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☆ 16 young people are suing the state of Montana over the climate crisis — one resident says the wildfire smoke makes him want to lie in bed and cry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In Montana, 16 young residents are suing the state over its support of the fossil-fuel industry. They argue Montana is violating their right to a clean environment as laid out in its constitution. The suit is the first constitutional case on climate change to go to trial in the US. The Montana suit, Held v. Montana, is remarkable for being the first constitutional case on climate change to reach trial in the US. It's highlighting the effect that climate change has on young people."

Persons: Busse, Michael Gerrard, William Campbell, Gerrard, Columbia's Sabin, Mica Kantor Organizations: Service, Columbia Law School, Climate Change Locations: Montana, Helena, . Montana, Missoula

☆ Amazon reinstates Bessemer, Alabama warehouse worker and union face Jennifer Bates
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —An Amazon worker and union organizer has been given her job back after she appealed her firing by the e-commerce giant earlier this month. Amazon on Thursday confirmed that it had reinstated Jennifer Bates — who became the face of the effort to unionize an Amazon facility in Bessemer, Alabama — following its appeals process. Bates had received notice of her termination from Amazon in early June. Amazon workers at a New York warehouse voted to form the company’s first US union last year, although Amazon has since refused to recognize the union or come to the bargaining table. Other efforts to unionize Amazon facilities, including one across the street from the New York warehouse, have failed.

Persons: Jennifer Bates —, Bates, I’m, ” Bates, Mary Kate Paradis, –, Catherine Thorbecke Organizations: New, New York CNN, Amazon, Wholesale, Department Store Union, CNN, National Labor Relations Board Locations: New York, Bessemer , Alabama, United States

☆ Part of the secret to Austin's thriving clean-tech startup scene: mentorship
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Austin, Texas, is home to a number of clean-tech startups. Austin's clean-tech scene isn't only composed of household names. But why do so many clean tech companies call Austin home? That's poised to help clean-tech companies, according to recruiters, venture capitalists, and those who have shifted to working for green companies. Taylor, who's lived in Austin for 38 years, has been part of the Austin startup scene since 1991.

Persons: —, Rebecca Taylor, Taylor, Austin, HolonIQ, Teague Egan, Larry Fink, Egan, Elon Musk, There's, who's, It's Organizations: Service, Austin Technology, ATI, University of Texas, Motors, EV, Blackrock, Giga, Southwest Festival, Computing, Dell, Apple, Microsoft Locations: Austin, Texas, Washington, Tesla, California, Giga Texas, Round, Taylor

☆ Instead of dragging workers back to the office, CEOs can get more out of employees with innovations like AI and the 4-day workweek
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

More CEOs are stepping up their efforts to get workers back in the office, at least part time. CEOs might instead focus on AI and the four-day workweek to boost engagement. That's the thrust of why more CEOs are calling workers back to the office several days a week. So clocking badge swipes at the office seems likely to jeopardize the very thing that helped a record share of workers report being satisfied. Lyon said AI can help workers enjoy higher productivity and increased engagement, in part by weeding out some of the boring stuff.

Persons: —, It's, apoplectic —, Felicia Lyon, they'd, Lyon Organizations: Workers, Service, Amazon, Farmers Group, KPMG, Conference Board

☆ New Yorkers are getting a taste of what it's like to live in the pollution of Delhi, Doha, and Shanghai
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US didn't always have the clean air many of us are used to. This week I didn't expect my texts to be about air quality. New Yorkers and others are getting a taste of what it can be like to live in Doha, Qatar, and Shanghai, where at least air pollution appears to be improving. When the first Earth Day took place in April 1970, air pollution was a major problem in most US cities. Those actions have since made such a difference that many of us are now shocked by what poor air quality looks like.

Persons: —, I'm, he'd, Spriha Srivastava, Eric Adams, Julia LeMense, wasn't, Nixon, Robert Kremens, Rachel Carson's, Kremens, I've Organizations: Service, Yorkers, . New York, Wednesday, World Health Organization, Chester, Carlson Center, Imaging Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Act Locations: York, New York, New York City, Manhattan, Detroit, Washington, Lahore, Pakistan, Hotan, China, Bhiwadi, India, Delhi, , New York City, . New, it's, Doha, Qatar, Shanghai, Donora , Pennsylvania, Cleveland, LA, Rochester , New York, Montana, Utah

☆ Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Are Getting Banned in Parts of the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Outsized pollution and noise from devices like gas-powered leaf blowers are driving the efforts. The gas-to-electric transition at the neoclassical landmark, which has stood for more than two centuries in Georgetown, came ahead of a ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers that went into effect in the nation's capital last year. California next year will ban the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers, among other equipment, though the state will still allow existing devices to be used. That's in part because about 30% of the oil-and-gas mix that powers so-called two-stroke engines, which often run tools like leaf blowers and string trimmers, isn't burned. Whalley was already a proponent of ditching the gas-powered tools because she'd done so at her own home.

