Hobby Lobby Wins Its Supreme Court Case Regarding Contraceptive Mandate of Obamacare

Hobby Lobby wins its Supreme Court case regarding that part of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) that would have allowed the company to fully abide by the Obamacare's contraceptive coverage, as the Supreme Court has just handed its decision: a closely-held company can be exempt from the contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Read more

The justices' 5-4 decision Monday is the first time that the high court has ruled that profit-seeking businesses can hold religious views under federal law. And it means the Obama administration must search for a different way of providing free contraception to women who are covered under objecting companies' health insurance plans. Read more at

Hobby Lobby, a diversity leader in the arts and crafts industry, citing religious beliefs, sought exemption from that part of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare which requires employers to provide for devices or medications which the company considers as preventing successful pregnancies.

But the majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, strikes a significant balance in the way it has decided the case, and, argues Tom Goldstein of www.scotusblog.com, makes explicit that companies cannot use the decision to avoid laws that prohibit discrimination. This is a significant result for gays and lesbians, as many religious conservatives had looked to this case for support as laws recognizing gay marriage, for instance, proliferate. See more here

Information Services Group (ISG) - Where Diversity Powers Success

Information Services Group (ISG), a leading technology insights, market intelligence and advisory services company, was founded in 2006 with the vision of creating a new leader in the fast-growing information-based services industry.

With that vision, and its proven ISG strategy, it continues to grow dynamic, innovative businesses that provide "must-have" information-based services and today serves more than 500 clients around the world to help them achieve operational excellence.

ISG believes their people are their greatest attribute, and a key to their success is the value of diversity: the value of having diverse backgrounds, experiences and values.

Diversity powers their success and helps achieve their corporate goals, as their talented employees work collaboratively in a community that respects, welcomes varied ideas and communication styles.

Being an Equal Opportunity Employer, ISG provides equal opportunity in hiring, training, compensation, promotion without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, gender, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, respecting and valuing the diversity each of their employees brings.

In the process, ISG is able to create an inclusive work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment. At the same time, it is of utmost importance that they attract and retain the brightest talents - the reason they lead the global sourcing industry.

Because of their excellence, ISG  provide highly competitive base salaries and excellent benefits, and employees are assured of being able to achieve work/life balance of the flex-time work scheduling that may be utilized. Being a global company, advisors can even enjoy the flexibility of where to work and live.

Great careers await those who would like to make a genuine impact for themselves, for the company and its clients.

To look for ISG jobs, visit DiversityWorking.com, the largest diversity job board online and launch a rewarding career with this great company.

Initiatives to Boost Diversity in the Tech Industry

Diversity or the lack of it is very much in focus in the tech industry as so far four among the tech giants in the industry - Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo and Facebook - have revealed their respective workforce diversity data, which paint a common picture: mostly white, male and Asian.

Each of these companies have owned up to the dismal diversity of their workforces and are talking of their initiatives to boost diversity in the tech industry on the whole. It is a common understanding that the lack of diversity in the industry is due to few women and minorities are taking up STEM courses.

Since the gap starts early, initiatives announced by Google and its peers have included donating to programs that expose women and minorities to computer science education from an early stage. Google is helping historically black colleges and universities improve their computer science programs. Facebook is collaborating with “Yes We Code,” which brings coding lessons to low-opportunity youth. “It’s encouraging to see not just the numbers, but that there’s real synergy in the solutions across tech companies, from education initiatives to unconscious bias training,” says Meghan Casserly, a spokeswoman for Google. Read more at

Facebook said it’s teaming up with several organizations, including the National Center for Women & Information Technology and the National Society of Black Engineers to improve diversity. Google last week introduced Made With Code, an organization to inspire girls to write software by showing them role models and teaching them introductory coding. The group said it’s committing $50 million to support programs that get more women into computer science.
Along with its dislosure, Facebook announced seven initiatives to help close its diversity gap. Four of them related specifically to increasing the number of female or minority technologists. Read more at

While tech companies say their diversity challenges are largely due to the lack of women and minorities getting science and engineering degrees, Rev. Jackson said the industry’s diversity data show that it has done a poor job of recruiting black and Latino workers even for nontechnical jobs such as lawyers and marketers. Read more here

It is hoped that with the disclosure of their workforce diversity data, a step in the right direction, and by revealing the diversity initiatives meant to increase their diversity reach, more women and minorities will be given more significant roles in the tech industry.

