conduct combined laboratory testing and modelling of furniture configurations and materials to determine the best combinations for reducing the spread of respiratory diseases. The work will happen over a series of phases, with insights immediately benefiting organizations by providing best practices to assist in retrofitting or reconfiguring existing workplaces.

As part of its longstanding commitment to creating a culture that is diverse, equitable and inclusive, Target today released a detailed racial and gender breakdown of its team across all levels of the organization. Along with issuing the report, Target also announced plans to increase representation of Black team members across the company by 20 percent over the next three years by sharpening its focus on advancement, retention and hiring. The company has had diversity and inclusion goals for many years to drive equity for all team members, and results show that more work is needed to increase representation and advancement opportunities and reduce turnover with Black team members. Target will develop programs to hire and retain Black team members in career areas with low levels of representation, including technology, data sciences, merchandising and marketing, as well as increase its network of mentors and sponsors to help Black team members accelerate and advance their careers.

To continue showing its thanks for their extraordinary performance during unprecedented times, Target is awarding more than 350,000 frontline team members another $200 bonus. This bonus will go to all eligible hourly team members in stores and distribution centers — including seasonal hires — plus hourly team members who support Target’s guest and team member contact centers. This bonus represents an investment of more than $70 million in its team ahead of the holidays. This is the fourth time Target has recognized frontline team members or leaders with bonuses in 2020. This is the latest benefit on top of several increases in employee pay and other benefits, including a permanent move to a $15 starting wage. All of these benefits are part of the nearly $1 billion more this year that Target is investing in company team members’ well-being, health and safety.

Target has announced it is raising its industry-leading pay by $2 an hour until at least May 2 in recognition of the significant contributions its frontline team members are playing during an incredible time of need. Effective immediately, Target is offering a new option for all team members who are 65 or older, pregnant or those with underlying medical conditions to access paid leave. Target’s latest investments include bonuses it is paying out to frontline team members, including, for the first time, bonuses for 20,000 hourly store team leads who manage individual departments in its stores across the country.

Since its inception in 1999, The Home Depot’s “Homer Fund,” funded by grants from the company’s founders and annual employee giving, has disbursed more that $165 million to approximately 130,000 associates in need.

TSYS recognizes the sacrifices of our service men and women, as well as the skill and experience they bring to the workforce. The company provides significant support to team members who are called to active duty and looks for opportunities to hire former military personnel. TSYS is also part of the Veteran Jobs Mission, adding an average of 100 former military and active reserve or guard hires each year.

TSYS also focuses on recognizing active military and veterans within the company and the communities in which employees work and live. In 2018, TSYS partnered with Fort Benning, sponsoring a Family Day for veterans and their families at the National Infantry Museum. TSYS invested $50,000 in the event, which attracted roughly 5,000 participants.

In addition, 40 Columbus, GA, team members (both civilian and veteran/active military) also participated in the Disabled Veterans National Foundation’s Suit Up program, assisting roughly 100 soldiers with finding a professional suit, shirt and shoes (donated by Jos A. Bank) for job interviews as they transition to civilian life. In 2018, for the second year in a row, team members also participated in Thanksgiving for Soldiers, a program that facilitates sharing a meal in team members’ homes during the holiday with soldiers who are unable to be with their families.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and Union Pacific have launched an innovative corporate partnership allowing Union Pacific employees to register for fall courses without out-of-pocket tuition costs, differing from traditional employer reimbursement programs requiring students to pay for classes up-front. UNO’s first corporate partnership of this magnitude provides access to its full array of programs, including business, computer science, psychology, organizational studies and supply chain management. Union Pacific employees will continue to work while pursuing degrees through flexible course delivery via on campus, online and remote classrooms. Union Pacific employees around the country will have the opportunity to take advantage of these educational programs while balancing work responsibilities.