Persons: —, It's, Martha Washington, Allyson Whalley, isn't, Kalen Roach, Roach, Whalley Organizations: Service, California Air Resources Board, DC Sustainable Energy, Companies Locations: Washington , DC, Tudor, Georgetown, . California, Washington

☆ The US has the second-highest number of endangered species. California, Florida, and Arizona lead the nation in threatened creatures.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US is second behind Indonesia for the number of endangered species, according to a new report. Among US states, California, Florida, and Arizona have the most threatened species. The report draws its data from a conservation group's Red List of Threatened Species. California, Florida, and Arizona held the top spots in the US for most endangered species: The Golden State had 18, followed by 13 in the Sunshine State, and seven in the Grand Canyon State. The US total of 1,178 endangered species includes 43 mammals and 284 types of fish.

Persons: —, Jane Smart, Smart Organizations: Service, State, Sunshine State, International Union for Conservation of, International Union for Conservation, IUCN's Centre for Science, Associated Press, AP Locations: Indonesia, , California, Florida, Arizona, California , Florida, Nations

☆ Some people are apparently ditching their iPhones for a foldable Razr model. Yes, the kind that was popular 20 years ago.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Motorola exec said that one in five people buying a model of its foldable phone were iPhone users. Apple is rumored to be making — or at least investigating making — a foldable phone of its own. One in five people purchasing Motorola's Razr phone apparently gave up an iPhone to do so. Yi's comments came ahead of the June 23 release of the Razr Plus phone, which features a larger screen and starts at $999.99. Foldable phones are a blast from the pastAnd for all the retro energy of flip phones, there's no guarantee that younger buyers will embrace them.

Persons: Allison Yi, Yi's, it's, It's, Zers, Stephanie Elliot, Elliot Organizations: Motorola, CNET, Apple, Google, Samsung Locations: America

☆ Ted Lasso's successes show how emotional intelligence can be a leadership superpower
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ted Lasso, a fish-out-of-water soccer coach, demonstrates empathy and humility as a leader. Lessons from the TV series "Ted Lasso" can be applied to those leading others in business. That was perhaps one of the most memorable bits of homespun advice from the run of "Ted Lasso." Leaders in business — particularly those thrust into unfamiliar situations — could benefit from adopting the Lasso way: Those in charge can be more successful by showing emotional intelligence and resilience. "We learn the transformative power of positivity, empathy, and teamwork from Ted Lasso.

Persons: Ted Lasso, —, Lasso, Gerald Leonard, Leonard, Bruce Avolio, Jason Sudeikis, Avolio, Ted Organizations: Service, Lasso, University of Washington's Foster School of Business, school's Center, Leadership, Foster Business

☆ Amazon fires Alabama warehouse worker who led union push
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

And I’ve given every fiber of my soul into organizing Amazon these past three years,” Bates said in a statement Friday. Amazon workers at a New York warehouse voted to form the company’s first US union last year, though Amazon has since refused to recognize the union or come to the bargaining table. Other efforts to unionize Amazon facilities, including one across the street from the New York warehouse, have failed. The closely-watched union election at the Bessemer facility ended with the results too close to call due to hundreds of challenged ballots. “Amazon’s behavior must not go unchallenged, and workers in Bessemer, Alabama must have their rights protected under the law.”

Persons: Jennifer Bates, “, I’ve, ” Bates, ”, Bates “, Bates, ” Mary Kate Paradis, we’ve, Stuart Appelbaum, Appelbaum, ” Appelbaum Organizations: CNN, Wholesale, Department Store Union, Amazon, National Labor Relations Board Locations: Alabama, Bessemer , Alabama, United States, New York, Amazon

☆ Some Amazon workers got a paid day off after reporting a possible bed bug in a delivery van
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some Amazon workers got a full paid day off after they said they found a bed bug in a delivery van. The Amazon air hub in Northern Kentucky is at the center of a union organizing push. Some Amazon workers received a full paid day off on Monday after they claimed to have discovered a bed bug in one of the company's delivery vans at its largest air hub in Kentucky. Experts have since confirmed the insect in question was not a bed bug." It's not the first time Amazon workers have reported bed bug concerns.

