• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales

1

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
ConferencesLeadership

Why executives are trying to show they care about more than just dollars

By Kylie Logan
November 17, 2021, 5:30 PM ET

“People, particularly the younger generations, millennials and below, are taking enterprises to task,” said Russell Glass, CEO of Headspace Health, implying that customers will no longer support companies they don’t truly believe in.

The comments came during a Fortune virtual event on Wednesday focused on how organizations can foster sustainable and inclusive growth. This buzzy business topic comes, of course, as companies try to change the perception that they only care about dollars and growth.

The movement, known as ESG, for environmental, social, and governance, comes as workers increasingly demand that their employers show that they care. It’s become particularly important during the pandemic, which made many workers reevaluate their priorities and switch jobs—a phenomenon called the Great Resignation—to ones that have a more meaningful mission.

Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, said that if we’re going to talk so much about the Great Resignation, we must also consider the concurrent “great re-phasing of corporate America”, as leaders “redefine” what it means to sustainably run a business during a heath crisis.

Worker burnout has always been a problem and the pressures of the pandemic have only made it worse. Glass, from Headspace Health, noted that there is “a huge gap between what executives think they’re doing and what employees are receiving.” He mentioned a 2021 Headspace Health survey that revealed 60% of employers “say well-being is a priority in their organizations, yet only half of their employees agree.” This doesn’t mean important ESG progress isn’t happening, Glass noted. But it does mean whatever work executives are doing to improve their companies’ focus on sustainability and inclusivity is being poorly communicated.

The young job candidates who Albertsons Companies CEO Vivek Sankaran interviews these days are simultaneously interviewing him about strategy and ESG. “It’s not a question I got five years ago,” he said. By 2025, millennials are projected to make up about 75% of the workforce, and Generation Z is following close behind.

James Loree, CEO of Stanley Black & Decker, noted that today’s workers want “stability and they want trust.” In other words, he advised against making employees and customers guess what executives are doing.

In terms of measuring growth and ESG standards, Marriott International president Stephanie Linnartz said her company has a board committee that monitors “multi-year [environmental, social, and corporate governance] goals” on a three-year basis, releasing their progress publicly every quarter. This kind of dedication to ESG, specifically at a board-level is rare, she said, while adding that it should be “deeply embedded” in every company.

Progressive Insurance CEO Tricia Griffith said her company’s goal to become carbon neutral is public and the company is held accountable by regularly publishing sustainability reports. Martine Ferland, president and CEO at asset management company Mercer and vice chair at insurance company Marsh McLennan, suggested using social media for transparency and “to bring people along” the company’s journey.

Pledges, metrics, and social media engagement aside, Walgreens’ Brewer sees this pandemic as a wake-up call that businesses must heed. “I thought I was applying everything I’ve learned in my career,” she said of her pre-pandemic leadership tactics, “I thought I was applying everything that I’ve experienced as an African-American female working in the bottom of organizations to the top of organizations. But what I realize now as I’m trying
 to unravel vaccine mandates, getting hourly employees to come to work, watching female potential leaders of the world leave the workforce for nothing…I think we have not been listening, and I think what’s coming to bear for all of us, is to redefine first and foremost who we are as leaders.”

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.


Latest from our Conferences

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest from our Conferences

Fortune COO Summit 2026 livestream
ConferencesCOO Summit
Fortune COO Summit 2026 livestream
By Fortune EditorsMay 27, 2026
3 days ago
Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026 livestream
ConferencesBrainstorm Tech
Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026 livestream
By Fortune EditorsMay 27, 2026
3 days ago
A photo taken during the Maroon Bells bicycle ride during Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2019 in Aspen, Colorado. (Photo: Fortune)
InnovationBrainstorm Tech
Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026 will be brilliant
By Andrew NuscaMay 22, 2026
8 days ago
Clinical Psychologist Daniel Wendler
ConferencesWorkplace Innovation Summit
A ‘proudly autistic’ workplace expert says putting neurodivergent employees in a typical office is like dropping a polar bear in Austin, Texas
By Tristan BoveMay 20, 2026
10 days ago
lucas
ConferencesWorkplace Innovation Summit
Trump’s EEOC chair is suing The New York Times because ‘we should bring it on behalf of white workers too’
By Nick LichtenbergMay 20, 2026
10 days ago
Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit logo
ConferencesWorkplace Innovation Summit
Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit 2026 livestream
By Fortune EditorsMay 19, 2026
11 days ago

Most Popular

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens
Magazine
As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens
By Emma HinchliffeMay 27, 2026
3 days ago
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
9 days ago
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
Success
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
By Emma BurleighMay 28, 2026
2 days ago
UBS says Ron DeSantis has a problem with his plan to help 92% of homeowners save on property taxes: His own state's data
Personal Finance
UBS says Ron DeSantis has a problem with his plan to help 92% of homeowners save on property taxes: His own state's data
By Nick LichtenbergMay 28, 2026
2 days ago
Researchers let AI models run a simulated society. Claude was the safest—and Grok committed 180 crimes and went extinct within 4 days
AI
Researchers let AI models run a simulated society. Claude was the safest—and Grok committed 180 crimes and went extinct within 4 days
By Jake AngeloMay 28, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 29, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 29, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 29, 2026
20 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.