By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

We’ve discussed here how CSR is a great way to build employee engagement, as well as your company’s brand – on top of doing something good for society in general. But, as Tracey Keys, Thomas W. Malnight, and Kees van der Graaf explained in a recent McKinsey Quarterly article, it’s not as simple as creating a project – and then poof – employees are engaged and brands are boosted while society benefits.

What happens when employees see CSR initiatives as little more than a boardroom pet project?
Or, what happens when CSR efforts are seen as mere propaganda or marketing, and end up actually harming your brand?

It actually takes some serious effort and planning to make sure each piece falls into place. How do you tie everything into a meaningful CSR program? Keys, Malnight, and van der Graaf believe the answer is “smart partnering.” They explain, “Smart partnering focuses on key areas of impact between business and society and develops creative solutions that draw on the complementary capabilities of both to address major challenges that affect each partner.”

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

On Monday night the Financial Women’s Association of New York held the second of its Economic Panel series: The American Worker. Moderated by Patti Domm, Executive News Editor of CNBC, Panelists included Richard B. Hoey, Chief Economist at BNY Mellon and The Dreyfus Corporation, Joseph A. LaVorgna, Managing Director and Chief US Economist, Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc., and Edward F. Keon, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager, Quantitative Management Associates (QMA).

The discussion focused on the state of the economy and unemployment as the Untied States exits the recent recession. LaVorgna started the evening asking for a show of hands – how many in the audience were worried about a “double dip” recession, as defined by the economy “rolling back” within a twelve month period following a recession. More than half the audience raised their hands.

LaVorgna had some positive information though – only three times, he said, since 1884 has a double dip occurred – the most recent in the 1980-81 cycle. In fact, all three panelists expressed doubt that the recession would see a double dip. Hoey said, for example, that the 1980 recession is inherently different than the recent economic downturn. He explained that the reason for the 1980-81 double dip was anti-inflationary policy by then-Fed chief Paul Volcker – an intentional double dip.

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

During a review-session at my last company, I was asked who my “best friend” at work was. The question didn’t really make sense to me – I liked all of my coworkers, but I didn’t feel I liked any one more than the others. On top of that, it seemed like a silly question – why did it even matter?

We also did lots of team-building exercises and had a quarterly staff outing, which was always a good time (watching my coworkers jam out on Guitar Hero was certainly memorable). But I always assumed the purpose was to build coworker relationships, and thus help us perform better as a team in the office.

I never considered it a retention strategy as well.

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By Janet Stocks (New York City)

The Social Investment Forum, a U.S. national nonprofit dedicated to advancing the practice and growth of socially responsible investing, defines socially responsible investing (SRI) as “an approach to investing that seeks social benefits in conjunction with financial returns.”

“In order to achieve these goals, investors typically utilize one or more of the following approaches:

• Screening or applying environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) criteria to portfolio constituents;
• Shareholder advocacy, which may include proxy voting, dialogue with portfolio companies and/or filing of resolutions; or
• Community investing, in which capital is directed towards individuals, businesses and organizations in underserved communities.”

A 2007 Social Investment Forum study found that “staff recommendations and participant requests can be a determining factor for whether or not SRI options are available” and that there is a “strong correlation between producers of [corporate responsibility reports] and SRI funds appearing in the DC (defined contribution) plans of these firms.”

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By Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles)

Last week, we discussed the motherhood penalty, a startling trend in which employers avoid hiring mothers out of the assumption that they won’t do their job as well because of their family obligations outside of the office. If, by chance, an employer chooses to hire a mother, that woman often gets paid much less than female, childless co-workers performing the same duties. Studies have actually shown that the pay gap between working mothers and childless women is actually greater than the pay gap between men and women. According to a new study by Regus, the global provider of innovative workspace solutions, a new trend is brewing and it’s one that actually favors mothers looking to get back into the workplace … if they’re willing to settle for part-time, that is.

The global study, which was commissioned by Regus, surveyed 11,000 corporations across 15 countries and found that 44 percent of companies worldwide plan to hire more mothers for part-time jobs over the next two years. Among U.S. companies the numbers are even higher, with 46 percent reporting plans to recruit more mothers into 2012.

West Region Vice President for Regus, Sande Golgart, believed this study to be of particular interest to Regus because many of their clients are working mothers and he believes providing part-time work to women with children can assist them in managing the work/life balance issues that plague so many women. “We think that there is much work to be done in making the transition from maternity leave back to the workforce as smooth as possible. Allowing mothers to take advantage of workplace flexibility demonstrates an understanding of the challenges that they face and paves the way for them to be more productive and less stressed at work,” Golgart said. “One of the most significant factors in improving employees’ work/life balance is offering the flexibility to work remotely, either full or part-time. Flexible workplace solutions are now available that allow corporations to offer those mothers returning to the workforce the ability to work full or part-time from home, along with a whole host of other workplace possibilities. By taking advantage of such measures, businesses worldwide will be better positioned to attract and retain the most talented personnel to their working environments.”