Persons: Steven Kelley, Mary Kate Paradis, Northern Kentucky KCVG, they've, It's Organizations: Amazon, Guardian, Northern Kentucky KCVG, Amazon Labor Union Locations: Northern Kentucky, Kentucky, Staten, Texas

☆ Why CEOs are changing directions faster than ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Rebecca Knight | Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

CEOs are changing their corporate strategies more frequently for many reasons. Some CEOs didn't do the necessary medium- and long-term planning when they made their original decisions, and now they're being forced to backtrack. A new, lightning-fast pace of businessThe rapidly changing business environment makes one thing clear: For CEOs, the day-to-day marathon of running a company feels much more like a sprint. The average compensation in 2021 for CEOs of the top US companies was 399 times that of the average worker. Changing a strategy is one thing, but how a CEO communicates that change is another — particularly because these pivots are likely to happen more frequently.

☆ Young remote workers are missing out on crucial IRL feedback from colleagues
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For young workers, not being in an office can mean they don't get as much feedback from colleagues. The pushback against remote work comes as more CEOs have been calling workers back to the office. But workers — especially those taking care of kids or others — grew accustomed to the flexibility that remote work can afford. Despite the risks, many of those potentially in danger of missing out on professional growth are most in favor of remote work, according to surveys, the Times noted. And some companies that have embraced remote work report success.

Layoffs and fights over employees' work-from-home desires are challenging HR pros in new ways. Insider put out a call for talent heads navigating the changing norms around workplace culture. Meanwhile, many employees and the corporate leaders who oversee them are engaged in a tug-of-war over work-from-home policies. We asked questions about how standout HR leaders are navigating economic uncertainty, how they're supporting efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion, and how they might be reimagining work. Listed in alphabetical order based on last name, here are 14 HR leaders making waves.

☆ The glut of parking spaces in the US is driving up housing costs and hurting the environment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Devoting this much land to parking makes housing more expensive and hurts the environment. Removing some of our parking could boost our quality of life, according to a former Google exec. All this parking is a burden on our environment, government budgets, affordable housing, and, ultimately, quality of life, Poskey said. He pointed to onerous parking requirements as a reason for the country's lack of affordable housing. Areas of Plano, Texas; Springfield, Massachusetts; and New Orleans with a mix of commercial buildings and stores accounted for 3% of those cities' land but 40% of their jobs, the Brookings Institution found.

SummarySummary Companies Plant to supply 1.2-1.4 mln tonnes of ammonia per yearYara attracted by low US gas prices, carbon capture costProduction start up set for 2027-28OSLO, March 31 (Reuters) - Norwegian fertiliser maker Yara (YAR.OL) and Canadian pipeline company Enbridge (ENB.TO) plan to invest up to $2.9 billion to build a low-carbon blue ammonia production plant in Texas, they said on Friday. Blue ammonia, rather than green ammonia derived from renewable energy, refers to ammonia produced from natural gas, with the carbon dioxide (CO2) byproduct captured and stored. The plant will supply 1.2 million to 1.4 million tonnes of low-carbon ammonia per year. High gas prices in Europe have made the case to build in the U.S. stronger, Ankarstrand said. Many similar facilities are in development and demand for low-carbon ammonia looks strong, said Vince Paradis, Enbridge's vice president of business development.

☆ A Former Baseball Pro Takes on the Messy World of Online Returns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Spencer Kieboom, a former pro baseball player, is a cofounder and the CEO of Pollen Returns. The company helps online retailers recover their goods sooner to speed up the returns process. This can reduce the amount of inventory companies need, which is better for the planet. Spencer Kieboom is cofounder and CEO of Pollen Returns. Spencer KieboomHe said many companies had more than 20% of their inventory caught up in the returns process.

☆ Layoffs destroy workers' trust, but there are ways employers can reduce the damage, a PwC survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Josée Rose | Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A PwC survey identified steps employers can take to help restore trust amid layoffs. "Trust is built in hard times, not easy times," Wes Bricker, a vice chair and US trust solutions coleader at PwC, told Insider. Bank runs and waves of job cuts across industries, including tech, have left some leaders and rank-and-file workers feeling uneasy. Yet the gaps in trust revealed by the survey indicate that there's more work for business leaders to do. The recent challenges in some industries mean business leaders need to be straight with their employees, Bricker said, even when it's difficult.

