Colette Phillips: Why Boston business leaders must stand firm on diversity
Colette A.M. Phillips is president and CEO of Colette Phillips Communications Inc. in Boston and author of 'The Includers: The 7 Traits of Culturally Savvy Anti-Racist Leaders.'
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USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Summer kicks off with a new corporate perk aimed to ease employees' stress
Summer kicks off with a new corporate perk aimed to ease employees' stress Companies looking to ease employees' stress over the summer are offering a new perk -- discounted summer camp and childcare. Show Caption Hide Caption More men are becoming family caregivers Men face a unique set of challenges when it comes to stepping into the role of a caregiver. Kids might be excited about the end of the school year and for summer to begin, but many working parents who don't know how to fill their kids' long summer days may be feeling some dread right about now. AT&T is trying to change that. The third largest U.S. wireless carrier is launching an onsite summer camp at its Dallas, Texas, headquarters in June to give its employees more convenient options for reliable childcare during the school break. Childcare outranked any other perk including mental health support, paid maternity/paternity leave and tuition reimbursements as a benefit employers aimed to offer their workers last year, according to a survey of corporate-suite and human resource leaders. One in 5 employees said they had left a job because their employer didn't provide family care benefits, and a lack of childcare benefits topped the list of reasons they sought another job. 'The summer camp was in response to specific asks and pain points our employees had,' said Matt Phillips, AT&T assistant vice president of benefits. But childcare isn't the only caregiving people ask for nowadays, he said. People want help caring for every important person, or sometimes pet, in their lives, he said. What's different about summer? 'When planning vacations and summer activities, there may be days sporadically that fall throughout the summer when people need some childcare,' Phillips said. To help ease worries of what to do with kids on those days, AT&T employees can register their children ages 4-12 for the 10-week onsite camp that runs weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Families have the flexibility to book one or multiple days whenever they'd like throughout the summer. There's no weekly sessions or commitments required. If employees use their backup care benefits, a day of camp would cost $15 for one child or $25 for two or more children. AT&T backup care allow workers up to 10 days of subsidized childcare if their primary care option is unavailable, and they can't take time off. They can choose center care for $15 per day or in-home care with a Bright Horizons caregiver for $4 an hour. Bright Horizons runs childcare centers and early education services nationwide. Additional days of summer camp can be bought at a discounted rate. Tell us: The caregiving crisis is real. USA TODAY wants to hear from you about how to solve it. What are other types of caregiving? Caregiving has typically meant childcare, but the COVID-19 pandemic, an aging population and rising costs have expanded the definition to include siblings, parents, grandparents and even pets. Gen Z through Gen X and even some of the youngest members of the Baby Boomers who expect to retire soon are demanding personalized benefits beyond retirement funds, salary and vacation days. Job seekers, even those fresh out of school, now have a 'holistic outlook,' said Blayre Riley, 22. 'We're not just looking at salary.' Riley doesn't have kids, but she has a 6-year-old kid brother. Her job benefits allow her to use so-called caregiver days, which are paid hours she can use to take care of a sick friend, relative or other loved one or take them to appointments, for example. With these benefits, if her little brother 'has a class party, I can go in the morning and come back to work in the afternoon, and it doesn't feel like a burden to my team,' Riley said. 'Or if he has a day off school and my parents work, I can spend time with him.' 'My dad always talks about when I was younger, his job didn't have this flexibility and when my mom was sick, he couldn't take her to doctor's appointments,' she added. 'Now, my job has it, and it can exist for everyone.' Education help: College applications are stressful. Here's how more companies are helping. New perks: Some workers are job hopping for fertility benefits. Employers are trying to keep up. What's at stake? The lack of available childcare alone costs the economy $122 billion every year, according to a 2023 study from the bipartisan Council for a Strong America. Yet, just 12% of all U.S. workers have access to childcare benefits through their employer, and only 6% of those who work part-time or in the lowest income quartile do, according to a Boston Consulting Group study published last year. Family caregivers ages 50 and older who leave the workforce to care for a parent lost $303,880, on average, in income and benefits over a caregiver's lifetime, according to a 2016 Families Caring for an Aging America study. The breakdown was as follows: $115,900 in lost wages, $137,980 in lost Social Security benefits, and conservatively $50,000 in lost pension benefits. Still, only 13% of companies offer eldercare referral services, and just 1% of companies offer employees subsidies for eldercare, according to SHRM's 2024 Employee Benefits Survey. Lack of support leads to caregiver burnout. Half of caregivers said caregiving increased their level of emotional stress, while 37% said it impacted their physical feelings of stress according to a 2023 AARP survey. What can companies do? Companies 'must address new needs, particularly around things like caregiving benefits, absence and leave benefits, and wellness benefits in all forms, as well as personalizing/customizing benefits to keep their workers happy,' said Bryan Hodgens, head of research at Life Insurance Management Research Association, or LIMRA, in a report. Comprehensive caregiving benefits like flexible work arrangements, paid leave, financial support, and access to education, consultations, resources, and digital caregiving platforms can improve workers' wellbeing and boost businesses. BCG found that childcare benefits alone deliver returns of up to 425% of their cost for companies across the U.S. Aside from caregiving, it's imperative companies also offer employees opportunities for self-care. Healthier habits help keep healthcare costs down for both employees and employers. AT&T, for example, offers a Wellbeing Choice Account to reward employees for healthy habits. Employees and their partners or spouses can each earn up to $750 annually for completing wellness activities like getting their annual physical. They can then use that money to go towards fitness classes, an exercise bike, student loan repayment, massages and facials, and healthy meal kits. 'It's like free money because you're getting paid to do things you should be doing anyway,' said Ryan Stafford, an AT&T employee who used his rewards to buy a nicer bike than he would have been able to afford. 'l had no guilt spending a little more,' he said. Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@ and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.