United Airlines has stated that, as part of its overall pledge to recruit and develop more diverse talent to better serve customers, its Board of Directors expects to add a second Black board member. The Board of Directors collectively agreed last December to further diversify the board, conduct a search and recruit an additional Black board member. In addition to this commitment, United today also signed on to the Board Challenge, a movement among companies looking to accelerate change. United, like other Charter Pledge Partners, currently has a diverse board including one Black board member and is encouraging other corporations to do the same. The company and its Board of Directors believe that diverse leadership improves its ability to serve the millions of customers who choose to fly United across the globe.

UPS will offer nearly 100,000 of its workers a way to save for emergencies within its 401(k) plan, becoming one of the largest U.S. employers to join a trend that reflects concern over the impact of workers’ financial problems on their ability to retire. The program gives UPS employees the option to divert a portion of their paychecks into rainy-day funds within their 401(k) plans, using after-tax payroll deductions, to a linked emergency-savings option within the account.

At UPS Worldport in Louisville, the company’s Transitional Learning Center (TLC) provides hands-on training and a pathway to UPS employment to those with disabilities. The program is designed for people with a range of disabilities including Down syndrome, autism, and visual and hearing losses.

Individuals are placed with UPS by Options Unlimited, a nonprofit job placement service for those with disabilities. In groups of six or fewer, participants undergo two weeks of classroom and hands-on training covering UPS-specific methods and procedures, in addition to soft skills like teamwork and stress management. They are encouraged to try several different operational jobs to determine the best fit.

Visa offers employees up to $5,250 per year for tuition reimbursement and required books to help them continue their education, whether in traditional post-secondary programs or other forms of professional training.

Walgreens’ Retail Employees with Disabilities Initiative (REDI) provides in-store training in basic retail skills, preparing program graduates to successfully work at Walgreens or in any retail environment.

The Walgreen Benefit Fund provided more than $2.8 million in assistance to more than 2,600 employees and retirees who were experiencing hardships during fiscal year 2018.

Walgreens widely recognized, landmark commitment to integrating people with physical, developmental and cognitive disabilities throughout its workplaces is woven into the fabric of the company.

Walgreens continues to expand this commitment through two signature disability initiatives—Retail Employees with Disabilities Initiative (REDI) and Transitional Work Group (TWG)—that partner with community providers and human services agencies to train and hire people with disabilities to work in stores and distribution centers.

REDI, which recruits, trains and hires people with disabilities to work in retail pharmacies, expanded to more than 220 stores in 34 states in fiscal 2018. As of August 31, 2018 REDI has enrolled more than 1,600 trainees with 78 percent completing training. Some 200 community providers have registered to help identify eligible REDI externs, each of whom completes up to six weeks of in-store training on cash register operation, customer service, stocking and loading.

TWG is Walgreens 12-week training program that works with human services agencies to find and prescreen candidates for our distribution center workforce. With the help of agency job coaches, TWG classes learn about Walgreens culture, hone communication skills and complete simulations before moving to practical experience in receiving, picking and shipping on the distribution center floor. Once trainees reach a 90 percent productivity level, they are eligible for hire

The Walgreens Boots Alliance’s “Walgreen Benefit Fund” is a private foundation and registered charity that assists employees and retirees experiencing financial hardship. The fund provided more than $2.8 million in assistance to roughly 2,600 employees and retirees who experienced financial challenges during August 2017-18.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) embraces the broadest definition of diversity. This is essential because its 342,000 employees covered by our diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives in more than 17 countries represent the broadest range of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives and insights to foster and forge our successful business strategy and to best serve our multicultural customers and patients around the globe. In its first-ever Diversity and Inclusion Report, WBA details the progress made in inclusion efforts over the period of 2018 and 2019, and sets objectives for inclusion in 2020, including increasing the number of women in leadership positions by 3 percent over 2019, increasing the number of people of color in leadership positions by 2 percent over 2019. WBA will also set the goal of its leadership facilitating at least three significant activities to foster inclusion within the organization.

