Business
Looking for positive and inspiring business stories? From green operations to employee rights, from innovative corporate structures to diversity and inclusion, the Business section at The Optimist Daily has got the latest innovative solutions from the corporate sector.
Even if small talk is superficial, science says it’s beneficial at work
We often think of small talk at work as superficial and inconsequential, but a new study challenges this view. In fact, a new study found that the trivial, non-work related conversations we have with colleagues are more beneficial than we give them credit for. Promoting well-being: To measure the Read More...
Meet Caesar, the therapy llama calming tensions at protests
Portland has been in the headlines a lot lately after waves of protests led to clashes between police and activists. But even amongst the intensity of the unrest, there were pockets of calm around “Caesar the No Drama Llama." Caesar is a retired 6-year-old Argentine grand champion show llama Read More...
Why Apple’s low-carbon aluminum is a climate game changer
In July, Apple made a pledge to be carbon-neutral by 2030. Its a lofty target for the tech giant, but it has a novel material that it believes will help the company accomplish its goal. The new material is a “low-carbon” aluminum that it can use to make its sleek laptops. The lightweight Read More...
To address racism today, companies must back words with action
Much has changed in the corporate world since 2014. Back then, brands went largely unchallenged for standing on the sidelines or issuing noncommittal statements during the Black Lives Matter protests in Ferguson, Missouri. Calls for the Washington football team to change its name at that time Read More...
New Google badge makes it easier to patron Black-owned businesses
Supporting Black-owned businesses is a great way to use your dollars to fight for racial justice. Now, Google is making it easier for users to locate and patron Black-owned businesses by adding a badge to companies’ Google profiles. The badge is a black heart over an orange three-striped Read More...
After 250 years, the Esselen tribe has reclaimed their homelands
In 1770, the people of the Esselen Tribe of northern California were forcibly removed from their lands and brought to Spanish missions. But now, after more than 250 years, the Esselen tribe is landless no more. This week, the Esselen tribe finalized the purchase of a 1,200-acre ranch near Big Read More...
Thought Leader Series: A workforce reimagined with Lynne Oldham
We’ve recently shared stories about old jeans becoming new pairs of pants and bricks made from old construction waste. We are so eager to give old materials a second chance in the circular economy, but count out our citizens after one criminal conviction. In this week’s Thought Leader Series, Read More...
Three small ways to support parents working from home
It can be tough to motivate and focus if you’re working from home. Keeping kids entertained at home makes it all the more difficult. Large companies, like Goldman Sachs, are offering extra childcare leave days, but even small businesses with more limited budgets are finding solutions to help out Read More...
The case for relocating small businesses back to residential areas
If you walk around some 1920s-era neighborhoods, it’s not unusual to see a tiny grocery store inhabiting the street corner. This used to be normal in residential areas, but as cars became more widespread, businesses relocated to more centrally-located commercial centers such as malls. The Read More...
Giant retailers like Walmart and Target unite to take on plastic bags
Single-use plastic shopping bags are a real problem. They take decades to break down but nearly 100 billion of them are used in the United States every year to cart away goods from retailers. Fewer than 10 percent of those are recycled — often winding up in landfills and waterways because many Read More...