Research & Reports

The UN Global Compact Bulletin is designed to keep participants up to date on news, actions you can take, resources and events. Participants are encouraged to look to this monthly communication for important information. Please note that actions and events are intended for Global Compact stakeholders, unless otherwise indicated. The Bulletin is published in English, French, Spanish and Chinese.

Workplace wellness can be a heavy lift for companies everywhere. In addition to the initial investment, companies must ensure employee participation and effectiveness to attain the desired outcomes. Yet 70% of healthcare costs in America are affected by the environments in which people live and work. So dropping these programs entirely isn’t a financially or socially viable option, either.

A growing number of studies show that office space design can significantly impact employee health, cognitive function and overall satisfaction. What does this mean for the investor?

The Largest Hilton Garden Inn Outside the U.S. Is Now One of Hilton’s Most Efficient and Sustainable Hotels.

When you think of the values emblematic of politics in the Occident, does the term “altruism” come to mind? Probably not lately. Our guest today on Sea Change Radio believes that a participatory culture with altruism at its core will be key to digging ourselves out of the mess that is our current political climate.

Trust is down. Expectations are up. And like never before, the world’s consumers are turning to brands to address the social and environmental challenges that affect their aspirations for a better life in divided times.

According to a new global study by BBMG and GlobeScan, Brand Purpose in Divided Times, net trust in global companies to act in the best interest of society is negative (-2). And for the first time since 2009, more consumers say they have punished companies for their behavior (28%) rather than rewarded them (26%), and the number of those who are punishing brands is up by 9 percentage points since 2013.

“It’s extremely important to have a few goals that will lead a company to have a truly positive impact, but also to stick to those goals and align everyone around them,” he says. “These are hugely important for culture, identity, recruiting and retention. They need to be simple and easy to understand, helping the company to stay focused… It’s about constancy of purpose; you want to instill this into the culture.” It starts on the inside, and without engrained commitment, alignment and clarity (Purpose), Performance and Participation will be lacking.

Whether it is extreme poverty, income inequality, corruption, human rights abuses or the ever-increasing impacts of climate change on agriculture and coastal living, more consumers are making the connection between corporate actions, the quality of their lives and the success of their communities – providing new challenges and opportunities for brand leadership.

Facing inevitable attacks to their networks by hackers, electric utilities are making progress in prioritizing cybersecurity to ensure that they can deliver and maintain safe, secure utilities for all. However, this year’s Strategic Directions: Electric Industry Report shows even as leaders work to ensure grid security, major gaps remain in the areas of asset security control and security risk awareness.

GRI's podcasts are back! The October edition features GRI Chief Executive Tim Mohin dispelling the myth of competition among reporting frameworks; Alyson Genovese live from the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit discussing the Sustainable Development Goals; and a round-up of the key sustainability news from the last month.