If you are interested in technology jobs, visit DiversityWorking.com, the largest diversity job board online.






 

50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Linclon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964, and with that dawned a new age in which racism, discrimination, segregation, should no longer have a place in American society. Fifty years later, it is time for celebrating diversity and inclusion that now have taken place even amid the remaining vestiges of that painful epoch in history, and the struggle still continues for many.

The Civil Rights Law, a Johnson legacy, affected the nation profoundly as it for the first time prohibited discrimination in employment and businesses of public accommodation on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Johnson's efforts did more for civil rights than any president since Abraham Lincoln.The world has evolved over the past half century. In 2008, American elected Obama president, our first African American president. It is a 21st century reality that would have been impossible in 1964. There is now growing equality in women's rights, disability rights, gay rights and immigrant rights across the country. Read more at:

In commemorating this monumental event, it should be realized that the Civil Rights movement has always been more than a black and white issue, according to Shana Bernstein, a former associate professor of history at Southwestern University in Georgetown and is currently a visiting associate professor at Northwestern Universit, and writing for statesman.com.

She writes:  The usual narrative is that the black movement that forced Congress, John F. Kennedy and later Lyndon B. Johnson to legislate civil rights then “trickled down” to other communities in the later 1960s and 1970s...But in the 1950s and 1960s, and even before, battles for equality were plural from the beginning. Diversity especially marked struggles in the Southwest and West, where Latinos’, Asian-Americans’ and Native Americans’ longtime presence complicated notions of a racial binary. In Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Utah and California, a significant Latino presence shaped society since the Southwest became part of the United States in 1848. Read more here:

Indeed, the countless stories of the heroic men and women who fought for the freedom to enjoy one's rights should never be forgotten, and among the many events being held to remember their struggles is that of the Freedom Riders of the 1960s. 

A half-century ago, courageous civil rights activists rode Greyhound and Trailways buses into the segregated South, enduring brutal beatings by the Ku Klux Klan, fire bombings and the wrath of Birmingham (Alabama) Public Safety Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor. They came to be known as “Freedom Riders.” On Wednesday, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, some of those same Freedom Riders will board buses in front of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building for a symbolic and celebratory returning freedom ride. See more at

Yet today, the struggle for one's civil rights should continue, as there are still those that are being marginalized. Commitment to equal opportunity, embracing the diversity of our people, and inclusion, not segregation, should be more engrained into each of our individual and collective consciousness.

As one article explains: And 50 years after the remarkable accomplishment that was — and is — the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we are closer to a more perfect union but it remains on the horizon. Inequalities still demand to be addressed through law, intention and spirit and we must not rest until equality, or achieving equality, is a reality for all of us. Read more here

Hobby Lobby Hopefully Awaits SC Decision in its Favor

Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. awaits the Supreme Court decision that many expect to come out very soon, hoping it turns to its favor. Hobby Lobby, with its sister company Mardel Christian Bookstore are fighting for their right to be exempted from some parts of the Affordable Care Act contraceptive mandate saying that providing for devices or medications that prevent a successful pregnancy goes against their deep religious beliefs on which their companies were founded and stand firm.

The Justices are set to rule on whether the Affordable Care Act is infringing on craft store chain Hobby Lobby’s religious rights by forcing the company to provide full contraceptive coverage to its 13,000 workers as part of its health care plan. Read more at

The Supreme Court will hand down its decision in the Hobby Lobby case, which raises the question of whether a corporation has a legal right to refuse to comply with provisions of the Affordable Care Act that require it to provide contraceptive health insurance coverage for its women employees. Hobby Lobby maintains that it must be granted an exemption from the law because compliance would conflict with the corporation’s religious beliefs.
There is hope that Hobby Lobby may win its case, according to this news analysis. 
It goes on to say that although people tend to think the case poses a First Amendment question, in fact it poses only a statutory question: whether the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act gives Hobby Lobby a statutory right not to comply with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. Read more of the analysis here:

