Latest news with #employeeWellBeing
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pathward Recognized among U.S. News & World Report's 2025-2026 Best Companies to Work For
Pathward distinguished itself as one of the top companies to meet employee needs. SIOUX FALLS, S.D., June 30, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pathward Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASH) through its subsidiary, Pathward®, N.A., ("bank" or "Pathward"), announced that U.S. News & World Report has named the bank one of the 2025-2026 Best Companies to Work For. U.S. News rated Pathward among the top companies on its Finance and Insurance list and its Midwest list based on factors contributing to job seekers' decision-making when choosing the best workplace to meet and support their needs. Pathward earned a perfect score for work-life balance, stability and belongingness. View Pathward's profile on "We're honored to be recognized as a best employer from U.S. News & World Report," said Pathward's Executive Vice President and Chief People and Culture Officer Anjana Berde. "Attracting and retaining top talent is an important strategic goal that we approach with intentionality and purpose. This recognition reflects on our commitment to building an inclusive culture of belonging, prioritizing employee well-being and powering financial inclusion." The U.S. News honor comes just a few months after Pathward achieved certification™ from Great Place To Work® for the third year in a row with 84% of employees saying Pathward is a Great Place To Work – 27 points higher than the average U.S. company. According to U.S. News, its ratings reflect the evolving sentiments that factor into employee decision-making when choosing the "best" company to work for. The ratings then analyze that sentiment against other factors, including quality of pay and benefits, work-life balance and flexibility, job and company stability, physical and psychological comfort, belongingness and esteem, and career opportunities and professional development. "Workers understand the direct impact of a workplace on their quality of life," said U.S. News Vice President, Careers, Carly Chase. "The 2025-2026 list recognizes companies that received high scores on multiple metrics that make up a positive work environment and everyday employee experience." To calculate the annual U.S. News Best Companies to Work For list, U.S. News only considered the largest 5,000 publicly traded companies as of January 2025 that had more than 75 Glassdoor reviews written between 2021-2025. Relevant data, including employee sentiment and regulatory enforcement data, was gathered from partners Revelio Labs, Good Jobs First's Violation Tracker and QUODD to calculate the six metrics used in the list. See the methodology for additional details on how they calculated metric scores. For more information on U.S. News' Best Companies to Work For, review the FAQs. Learn more about Careers at Pathward at About Pathward Financial, Inc. Pathward Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASH) is a U.S.-based financial holding company driven by its purpose to power financial inclusion. Through our subsidiary, Pathward®, N.A., we strive to increase financial availability, choice and opportunity across our Partner Solutions and Commercial Finance business lines. These strategic business lines provide support to individuals and businesses. Learn more at About Pathward® Pathward®, N.A., a national bank, is a subsidiary of Pathward Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASH). Pathward is focused on financial access and strives to increase financial availability, choice and opportunity across our Partner Solutions and Commercial Finance business lines. The strategic business lines provide support to individuals and businesses. Learn more at About U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services. View source version on Contacts Pathward media contact: Courtney Heidelberg605.291.7044mediarelations@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Fast Company
29-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
5 reasons why the 4-day workweek is a win for everyone
Juliet Schor is an economist and sociologist who specializes in the study of work. She is a professor of sociology at Boston College, having previously taught at Harvard for 17 years. Her previous books include the national bestseller The Overworked American. Juliet has received numerous awards for her research and writing and has had her work published in scores of magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and People magazine. She has also made several appearances on popular newscasts. What's the big idea? For a while, the concept of a four-day workweek seemed aspirational—utopian, even. However, it is now more realistic than ever. Research increasingly shows that switching from five to four days is a win for employees and their entire company. Well-being increases (and stays that way), retention issues are solved, and heightened productivity replaces fatigue and stress. The benefits are so impressive that governments are getting involved in legislating fewer working hours. Times are changing, and modern life and modern business are better off on a four-day work schedule. Below, Juliet shares five key insights from her new book, Four Days a Week: The Life-Changing Solution