The JUST Report: These Examples Of Company Leadership Will Inspire You

Extraordinary leadership by companies on issues the American people prioritize is something we love to see.  Yes, we know there is a strong business case for this, as our investment indices evidence. But sometimes they’re just great to highlight out of pure gratification. 

Domino’s Pizza’s decision to lower prices back down to pre-pandemic levels – their “MOREflation” deals – in order to support customers struggling with the cost of living is a prime example. Heineken USA’s reverse mentorship programs, that allow employees of all levels to engage with senior leaders, is a great example of workforce development leadership. On the environmental side, Subaru USA, which has committed to being a 100% zero-waste company, recently celebrated 10 years of partnership with the National Parks Conservation Association to remove waste from national parks and divert it from landfills.

Paid leave is another important area we’ve spotlighted recently. Fully 86% of Americans say it is important for big corporations to invest in expanded childcare benefits, yet only around 16% of private sector workers have access to paid family leave. As we saw recently in measures passed in Nebraska, Missouri, and Alaska – all red states, it’s worth noting – paid leave is something that Americans across the political spectrum support.

Thanks to our rankings, leaders on this issue are not hard to identify. Stand-outs include HPE’s 26 weeks of paid leave for both primary and secondary caregivers, and their parental transition program (where new parents can work part time up to 36 months); Etsy’s 12 weeks of paid family leave for employees to care for a relative or assist loved ones; Intel’s extensive medical leave policy, which provides 52 weeks fully paid; and AMD’s 20 days of sick and family time off for full-time US employees.

Just business leadership is all around us. You simply have to know where to look.  

Be well, 

Martin

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“At Intel, we value innovation and recognize that innovation comes from sharing different points of view. As such, our greatest resource is our people. Supporting them through the moments that matter is core to our values. Our primary goal is to create a safe, respectful work environment for all employees, enhanced through company culture and organizational policies, including benefits. We believe that these programs help our employees achieve their personal best, driving business values and increasing retention.”

• Christy Pambianchi, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at Intel, discussing why the company invests so heavily in benefits and paid leave in our Paid Leave Blueprint for Corporate Leaders. 

JUST in the News

Former Best Buy CEO (and JUST advisor) Hubert Joly sat down with Dan Hesse (former Sprint CEO and current JUST board member) to discuss the importance of purpose when it comes to achieving business success, saying: “I believe purpose and profit are not opposed. Pursuing a higher purpose and taking care of all of your stakeholders is a great way to create shareholder value but you have to treat it as an outcome rather than the goal.”

S&P Dow Jones Indices has partnered with JUST Capital to develop new benchmarks for the U.S. corporate bond market: the iBoxx JUST Capital USD Investment Grade Benchmark and the iBoxx JUST Capital USD High Yield Benchmark, featuring companies in the top 50% of our rankings. Check out S&Ps blog post about the Indices. 

JUST AI

According to The Economist, oil tycoons are betting big on A.I., saying it will improve efficiency and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. But that could be a smokescreen for an incredible windfall in the near-term in supplying the power to A.I data farms. 

MUST Reads

Fortune reveals its inaugural ranking of the 100 Most Powerful People in Business. Elon Musk took the number one spot. Explore the full list here. 

Entrepreneur reports that Nissan’s CEO has cut his salary in half while the company lays off 9,000 workers due to poor sales last quarter. 

The Hill ranks the best and worst cities for renters making minimum wage. 

Chart of the Week 

This chart comes from the Bipartisan Policy Center, and shows, as of early this year, which states have mandatory paid family leave, voluntary, or none at all. You can explore the data here.