Ark. official says ConAgra to add 50 new jobs

A new Associated Press report said ConAgra Foods is expanding its workforce in Batesville, Ark., as the company plans to produce a new variety of Marie Callender’s breakfast sandwiches. This move will generate around 50 new jobs at ConAgra’s facility in the city, a city economic official said.

Larry Jones, director of Independence County (Ark.) Economic Development, said this employment expansion will bring more green to the city as it generates new jobs. This move will increase ConAgra’s workforce at its Batesville plant to 310, Jones added.

ConAgra is one of the members of DiversityWorking that advocates equality and inclusion in the workplace. ConAgra provides equal employment opportunities to everyone regardless of gender, race or ethnicity. The company's initiatives in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in all its facilities across the U.S. have proven to be a very effective strategy towards achieving sustainable growth across the board.

Click through this link to learn more about ConAgra’s diversity initiatives.

Hobby Lobby opens new store in Wichita, Kan.

Hobby Lobby, one of the U.S.’s leading providers of home decors and craft supplies, is currently building a new store in Regency Lakes Shopping Center in Wichita, Kan. The new 55,000-square-foot store is expected to open this fall, said Vince Parker, Hobby Lobby’s spokesman.

Deal broker Brad Saville, who is the president of landmark Commercial Real Estate, said Hobby Lobby’s addition to the roster of shops and retailers in Regency Lakes will contribute greatly to the shopping center’s marketability.

“I just think that’s going to help the other businesses in the area increase traffic to the shopping center,” Saville said.

Currently, Hobby Lobby has a total of 525 facilities across the country, providing more than 65,000 home décor products and craft supplies to home and property owners in the U.S.

As a member of DiversityWorking, Hobby Lobby touts workplace diversity and inclusion in all its facilities. All over the world, companies that promote diversity have the best chances of increasing their bottomline and improving their efficiency, thus resulting in bigger profits and happier employees. 

If you’re interested to learn more about diversity, you may visit diversityworking.com and see what Hobby Lobby is doing to promote workplace diversity.

Cabela’s Q1 net profit climbs amid gun control debate, opens new Colo. stores

Gun and outdoor gear retailer Cabela’s has reported a significant increase in its net profit during the first fiscal quarter amid the ongoing debate about gun control in the U.S.

According to the company, its total earning jumped by 29% to $802.5 million. The company also registered a 24% increase in same-store sales. Additionally, Cabela’s online and catalog sales jumped to $225.2 million, registering an increase of 18%.

All in all, the company said its total net income for the first fiscal quarter jumped from $28.8 million last year to $49.8 million this year, registering a total increase 73%.

This growth could be a strong indicator that the company’s diversity efforts are paying off.

In fact, the company is about to open two new retail stores in Denver, and the company has begun hiring around 450 people to man these new stores.

“We are looking for employees who will deliver legendary customer service to the thousands of loyal Cabela’s customers across the Colorado Front Range. It’s a unique career opportunity for passionate outdoorsmen and women, as well as anyone else who wants to join a dynamic, growing company,” said Senior Director of Human Resources Chuck Bera.

The stores will go online on Aug. 15.

“The opening of Cabela’s Denver corporate extension is a sign of our tremendous strong recent growth and commitment to expanding our digital platform initiatives,” said Cabela’s Chief Marketing Officer Scott Williams.

As a member of DiversityWorking, Cabela’s is committed to promoting workplace diversity and inclusion in all of its facilities across the U.S. if you want to learn more about the company’s diversity initiatives, visit diversityworking.com.

Microsoft expert encourages firms to hire women execs, engineers

Blaise Aguera y Arcas, a fellow at Microsoft Research, strongly believes that women will dominate the tech market in the future, and so tech firms should get as much women as possible on board in order to tap this potential market.

Speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, Aguera y Arcas disclosed that based on his research, women’s incomes will most likely surpass those of men’s in the future as more women graduate from college than men. These findings debunk a current popular notion that students can stay out of college and still become successful, owing to the fact that several tech founders, including Bill Gates himself, never finished college.

"I've heard some nonsense that college isn't worth anything and it’s better to just found a startup. That's rubbish as far as I can see. All the data shows college earns you way more money over your career," he said.

By 2020, these women would have bigger incomes and more money to spend. The challenge for tech companies, then, is to lure these women into buying their products by designing mobile apps and gadgets that cater to women’s needs and preferences. Hence, companies should get more women on board in engineering, conceptualizing and even reviewing apps, gadgets and other tech products.

"If you can, hire women engineers and CEOs," he said.

Microsoft is one of the leading companies that promote workplace diversity and inclusion. Aside from valuing women as an integral part of the company’s success, Microsoft also promotes cultural diversity in its workforce.

To find out more about what Microsoft is doing to boost diversity, visit diversityworking.com.

Study: Team-building activities don’t always work

Team-building activities and work social events are often used by most companies to develop rapport between their employees and create an inclusive workplace. But a new study found that these activities don’t always achieve their intended purpose.

According to the study, team-building activities may be effective in improving relationships between employees that belong in the same racial or social class, but they don’t always work in building close ties between employees from dissimilar groups.

Experts suggest that instead of focusing on creating work social programs, employers should instead focus on promoting diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace. That way, employees would be empowered to contribute to the company’s overall growth as they find their niche in the workplace.

"Sometimes you can create cohesion around the work task itself — you don’t need outside social interaction. If everyone can feel good about the work they do and celebrate the successes they achieve together, it is not necessary to find ways to connect outside of work," according to Tracy Dumas, the lead author of the study.

Read the entire report at diversityworking.com.