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Board Diversity Hits A Speed Bump: One of California’s two board diversity laws was struck down earlier this month, leaving publicly traded companies in limbo, and the fate of similar rules unclear. The law, which went into effect in 2020 and required public companies based in the Golden State to include on their boards directors from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, had been challenged as unconstitutional before being invalidated for violating the state constitution. Now, questions abound. Will California appeal the ruling? What might this mean for the state’s other diversity law, enacted in 2018, which set out to assure the appointment of women to the boards of California’s publicly traded companies? (For more on the 2018 and 2020 laws, read this explainer from Kim Elsesser, a senior contributor to Forbes.) And will this ruling have any effect on the challenges facing Nasdaq’s new board diversity requirements? In his latest piece, Forbes’ Michael Peregrine suggests that boards stop waiting for answers and start establishing diversity goals of their own by taking four steps.
Lights, Camera, Engagement: Do you perceive employees who stay off-camera during video meetings as being less engaged than their on-camera counterparts? If so, you’re not alone: 92% of respondents to a recent survey of 200 U.S. executives conducted by software firm Vyopta say workers who don’t turn on their cameras, or are often on mute, don’t have long-term futures with their companies. What’s more, 93% believe those whose cameras are off are less engaged in their work, with 40% even suspecting that they’re browsing the internet or social media. And yet, nearly half of respondents admit that employers aren’t doing enough to engage employees, this as corporate America contends with how to recruit and retain talent amid the Great Resignation. If you expect employees to be on-camera during video meetings, take care to communicate it regularly, advises communications expert Edward Segal. And remember: On-the-job activity isn’t necessarily an accurate measure of productivity. Read more about that and other productivity myths in seven-time CIO Mark Settle’s latest piece for Forbes.
State Of The Union: A pro-union vote by some 2,600 Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island, New York has sent shockwaves through corporate America. As my colleague Lauren Debter reports, employers across the country are concerned: If Amazon, a $1.5 trillion company, couldn’t keep employees from organizing—despite having spent a whopping $4.3 million on anti-union efforts last year alone—what are their odds? “It woke them up,” Rian Wathen, a consultant who helps companies avoid unionization, tells Debter. “I think people realized no one is safe anymore.” While bigger paychecks and better benefits often inspire union drives, work-life balance and input on company decisions can play a role, too. Read on for more on how the union victory at Amazon is affecting the broader business community.
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