for Reducing Employee Stress, Improving Well-Being, and Working Smarter. Listen to the audio version—read by Juliet herself—in the Next Big Idea App. 1. The four-day week is life-changing for employees Between dual-earner households, the faster pace and complexity of modern life, and intensifying job demands, we've heard over and over that 'two days is not enough' to manage life admin, see family and friends, and recover from the workweek. Around the world, levels of stress, burnout, and disengagement remain historically high. That's a big part of why we find that a third day off is transformational. Physical and mental health, sleep, fatigue, and anxiety all improve, according to survey and biometric data. Stress and burnout are reduced. People are happier and more engaged in their work. The obvious reason a four-day week is transformational is the ability to work less. In our statistical modeling, we found that the larger the working time reduction, the bigger the well-being impacts. People who manage to reduce their time by a full eight hours per week experience about twice the improvement in well-being. When we drill down to see what it is about working less that makes people so much better off, two factors emerge. About half the increase in well-being is due to behavioral changes outside of work, such as better sleep, more exercise, and less fatigue. The other half is that people register much higher levels of effectiveness and performance at work. 2. Working less boosts productivity We discovered that people are much more productive on a four-day week. They report being able to find more efficient ways to do things. People report that they're no longer experiencing the Sunday Scaries, and they show up on Monday mornings feeling refreshed, rather than anxious. They feel more on top of their workloads and score higher on a 'work smart' scale. They do a better job prioritizing what's important, spend less time spinning their wheels, and are more motivated to get through their to-do lists. These individual impacts collectively contribute to the organization's overall success. Companies tell us they are maintaining or increasing overall productivity when they switch to a four-day workweek. That's counterintuitive if we assume that productivity mainly depends on how long we work. But there are several reasons for better performance. Staff are healthier, more energetic, and more loyal. Organizations become more intentional and invest in the upfront work that saves time in the long run. Customer-service-facing organizations in the tech world tell us they have finally gotten serious about documentation. Other companies report eliminating unnecessary forms or bottlenecks in approval processes. These are all examples of the 'forcing function of the four day week (4DW).' It makes organizations do things they know will save time but have been too busy to accomplish. 'Organizations become more intentional and invest in the upfront work that saves time in the long run.' The other major effect is that the four-day week stops resignations dead in their tracks. In one of our most successful cases, the manager explained that, on her team, turnover went from 30% a year to zero. That 30% turnover figure is common in her industry, and solving it avoided the wasted time of onboarding and training new people, which yielded a better product and higher sales. At a hospital we studied, the opportunity for overworked nurse managers to get a third day off led to many rescinded resignation letters. At a restaurant (another high-turnover industry) people also stopped quitting. A four-day-a-week job is much more valuable to people. About 15% of our sample says that no amount of money could induce them to return to a five-day schedule. Many more would require a significant pay increase to return. That's why when people get a four-day week, they don't leave. 3. A whole organization transformation For years, companies have tried to address employee stress and burnout with individual solutions. They've tried flex time, scheduling accommodations, wellness classes, yoga, and mindfulness. The academic research shows that none of these works. Stress and disengagement have only gone up. Those on shorter schedules often suffer stigma or get paid less, but end up doing as much work as before. In contrast, reducing hours across the entire organization is a real solution. In the trials we studied, companies received two months of training on how to implement the 4DW before they began. How is 'making it work' defined? Well, there is some variation across companies, but generally, it's defined as doing five days' work in four. Companies were coached on ways to get inefficient meeting cultures under control and to create focus time. They learned about new time-saving software or how to analyze their processes to eliminate wasted steps. They achieved success because it wasn't just on individuals, but everyone was pulling together to change the culture. That results in a true shift in work norms, shifting from the facetime/productivity theater model to one that's focused on results. 4. Almost all the companies who try it stick with it Our team wanted to know if the great results we saw would persist. So, we went back to the companies at one and two years in. We found that improvements in employee well-being were remarkably stable. 