USA Today
17 hours ago
- USA Today
This Big 10 school is putting its golf course up for sale at year's end
This Big 10 school is putting its golf course up for sale at year's end The University of Minnesota's golf course, named after a coach who took the school's program to two conference titles, will close at this golf season's end and is expected to be sold, according to a release sent out by the university on Friday. Les Bolstad Golf Course, located just a few miles to the northeast of the school's main campus, is expected to be put on the market as costs to maintain the facility have become too steep. 'We recognize this course holds generations of memories for our community. This decision reflects careful consideration and was made in light of today's challenging financial environment,' said Calvin Phillips, the university's vice president for student affairs, in a statement that was released Friday. 'As a public university, we have a responsibility to ensure that our land and resources are aligned with our core mission: supporting students, advancing research, and serving the state of Minnesota.' According to a story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the school is not looking to sell the adjacent John W. Mooty Golf Facility and short game outdoor training area near the golf course, where the Gophers' men's and women's teams practice. The school hosts its Gopher Invitational at Windsong Farm Golf Club, which sits about 40 minutes west of the campus. Here's more from the Star Tribune: The 140-acre course on Larpenteur Avenue in Falcon Heights will remain open for the rest of the 2025 season, but will not reopen next spring, the statement said. Phillips said the school notified the Board of Regents of its intended actions, and sent a letter to golfers announcing the news. 'We deeply appreciate your support of the golf course and the University of Minnesota,' Phillips wrote in the letter to golfers. Named after Les Bolstad, who won two Big Ten golf championships and then coached the school's teams for 30 years, the course needs investment of nearly $10 million to tackle deferred maintenance and investment to keep the it viable, according to the course's website. A sale price has yet to be determined. The U will obtain two appraisals to determine fair market value, the school said. Falcon Heights, the Minneapolis suburb where the course lies, could potentially rezone the site for future use.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
BBC Content Chief Latest: Race To Replace Charlotte Moore Nears Final Two, As Zai Bennett Drops Out & New Candidates Emerge
EXCLUSIVE: In around a week's time, the contest to replace BBC content boss Charlotte Moore will become a two-person run-off. Before then, we are told there are around five to six candidates in the mix. Two of those are believed to be frontrunner Kate Phillips and BBC iPlayer and channels boss Dan McGolpin. Another pair are understood to be Nat Geo's Tom McDonald and a new name, David Brindley, the Chief Creative Officer of Destination X producer Twofour. There is thought to be at least one other dark horse candidate, possibly two. The BBC declined to comment. More from Deadline Biden Blasts Trump Over "False" Claims That Aides Ran Country During His Presidency; Current POTUS Admits He Has No Proof For Allegation - Update BBC Condemns Israel After IDF Soldiers Strip-Searched & Detained Journalists At Gunpoint BBC & RTÉ Order Two Seasons Of Aidan Gillen-Starring Comedy Crime Drama 'Tall Tales & Murder' From Chris Addison & Stuart Carolan One person we can reveal is no longer in the running is BBC Studios productions boss Zai Bennett, who becomes the latest to exit from what has been a twisty-turny race to replace BBC content supremo Moore – who has exited to join Sony. Previously deemed a frontrunner, Bennett has always been positioned as a strong candidate but has just got his feet under the table at BBC Studios, initiating a major restructure in the past few weeks and bringing in several new lieutenants. He is the latest big name to exit the race, following the likes of Banijay UK boss Patrick Holland, Netflix's Anne Mensah and Apple TV+ executive Jay Hunt. In around a week to 10 days' time, Deadline understands the remaining candidates will be whittled down to two, at which point they will be grilled in front of an interview panel of senior BBC executives, likely including Director General Tim Davie. Unscripted supremo Phillips remains the one to beat, with BBC insiders and highly-regarded producers pulling for her to get the job. A Netflix-shaped spanner was thrown in the works earlier this week with a report in UK TV trade Broadcast that said she is being wooed by the streamer. Deadline revealed the exit of Netflix unscripted head Ben Kelly several weeks back. Netflix UK is on quite the tear and the Broadcast article dropped on the day the SVoD poached Channel 4's film and TV drama boss Ollie Madden. McGolpin is no less senior than Phillips but Phillips has the programme-making chops and has been acting up in Moore's place over the past few months. McDonald and Brindley are old friends from BBC commissioning, where they successfully ran the specialist factual and factual entertainment departments respectively for several years. The highly-rated McDonald has been touted as a possible Moore replacement since the contest began. He has handy experience working in the States as Disney-owned Nat Geo's EVP Global Factual & Unscripted and has worked with huge stars including David Attenborough and Idris Elba. He is known, however, to have built a life in America and is happy in his current role. Twofour's Brindley is thought to be one of the other contenders. He has been overseeing a successful period for the ITV Studios-owned indie that has included landing the £20M ($27M) contract to make Destination X for the BBC and NBC, new BBC reality franchise I Kissed a Boy/Girl and a historic third series for Apple TV+ doc The Reluctant Traveler. As with McDonald, Brindley is thought to be happy in his current employ. Notably, Phillips, McDonald and Brindley skew heavily unscripted, leaving the feeling that there could still be a big name from the drama world to emerge. Led by search firms Grace Blue and Ibison, the process is moving quickly, with the BBC appearing keen to have a name in place after Moore left the building last week. Moore will become CEO of The Crown producer Left Bank Pictures and creative director of international production at Sony Pictures Television. Stay tuned for more. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