There were indications during the arguments that Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy could be a factor in the final decision, after Kennedy joined both the Court’s liberals and conservatives in posing questions to Verrilli and Clement.
Reporters from The Wall Street Journal, who were at the arguments, also believed that Chief Justice John Roberts might have been seeking a compromise involving closely held companies (like Hobby Lobby) and publicly held companies. Read more at

Since Hobby Lobby, an Equal Opportunity Employer is generally considered a closely held company with its religious beliefs, it may yet be granted the exemption it seeks. To be fair, it already agrees to cover those birth control methods that prevent conception. Thus, to be asking for exemption from providing for those methods and medications that would kill a life inside the mother's womb goes well with its strongly held religious belief against abortion.

Winn Dixie: Your Partner for Success

Winn Dixie belongs to BI-LO Holdings, the fifth-largest conventional supermarket in the United States based on store count. It was founded in 1925, and it continues to expand. Thus today Winn Dixie has in its employ more than 48,000 associates who serve customers in 548 grocery stores and 418 in-store pharmacies throughout the five southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.Training Department is at the forefront of our efforts to enhance satisfaction on the job and create clear-cut paths to rewarding careers at Winn-Dixie.

Working at Winn Dixie is rewarding andTraining Department is at the forefront of our efforts to enhance satisfaction on the job and create clear-cut paths to rewarding careers at Winn-Dixie. fulfilling; it is working with one's partner for success. Its tradition of building a strong dynamic workforce - "one team" working together to leverage diversity across race, color, gender, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, ​disability and individual perspectives in order to create an inclusive and welcoming environment where all associates are comfortable bringing their unique experiences and ideas to the job.

Diversity and inclusion is something we truly believe in, not only as the right thing to do, but it’s also important to the growth of our people and our business.  In short, we drive success through being “different together”.

At Winn Dixie, one not only gets a job, but a career as well. One gets to develop to one's peak through Winn-Dixie’s award-winning training programs that help Store Associates perform to high standards and take pride in their work. Its Training Department is at the forefront of the efforts to enhance satisfaction on the job and create clear-cut paths to rewarding careers at Winn-Dixie.

At the same time, Winn Dixie provides compensation and benefits programs that support the goals and culture of the company and are designed to attract and retain the people they need. The package of benefits that Winn Dixie offers their associates encompasses health and welfare, financial security and work-life balance. Indeed, working with Winn Dixie is a reward in itself.

Come visit DiversityWorking.com, the largest diversity job board online and browse for Winn Dixie jobs and start a great enriching career with this prestigious company.

BI-LO, LLC: “One Team” - Teaming Together Through Diversity and Inclusion

BI-LO, LLC,  a subsidiary of  Bi-Lo Holdings, which is the fifth-largest conventional supermarket in the United States based on store count, was founded in 1961 by former Winn-Dixie executive Frank Outlaw. His vision was to create a supermarket where shoppers could buy national brands for less, and until today, BI-LO has worked with that same innovative spirit with which it began.

No wonder then it continues to grow and today,  BI-LO employs more than 19,000 associates who serve customers in 224 grocery stores and 113 in-store pharmacies throughout the four southeastern states of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The trust they have earned among their loyal customers stem from the quality of goods and services they provide, which they guarantee with the strongest endorsement: they double your money back if you are unsatisfied with any item bought from a BI-LO store.

BI-LO is a good place to work for dedicated professionals who meet their high standards of customer service and quality, for the following benefits:

• A stable and growing company
• A job that is never boring
• A culture of reward and recognition
• A company that gives back
• Competitive salary and benefits

Job opportunities abound in BI-LO ranging from part-time positions, to specialized positions including store management. The work environment in BI-Lo is such that one feels part of a team - "One Team" - where each person is valued for individual traits, skills and talent and has the opportunity to fulfill career goals and contribute to the success of the company.