'Almost all the companies stayed on the four-day schedule.' Perhaps more surprisingly, almost all the companies stayed on the four-day schedule. Some instituted a few tweaks to their programs, but only about 10% reverted to five days after a year. If we exclude those who never really gave it a try, it's closer to 5%. Maintaining or raising productivity, improving product quality, reducing turnovers, and getting happier, more satisfied employees is a recipe for success. 5. The four-day week is coming It has been 85 years since the workweek was last reduced. Since the pandemic, pressure has been building, especially in the U.S., where working hours have been increasing. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that Fridays are evolving away from a standard workday. Working from home is accelerating this process. But it's not just an organic evolution to the four-day week that we're seeing. Governments are beginning to encourage or even legislate worktime reduction. The Polish government has just announced a pilot program similar to the ones we've been studying. This follows similar pilots by the governments of Spain, Scotland, Belgium, Portugal, and the Dominican Republic. The government of Tokyo has recently implemented a four-day workweek for all its employees. Spain has just legislated a reduction in the workweek for the entire country to 37.5 hours per week. Recently, two bills to run pilots were filed in New York state, making it the 11th state considering legislation. And a growing number of local governments are shifting to a four-day week for their employees, with some saving money in the process. AI will accelerate the shift to four days. As companies incorporate AI at a rapid clip, society is faced with a stark choice: Are we going to lay off millions of people? That's a possible outcome with a technology that can replace so much human labor. But it's not our only option. We could follow the path we took with the first industrial revolution. We can use that labor-saving technology to reduce working hours and keep employment high. That's the path we should—and I think will—take. I started researching worktime reduction many years ago. At the time, it was seen as aspirational, even utopian. But that has flipped, and now the four-day week has become common sense. It is also the smart option if we want to protect our economy, democracy, and society.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
APME's Gen Zs: Confident, Supported, But the Most Stressed and Likely to Leave, Finds ManpowerGroup's Global Talent Barometer APME Report
SINGAPORE, June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup today released its Global Talent Barometer 2025, Volume 1, offering unparalleled insights into workforce sentiment across 19 countries. The overall Global Talent Barometer score in Asia Pacific and Middle East (APME) of 66% was derived from three key indices: Well-Being (65%), Job Satisfaction (59%), and Confidence (73%). The report, which gathered data from 3,536 workers across six APME countries and territories between March 14 and April 11, 2025, reveals a complex landscape of employee well-being, job satisfaction, and confidence in the rapidly evolving world of work. "Our latest Global Talent Barometer offers a timely look at how workers across the region are feeling. While confidence in the future remains strong, job satisfaction is not keeping pace," says François Lançon, Regional President, Asia Pacific & Middle East, ManpowerGroup. "Notably, almost a third of workers say they lack opportunities for advancement within their current organizations. This is sending a clear signal: people are looking for more than just a paycheck. They want flexibility, balance, growth, and a sense of purpose. They want to feel supported and empowered to shape their own futures." In APME, almost 4 in 5 employees (78%) find their work meaningful and purposeful, and 69% feel well or fully supported with regards to work-life balance. However, the workforce reports experiencing high daily stress (50%) and low job satisfaction (42%), with the younger generations—Gen Zs and Millennials—feeling the most stressed and dissatisfied. Gen Z reports the highest levels of daily stress (56%) despite 73% of them saying they feel supported with regards to work-life balance. They are also the most likely to change jobs within the next six months (56%). View the full press release and results of the Global Talent Barometer 2025, Volume 1—APME Report and Key Findings, here: About ManpowerGroup ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing, and managing the talent that enables them to win. Our expert family of brands – Manpower, Experis, and Talent Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across more than 70 countries and territories and has done so for more than 75 years. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE ManpowerGroup Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
06-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Return-To-Office With Mental Health In Mind: Balancing Flexibility With Structure