Walmart supports associates who wish to continue their education to achieve increased responsibility and growth within their professional careers. In keeping with this philosophy, the company offers tuition assistance and reimbursement benefits to fund expenses incurred by associates for qualifying education programs. The cost to each associate: only $1 per day.

Walmart covers the full cost – beyond financial aid – of tuition, fees and books. With this program, Walmart wants to ensure that its associates can earn a debt-free college degree.

Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, will start sharing its internal diversity statistics twice a year instead of annually, in the midst of a national debate over equality. In its first-ever mid-year diversity and inclusion (D&I) report 2019 through 2021 year-to-date, the company has seen an increase in management-to-management promotions for people of color, a cohort of employees which now accounts for nearly half of management promotions this year. Walmart also reported an increase in officers of color, with nearly a quarter of officer roles held by people of color. Over half of new hires were also people of color. The objective is to provide a more “real-time” picture of the company’s progress.

In February of 2019, Walmart unveiled a new Protected Paid Time Off program enabling hourly associates to earn up to 48 hours of paid time off (PTO) per year, in addition to increasing quarterly bonuses by 25 percent to reward associates with perfect attendance (not impacted by PTO).

Walmart’s Centers of Excellence (COE) program provides employees like Linda Tetlow with health-care benefits by connecting them with national experts for conditions such as heart and spine surgeries, knee and hip replacements, and certain cancer diagnoses to help prevent misdiagnoses. Of the 2,300 Walmart associates referred to the COE for spine surgeries, more than half ultimately did not require surgery and found more effective, appropriate and less expensive treatments. Patients at COEs also have shorter hospital stays and lower readmission rates. Walmart covers travel costs to the COEs.

When Lee Griffin started as an overnight stocker at Walmart, he was unaware of available paths to advancement. The Walmart Academy program quickly changed that. The program, which offers management training to equip associates for promotion, has conducted more than one million trainings through the Fall of 2019. At Walmart, this training opens doors to great promotion opportunities: 75 percent of salaried store management employees started as hourly workers. More than 52,000 associates have graduated since the first academy opened in 2016.

Walmart’s 1.5 million associates will be able to apply for one of seven bachelor’s degrees and two career diplomas in health-related fields for $1 a day through Live Better U, Walmart’s education benefit program. The new degrees and certificate programs will provide Walmart employees with a path to higher-paying careers in the growing health care field. The health and wellness courses include career diploma programs for pharmacy technicians and opticians through Penn Foster and seven bachelor’s degrees in health science, health and wellness and health care management/administration offered through Purdue University Global, Southern New Hampshire University, Bellevue University and Wilmington University. The education program will arm employees with training to fill critical health care roles across Walmart and Sam’s Club, which includes more than 5,000 retail pharmacies, 3,000 vision centers and 400 hearing centers, the retailer said in a release. The upskilled workforce will help the retailer make quality health care more affordable and accessible to customers in the communities it serves.

Walmart is taking precautions and actions to keep its stores, clubs and other facilities clean and ensure the well-being of its associates, customers and members, following the protocols from Walmart’s own health experts and relevant federal and state agencies. Walmart is in close communication with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as other health organizations, and have plans and procedures in place. The health of Walmart’s associates is its priority. Walmart has created a COVID-19 emergency leave policy to ensure associates have the support they need.

Walmart will pay out another special cash bonus to store, club, distribution center and fulfillment center associates for their ongoing contributions and dedication to serving customers, members and communities during this unprecedented time as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The bonus will be $300 for full-time hourly associates and $150 for part-time hourly and temporary associates, totaling approximately $428 million. This is the third special bonus Walmart has given to associates in 2020, totaling $1.1 billion in bonuses so far this year.