Diversity and inclusion is very much part of the belief system of BI-LO. They work together to leverage diversity across race, color, gender, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability and individual perspectives in order to create an inclusive and welcoming environment where all associates are comfortable bringing their unique experiences and ideas to the job.

An equal opportunity employer, BI-LO prohibits discrimination and harassment based on an individual’s race, color, gender, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, military status, genetic information or any other class protected by applicable federal, state or local law. At the same time, the company provides accommodation to disabled employees and applicants.

If interested in BI-LO jobs, come visit DiversityWorking.com, the largest diversity job board online, and see how you can start a fulfilling career with this stable and strong diversity company.

Yahoo's Workforce Diversity Fares Better Than Google's

After Google and LinkedIn shared their respective workforce diversity data, here comes Yahoo with its own, revealing a workforce diversity that is slightly better than that of Google.

Yahoo on Tuesday released statistics about its workforce, and the employee makeup is -- like many of the other tech firms that have disclosed data -- mostly male and mostly white. Globally, the company is 62 percent male, according to the data. In the United States, Yahoo's workforce is 50 percent white and 39 percent Asian. Black employees only made up 2 percent, and Hispanics made up 4 percent. Women only made up 15 percent of its non-technical workforce, and 23 percent of its leadership team. Read more at:

Progress is incremental, but its happening. The fact that Yahoo and Google felt forced to share these numbers is a victory for advocates who argue that its in Silicon Valley's best financial interest to follow the same logic as their startups and adapt. Yahoo also took another step toward equal opportunity. They didn't use Google's excuse that fewer women study computer science in college. Read more:

However, for Yahoo, they have an ace up their sleeves: Yahoo received a 100% Corporate Equality Index score and was named a “Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality.” - Jackie Reses, Chief Development Officer in Yahoo's statement on their workforce diversity. 

Again, the question asked is could it really be this way as far fewer women are choosing engineering or computer science as their major, even if more
women are getting into universities than men? Then, if so, how can more women be encouraged to take up any of the courses in STEM?

Executive Order On LGBT Job Discrimination Being Drafted by Obama Administration

The LGBT community and advocates and the rest of the country await the signing by President Obama of an executive order giving protection to members of the LGBT community against job discrimination that is now being drafted.

President Barack Obama has directed his staff to draft an executive order that would ban workplace discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees of federal contractors, a White House official told The Huffington Post.The move is the clearest indication to date that the administration is prepared to take action on LGBT rights where Congress has fallen short. Read more at:

It seems that this is news being intentionally leaked so as to warn lawmakers that they have a limited window to pass more sweeping workplace discrimination legislation before he acts without them, according to the aforementioned article.

The White House is expected to announce Monday that President Obama will issue an executive order requiring that all companies who contract with the federal government must not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The protections will reach over one million LGBT workers across the country, making it the single largest expansion of LGBT workplace protections in our country’s history. Read more here:

This is just right for the President to do and it is high time he should. He is within legal bounds to issue such an executive order that is meant to benefit LGBT workers in the absence of supportive action from lawmakers themselves, and the best he can do without the ENDA. 

Although some, like John Boehner, argue that the Civil Rights Act already protects individuals against this type of discrimination, it is currently technically legal to fire individuals because they identify as LGBT in 32 states. See here

Thus, the signing of this executive order that ensures LGBT workers are given equal job opportunities, and not indiscriminately fired from work, is such a welcome move.

Olympus Corporation of the Americas: Creating New Values

Olympus Corporation of the Americas, world leader in cameras - from from the Semi-Olympus I in the 1930s to today's digital cameras - and in research and clinical microscopes, has a very interesting history going back to 1919.

It is named after the famous Greek mythological mountain, Mt. Olympus where 12 supreme gods and goddesses live, to reflect its strong aspiration to create high quality, world famous products. "Olympus" has been used as a trademark since the time of Takachiho Seisakusho, the predecessor of Olympus Corporation.
 
Such a strong name, Olympus Corporation, and coupled with its corporate philosophy of Social IN: Integrity in society, creating Innovative value, and social Involvement, it is how Olympus conducts its businesses and relates to its people, business associates and customers, the community and the
environment.