The goal of returning to the office is to cultivate an environment where employees can thrive, both mentally and professionally. This means striking a balance between the structure of in-office work and the autonomy of flexible schedules. COVID-19 undeniably shifted the way we work. As we navigate this new phase, where more of us have returned to the office full- or part-time, it's crucial that those in leadership approach the return to a physical workspace with empathy and a deep understanding of its impact on our employees' well-being. When we first began considering a return, it was during a period of immense change, not just within Calm but across the globe. Like many companies, we had embraced remote work, and for a time, it seemed like the new normal. A study by the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics showed this new normal led to lower job turnover and great employee satisfaction. However, a desire for more in-person connection and collaboration began to emerge, at least from my perspective. This wasn't a sudden shift, but rather a gradual realization that while flexibility was paramount, so too was the energy and synergy that can come from being physically together. Our approach at Calm has been rooted in continuous dialogue within the company. We recognized early on that there wouldn't be a one-size-fits-all solution. Every company is different, with its own unique culture, size, and employee needs. What works for a small startup might not be feasible for a large corporation, and vice versa. Even within Calm, we understood that individual preferences and circumstances varied greatly. During the height of the pandemic, our San Francisco office was the central hub, with around 80 percent of our employees based there. However, as remote work became the norm, we saw a significant shift, with the majority of our workforce moving away from the Bay Area. In fact, an Economist article pointed to the flexibility afforded by remote work that began during the pandemic as altering the housing market as people moved farther from expensive cities where companies were located to suburbs and beyond. However, this kind of shift presented us with a fundamental challenge: How do we foster connection and collaboration when our team is geographically dispersed? We considered several scenarios, ranging from a full return to the office, mimicking companies like some larger entities, to remaining fully remote. We also explored various hybrid models. Ultimately, through trial and error, we landed on a hub strategy. We established smaller offices in areas with high talent density, including New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and London, in addition to our location in the Bay Area. Another key difference is that we don't force employees to come in on specific days. Our conversations revealed that if someone came to the office simply to Zoom from their desk, it negated the very purpose of being there. We wanted to understand the goal behind encouraging in-office work. For us, it came down to building on our culture and fostering better teamwork. My leadership philosophy, shaped by my experiences in previous companies, initially leaned towards bringing everyone together. Whether it was a team of three, three hundred, or eight thousand, being physically present was the only model I had truly known. However, I believe that COVID and the acceleration of technology have fundamentally changed how we work. The traditional 9-to-5 desk job is becoming a relic of the past. As an employer, we must adapt to these changes. I've spoken with peers across various industries about the return to the office. What's striking is the diversity of opinions and experiences. There's no single right answer, and what works for one organization might not work for another (though firm, five-day-a-week returns seem to face a backlash in the job market). It's also important to remember that the experience of working remotely during the pandemic was not universal. While many white-collar workers had the privilege of working from home, the majority of the workforce in other sectors still had to show up, facing their own unique mental health challenges. Front-line workers reported significant issues of burnout, for example. Interestingly, American and British cultures have embraced this new reality more than, say, South Korea. Researchers attribute this to our more individualistic society, where we give employees more autonomy than in collectivist cultures. Ultimately, our goal is to cultivate an environment where employees can thrive, both mentally and professionally. This means striking a balance between the structure of in-office work and the autonomy of flexible schedules. We want to emphasize choice, control, and mental resilience. For those who continue to work remotely, we encourage the creation of dedicated workspaces and a focus on the quality of work over mere hours spent. I personally found that creating a space that mimics elements of an office environment helps with focus. Leading a more remote workforce has, in fact, made me a better leader. It has forced our organization to be more disciplined and prescriptive in defining our mission, values, and goals. Communication has become paramount. Without hallway conversations, we've had to be much clearer and more intentional in our interactions. As we continue on this journey, our focus remains on fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where mental well-being is a priority. The return to the office is not just a logistical challenge; it's an opportunity to reimagine how we work and to build a culture that supports the holistic health of every member of our team.