☆ Corporate leaders should be more honest with workers when job cuts are about performance, rather than the economy, a Harvard professor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Josée Rose | Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Layoffs shouldn't be used as a way to cut low-performing workers, Harvard's Sandra Sucher said. That's because layoffs are often the result of a slumping economy or missteps by management. But sometimes, leaders who are eager to sweep away lackluster workers can be tempted to clean house under the guise of layoffs. That's a bad idea, according to Sandra Sucher, a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School who's studied layoffs. Even broad job cuts that purport to target only the lowest-ranked workers can harm a company, Sucher said.

☆ Mark Zuckerberg is leaning into Meta's 'year of efficiency' the wrong way, and multiple rounds of layoffs will be damaging
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Rebecca Knight | Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg last week unveiled another round of layoffs hitting 10,000 staffers. The dismissals are part of an efficiency plan boost productivity and turn Meta into a talent magnet. But the job cuts are likely to have the opposite effect, two management experts told Insider. Rather than resorting to layoffs, Sucher said companies should look at other ways to lower headcount, including natural attrition, buyouts, and hiring freezes. "You have to plan for it in order to not have it kill your company," Sucher said.

☆ Florida's climate exodus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Matt Turner | Dave Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On the agenda today:But first: Economy reporter Madison Hoff explains why "quiet" is the workplace word for 2023. This week's dispatchWhisper it, but "quiet" might just be the workplace word for this year, Insider's Madison Hoff writes. And although it doesn't use the word "quiet," there are related workplace terms floating around like "Bare Minimum Monday" and "Try Less Tuesday." But Arias Agencies is now at the center of an explosive lawsuit that alleges a pattern of unchecked sexual assault and harassment. What to know about Florida's climate exodus.

☆ 'Quiet' is the workplace word of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Bare Minimum Monday, another workplace buzzword of 2023, also relates to quiet quitting. Experts think those "quiet" trends and more are set to continue throughout 2023 and beyond. "Quiet hiring" is one of the "biggest workplace buzzwords" of 2023 per Insider's reporting. Emily Rose McRae of Gartner's HR Practice said per reporting from GMA that quiet hiring is a workplace trend in 2023 in part because of a shortage in talent. Other buzzwords of the year from Insider's reporting relate to quiet quitting even if they don't use the word quiet.

☆ Ukraine's top climate scientist put solar panels on her apartment roof so she could keep the lights on for her son with autism
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In December, Svitlana Krakovska, Ukraine's top climate scientist, managed to place a solar array on the roof of her Kyiv apartment building to provide electricity for her family when the power goes out. "He was really afraid," Krakovska told Insider by phone from her office in Kyiv. The resiliency the solar panels deliver is part of what Krakovska hopes will come out of the brutal war with Russia, now one year on. She noted there are large solar installations in Ukraine where a missile might destroy some panels but the remaining ones will still work. Zasiadko pointed to a project in a village near Kyiv in which a small clinic that had been damaged by shelling was outfitted with solar panels and a groundwater heat pump.

☆ 'Bare Minimum Monday' is nice, but it's got nothing on 'Try-Less Tuesday'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Rebecca Knight | Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Bare Minimum Monday" is the latest workplace trend taking over TikTok. First, a bit about Bare Minimum Monday: "It's a practice where employees show up to work to only do the bare minimum on a Monday, often starting the day late after a productive morning of self-care rituals," Fortune wrote. Marisa Jo, a TikToker credited with gifting Bare Minimum Monday to the masses, describes it as a way to both eliminate the "Sunday scaries" and remove the "unnecessary pressure" she was putting on herself to be productive. Bare Minimum Monday is, of course, the TikTokian progeny of "quiet quitting," which itself sprang from a dark time when there were few name-your-pain labels for us plebeians. Work not from a café, work not from thy kitchen table, and, above all, work not from thine office.

☆ PwC isn't panicked about this 'economic pessimism' — in fact, one exec thinks it's an opportunity
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Tim Paradis | Josée Rose | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"No management team gets paid to languish," Bricker told Insider. For some top execs, the need to look further ahead is an existential one: Nearly 40% of surveyed CEOs told PwC that they didn't think their organization would be economically viable in a decade without transforming. That's because efforts around diversity could help a company's workforce perform better, and sustainability investments can help companies boost revenue and shave costs. "The strategies that I see business leaders really starting to focus on is not viewing sustainability as a luxury good, but as an essential element of business," Bricker said. The idea of sparing workers where possible aligns with what CEOs told PwC in the survey, which gathered responses from some 4,440 business heads in October and November.

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