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Next time you stock your office medicine cabinet, consider including Narcan. Seriously. Narcan is an overdose reversal drug that will soon be available over-the-counter at any pharmacy. This simple nasal spray saves lives—thousands of them. It works by blocking an opioid’s effects on the brain, rescuing a person overcome by drugs like fentanyl, heroin, or oxycodone. Multiple manufacturers will provide the spray over the coming year, ideally at a price much lower than the current $44.99 for a two-dose package. This life-saving product needs to be everywhere, from college dorms and vending machines to public transportation, and yes, your office and even your medicine cabinet at home. This is not just about protecting employees—thought the opioid epidemic is increasingly becoming a DEI issue (see our first story below). Anyone can save the life of someone overdosing in public simply by having Narcan nearby. And we all need to be brave enough to use it. Overdose deaths, whether the outcome of ongoing substance use disorder or an inadvertent trial of cocaine or Xanax for a party high, can be avoided. As a society, will we embrace our responsibility to help others we know, or strangers? I hope our better selves rise to help save lives as we have done with CPR. Lives depend on it.
Is your workplace recovery friendly? New polling from KFF found that 66% of Americans have a personal or familial connection to someone with substance use disorder. The poll also found that addiction is having a major impact on families, relationships, and finances. Increasingly, substance use disorder is a major workplace issue as well, with more employers treating addiction as a component of their DEI initiatives and offering "recovery friendly" policies. To learn more about how employers can support employees who are struggling with addiction—or may know someone who is—RSVP to the September 14th webinar on Recovery Ready Workplaces by Health Action Alliance and Shatterproof*. // Axios—Most US adults have a family or personal connection to addiction // KFF—Substance use crisis and accessing treatment // Health Action Alliance and Shatterproof—Recovery Ready Workplaces webinar (RSVP) *Shatterproof is a CCOP client
A new ally in the fight against 'greenwashing'. As consumers become more aware of sustainability issues, they are increasingly demanding that brands be transparent about their environmental impact. However, some companies use misleading or deceptive practices to make their products or services appear more sustainable than they really are—a practice increasingly known as "greenwashing." Now, AI is being used to help brands combat greenwashing by analyzing sustainability claims and identifying those that are misleading or deceptive. AI can also be used to track brand performance on sustainability metrics and identify areas where improvement is needed. // Sustainable Brands—AI to Root Out Greenwash in Sustainability Communications
Better managers, better employees, better business. Do you want to be a more effective manager? If so, you need to build the foundations of manager effectiveness. A new report found that manager effectiveness is directly correlated with employee engagement and performance. Employees who rate their managers highly are more likely to be engaged in their work and to perform at a higher level, while the inverse was true for employees who rated their managers poorly. Managers seeking to improve their skills should focus on three key areas: setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, and coaching / developing employees. // Fortune—Only 28% of employees would recommend their boss to others // Achievers—Improve manger effectiveness for better business outcomes
Celebrating the best employers. What do Nvidia, Biogen*, and Bank of America have in common? Each of these companies is among America's best employers, according to new polling from JUST Capital. The list is based on a survey of employees who rate their employers on a variety of factors, including compensation, benefits, work-life balance, and opportunities for development. Considering that issues related to workers consistently ranks as a top priority for the American public in JUST 100 polling, this is a critical list—and set of companies—to look to for best practices and leadership. // JUST Capital—Top 10 companies that treat employees best *Biogen is a CCOP client
Listen to this episode and others. With the rise in fashion resale, there is a golden opportunity for the brands behind the products to get involved. This idea led Adam Siegel, now CEO, to co-found Recurate: a platform that empowers clothing brands to embrace the circular economy through the potential of resale, offering tools to allow customers to buy resale and secondhand products seamlessly. By facilitating the transition to a circular business model, Recurate not only helps brands make a positive impact on the planet but also opens up new revenue streams and enhances their brand image in an increasingly conscious marketplace.