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Contributed by Helen Crossland (London)

Judging people on the basis of their physical looks is a fact of reality these days. Evidence also suggests that the culture of “lookism” within society now has such a foothold in the workplace that a person’s physical appearance can have as much influence on his or her career prospects as his or her performance in the office or boardroom. Whilst very few organisations will openly admit it, many businesses recruit, retain or promote employees on the basis of their attractiveness or how their appearance best complies with the image the organisation wishes to present. In certain circumstances, this can lead to job applicants and employees being discriminated against or harassed in the workplace purely on the basis of how they look.

It is a depressing thought that besides any other challenges women might face in the workplace, their progression up the career ladder might be more dependent on their looks than their brains or achievements. However, there is strong statistical evidence to show that women who wear make-up in business get better jobs and are promoted more quickly. In a survey reported in The Times last year, 64% of directors interviewed believed that women who wore make-up in the workplace look more professional, lending support to the theory that women are more likely to benefit career wise if they conform to this ideology.

The Guardian published a similar report which concluded that “attractive applicants have a better chance of getting better paid jobs.” The article also quoted a survey which found that women spend one fifth of their earnings on trying to look good in the workplace in the belief that their image will play a significant role in their career path.

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By Nicki Gilmour, Founder and CEO of Evolved People Media, LLC.

We know that boards have not been historically women-friendly and the numbers of women on corporate boards are still incredibility low despite the strong correlation between diversity of thought and company performance. Specifically, when there is a critical mass of women board members (which is quoted as 3 female seats at the table) a tipping point is created for a successful attempt at inclusion with the desired benefit of breaking groupthink.

Many senior women have made it to the top of their department, and even make it into the executive management team. But they find themselves at a loss because they just haven’t built the network they need to take them from being a respected professional to recognized expert to a formal director of a company on a corporate board.

“No women can be chosen for a job, promotion, a nomination for public office, a seat on a board of directors, a slot in a training program unless women are in the pool of finalists” states Linda Tarr-Whelan in her book Women lead the Way.

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By Kelly Tanner (New York City)

At a certain point last year, employees at my company started cracking jokes that there was something in the water. Then certain nosier colleagues began examining waistlines for signs of growth. At first the phenomenon seemed contained to a single department, with almost a third of the employees in one stage of pregnancy or another. But then the situation spread to other divisions as well – it seemed like a corporate baby boom had arrived.

As a colleague and a friend, I love meeting the new babies in the office for the first time, as new parents proudly debut their little bundle around the cubicles. As a Human Resources professional, a baby boom presents a set of business challenges that can be difficult without some innovative solutions. Pregnancies require some flexibility from employers: they result in not only a small new little person for parents to balance with a career path, but also lots of time off needed for doctor’s visits, discomfort and lower productivity, long periods of time off, increased insurance premiums, and sometimes, a brain drain as employees leave to stay home with children. How can a company best be prepared to meet these challenges?

The odds are somewhat against us in the US, for employers and employees alike. All other developed nations have some form of paid leave available to employees paid usually through a social insurance system funded by taxes (with the exception of Australia, which nevertheless has a financial “baby bonus” system). In the Unites States, however, the burden is left entirely to, and at the discretion of, employers. The Family and Medical Leave Act provides workers with 12 weeks of job protection when away from work to care for a newborn or adopted child, and is available to workers of both genders for a total of 24 weeks between two parents. However, in the absence of a social insurance system, none of this time is necessarily paid leave. Employers are left to decide if they will pick up the slack of providing it.

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By Janet Stocks (New York City)

What’s it like to work for one of Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 Employers? For starters: perks, perks, perks. Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” pride themselves on providing competitive salaries, excellent health care packages, discounted child care, an exceptional work/life balance, optional telecommuting, fully paid sabbaticals, referral bonuses, tuition remission, and unlimited sick days, just to name a few.

Quality benefits packages can serve to attract and retain employees, but that’s not the sole reason that makes a company “the best.” According to an article published by the Harvard Business Review, “If you don’t recognize your employees’ specific interpersonal talents, you could be missing a big opportunity to enhance their job satisfaction and boost your organization’s overall performance.”

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

On Tuesday, the Forté Foundation brought together movers and shakers from New York’s top companies as part of its 2010 Network of Women’s Networks conference. The theme of the conference was Driving Change through Innovation – and as keynote speaker Kerrie Peraino, Chief Diversity Officer of American Express explained, “Far from being the buzz words of this millennium, change and innovation, they are actually a call to action.”

Attendees were asked to focus not only on how change and innovation come to fruition within an organization, but how they themselves are change agents. And of course, because of the emphasis on networks, women were encouraged to build relationships and make new connections with other conference attendees.

Networking for Innovation

Kicking off the day with a speed-networking session, Amy Orlav, Professional Development Specialist at the Graduate Management Admission Council ®, joked, “What is the best part of any conference? Don’t say the food.” She answered, “it’s the networking!”

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