Fast Company
02-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
The best leaders are spacious leaders. Here's what that means
It can be tough out there for leaders. It's challenging to drive results, ensure you're supporting employees' well-being, and maintain your own motivation as well. So how can you be a good leader, and what are the strategies that really work? A helpful concept is spacious leadership—a management approach in which you create space for others to participate, make choices, and be their best. With spacious leadership, you also ensure space for yourself to enhance your own effectiveness and satisfaction on the job. THE NEED FOR IMPROVED LEADERSHIP In spite of leaders who work hard to do their best, a new survey by consulting firm DDI finds that only about 40% of workers believe that leaders are high quality. In comparison, leaders tend to rate themselves better than others rate them. There's a perception gap—along with an opportunity for leaders to get better. There's also evidence that leaders are feeling the pressure. In fact, 71% of leaders say their stress levels have increased, 54% report they are worried about burnout, and 40% have given thought to leaving a leadership role because they struggle with their own well-being, according to the DDI data. A spacious leadership approach addresses how leaders support others, and also how they manage their own workplace experience. CREATE SPACE FOR INVOLVEMENT One of the first ways to demonstrate spacious leadership is to invite people to participate, get involved, and have a voice. At the root of this kind of leadership is humility. It doesn't mean giving up your voice. Spacious leaders have a strong point of view, and they're secure with their own expertise, but they don't assume they have all the answers or the best answers. Comfort with admitting mistakes is also related to spacious leadership. Leaders don't have to know it all—and people appreciate it when their managers ask for ideas and value input in finding solutions. Spacious leaders empower people to be part of the process by communicating effectively. When leaders offer clear direction, goals, or challenges, people are able to be proactive and suggest ways to get things done. And when people have the opportunity to get involved, they are also more likely to feel a sense of ownership and dedication to their work. Demonstrate spacious leadership by inviting people in and sharing context so they can be effective participants in the process. CREATE SPACE FOR LEARNING AND GROWTH People of all generations crave development. In spacious leadership, you create space for people to expand their skills and competencies. Investing in employees' growth sends a message that you value them and their contributions. You can support people by creating succession plans or recommending formal learning sessions, offering regular coaching and feedback, or introducing them to mentors outside your department. The outcomes of these approaches are striking. According to the DDI study, when leaders provided coaching and feedback to employees, those employees were nine times more likely to trust their leader. And when leaders actively supported development, employees were 11 times more likely to trust their leader. Demonstrate spacious leadership by coaching and developing people. CREATE SPACE FOR PERFORMANCE We all have an instinct to matter, and people will be happier and provide more discretionary effort when they are supported in performing at their best. When you're creating space for performance, you're giving people plenty of choice, control, and autonomy. Control and decision-making have been proven to matter for health and longevity. According to two Indiana University studies (one conducted in 2016 and the other in 2020), people who experienced high job stress and had limited control over their work process were less healthy and had higher mortality rates. On the other hand, when they were in high-stress jobs but had greater choice and more decision-making power, they were healthier and lived longer. People also perform best when they have enough time to get things done. Sometimes things are hectic, urgent, or last minute, but spacious leaders do their best to give people adequate time to deliver results. This allows people the space to reflect, plan, and invest in the quality of their outcomes. Demonstrate spacious leadership by giving people the necessary support to perform their best. CREATE SPACE FOR WELL-BEING Another way to create space for people is by attending to their well-being. Give people the opportunity to set and maintain appropriate boundaries in their work and life. In addition, tune into how people are doing and ask questions. You don't need to be a professional social worker, but when you can demonstrate empathy and point people to resources, it sends a strong message about how much you care. Create space for them to share, and then listen and offer support. Paying attention to well-being is good for people—and it pays off for organizations. In a global study by the Workforce Institute at UKG, a workplace software provider, 80% of people said they were energized at work when they had better mental health, and 63% said they were committed to their work. Some 69% of workers reported that their leader has a bigger impact on their mental health than their therapist or their doctor—and about the same impact as their partner. When organizations prioritize well-being, the DDI data finds, people are 12 times more likely to rate leadership quality as high. Demonstrate spacious leadership by ensuring people have the space to nurture their wellbeing. CREATE SPACE FOR SELF-CARE As a leader, your own strength is critical to how you can support others. Just as you create space for your team's excellence, do the same for yourself. Be consistent, present, and accessible, but also ensure you have time to get away and turn off. Also consider the self-care that works best for you. The popular narrative about self-care suggests that you should spend time alone, but you may choose to spend time with others who energize you. Many people think self-care must always involve saying no, but it can also include saying yes to activities that you feel passionate about. Most important is to make choices that are nourishing for you. Another way to ensure self-care is to create a small group of trusted colleagues. Leadership requires a balance of authenticity and transparency with appropriate professionalism. You'll want to establish trusting relationships with other leaders (or people outside your organization) with whom you can relax, share worries and concerns, or get advice. Demonstrate spacious leadership by giving yourself space to regroup, rejuvenate, and bring your best. THE LANGUAGE WE USE The way we think about things and how we talk to ourselves have a significant impact on the choices we make and how we behave. With spacious leadership, you'll focus on all the ways you can create space for others and for yourself, resulting in terrific success.