Walmart is focused on investing in its associates, in response to the economy going through a technology-fueled transformation with evolving consumer habits. Over the last few months, Walmart has committed to invest almost $1 billion in U.S. associate bonuses and has now expanded its Live Better U (LBU) education benefits to include in-demand skilled trade and digital skills programs, beyond their traditional college programs. LBU supports working adult learners and meets associates where they are on their educational journey by focusing on degree completion through a number of supportive elements, free student coaching, college credit for Walmart training and career pathways for LBU graduates. Regardless of which path an associate chooses, those who take advantage of LBU have one thing in common – they are earning a degree or certificate along with a paycheck, without lifelong student debt.

Walmart associates have received a second round of bonuses from the company for working during the coronavirus pandemic. The second round of payouts—which included $300 for hourly full-time employees, $150 for part-time and temporary employees, $400 for assistant managers and $300 for Walmart Private Fleet truck drivers—comes as cases of COVID-19 spike in states around the country. The payment follows the first round of bonuses equaling $365 million. Walmart’s second round of bonuses paid out $390 million in total to employees.

Walmart has reached its hiring goal of more than 265,000 veteran associate hires through its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment (VWHC). First announced on Memorial Day 2013, the VWHC guaranteed a job offer to any eligible, honorably discharged U.S. veteran. The commitment came at a time when veteran unemployment was at an all-time high, and Walmart leadership recognized the important skills and abilities veterans brought to the workforce as well as the opportunity to ease their transition back to civilian life. More than 44,000 of those associates have been promoted to roles with higher pay and greater responsibility at Walmart and Sam’s Club. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have a long history of supporting veterans, service members and their families. Since 2011, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have invested more than $40 million in programs that support job training, education and innovative public/private community-based initiatives for veterans and military families.

Walmart will provide a special cash bonus for hourly associates for their hard work and dedication to serving customers in a time of an unprecedented national health crisis. The bonus is for all U.S. hourly associates in stores, clubs, supply chain and offices. The bonus will be $300 for full-time hourly associates and $150 for part-time hourly associates and will add up to more than $365 million. Every hourly associate employed by the company as of March 1 will qualify, and it will pay out on April 2. In addition to that special bonus for hourly associates, the company will accelerate the next scheduled quarterly bonus for store, club and supply chain associates a month early.

Walmart is adding 100 Mamava lactation pods to stores across the U.S. to give moms with toddlers a safe space to breastfeed their children. Mamava pods are private, free-standing spaces that give mothers a clean space to breastfeed or pump. Walmart’s partnership with Mamava is the idea of Walmart associate Tennille Webb. Webb first discovered a Mamava pod while traveling, and the experience pushed her to advocate for its use in Walmart stores. Mamava pods are free to use, and moms can find pods through the Mamava app. The pods were trialed at three Walmart stores last year and will be available in at least 100 locations by the end of the year.

Walmart has provided several special cash bonuses for all U.S. hourly associates to recognize them for their many contributions to communities across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes hourly associates in stores, clubs, supply chain and offices, as well as drivers and assistant managers in stores and clubs. The most recent bonus was $300 for full-time hourly associates and $150 for part-time hourly and temporary associates. This incremental bonus brings the total for associate bonuses in 2020 to more than $935 million.

Xylem invests heavily in employees’ health and well-being, with the goal of enabling employees to be their best at work every day. In addition to a comprehensive health and welfare and generous retirement savings plans, Xylem offers flexible work arrangements, generous paid-time off and a continually expanding series of family-friendly benefits. These include adoption assistance, fertility treatments, special support programs for expectant parents, an employee assistance program supporting both child and/or adult day care needs, and a newly introduced parental leave policy for moms and dads, including same gender partners. Xylem also provides employees with regular opportunities to engage in topics that enhance their physical, mental and financial well-being.

Zebra’s Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Platform fosters a culture of more frequent, spontaneous recognitions that is aligned with Zebra’s values and strategic priorities. It is a non-monetary recognition program that offers employees GEM points to purchase items from a catalog in their region. There is also a peer-to-peer functionality that encourages colleagues to send virtual e-cards and messages to recognize the hard work of their peers, which is then also flagged for their management. All recognition activity is featured as a social “news feed” so others can comment on and like the recognition.