Olympus strives to play an integral role in society, sharing its values and working to create new value to help people around the world have healthier and more fulfilling lives. Accordingly, Olympus has adopted Social IN, a management philosophy that embraces social values as an essential part of its business ideology.

An equal opportunity employer, Olympus Corporation strives to extend equal employment and advancement opportunity to all applicants and employees. It recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or veteran status.

At Olympus, career opportunities are abundant on a global scale. It is also recognized as one of the best places to work in the Lehigh Valley based on employee surveys. Olympus also provides work-life balance among other benefits ensuring that its employees are happy and healthy.

Come visit DiversityWorking.com, the largest diversity job board online, to browse for Olympus Corporation jobs, and start an enriching career with this great company.

Lennox International Inc. - Sharing its Mission with Integrity

Lennox International is a leading provider of climate control solutions for heating, air conditioning and refrigeration markets around the world. Its heritage of integrity and innovation dates back to 1895, when David Lennox built and marketed the industry's first riveted-steel furnace.

Lennox International Inc., as well as all its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, have been built through the character of its people which is reflected in the Company's Core Values: Integrity, Respect and Excellence - values by which the Company and its people conduct its businesses, and which will guide them through more years of success.

Diversity and inclusion are also of utmost importance to Lennox International. It respects and values people of different backgrounds, experiences and cultures. Its diversity efforts is based mainly on attracting and retaining high performing individuals across a wide range of talent pools.

Lennox International's focused diversity recruitment programs ensures that qualified diverse candidates are well represented in all their job openings.

Hand in hand with its diversity efforts is inclusion: ensuring the promotion of

employee engagement and leveraging the unique strenths of each and everyone of its employees.


With a forum for its employees of different backgrounds and experiences to meet and make a difference - the Lennox Women's Business Council, formed in 2009, as well as the development and implementation of action plans as a result of a survey done in 2010, in which 80 % of its employees participated, and which are aimed at improving management communications, training and developmemt opportunities, and employee recognition, Lennox International Inc is doubtless a worthwhile company to join and develop one's career.


For Lennox International jobs, head to DiversityWorking.com, the largest diversity job board online, and see how you can launch a rewarding career with this great company.

KPMG LLP Is "Best Company for Asian Pacific Americans to Develop Workforce Skills"

KPMG LLP is this year's the "Best Company for Asian Pacific Americans to Develop Workforce Skills."

Big 4 accounting and consulting firm KPMG LLP has been named the "Best Company for Asian Pacific Americans to Develop Workforce Skills" by the Asia Society for the second consecutive year. Read more at:

This attests to KPMG's firm commitment to diversity and inclusion, which is one of the company's four strong pillars that guide its actions to "do business better" and attain "workforce readiness."

"We are proud to once again be recognized by the Asia Society as a top company for Asian Pacific American professionals, as it further underscores our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone has the opportunity to succeed," said Kathy Hannan, National Managing Partner for Diversity and Corporate Responsibility at KPMG. "The efforts led by our national Asian Pacific Islander employee resource group are dedicated to ensuring that talented diverse individuals at KPMG can achieve their career goals."
Read more at:

 

Aside from this recognition, KPMG was also awarded for best practices in 
Mentoring and Employee Growth and Advancement.

 

Visit DiversityWorking.com, the largest diversity job board online to browse for KPMG jobs, and start a fulfilling career with this highly-recognized diversity company.

 

LinkedIn Shares Workforce Diversity Data; Vows to Improve It

In a move similar to Google, Linkedin, shared its workforce diversity data, revealing a predominantly male and white workplace, and vows to improve this.

LinkedIn's workforce is too heavily white and male and needs to become more diverse, the company admitted Thursday. LinkedIn said 61 percent of its 5,400 employees worldwide are men and 39 percent are women. Of its U.S. employees, 53 percent are white, 38 percent are Asian, 4 percent Hispanic and 2 percent black. Read more:

This comes just a few weeks after Google released its workforce diversity data. Google's workforce is 70% men and 61% white. Read more:

LinkedIn decided to follow Google’s lead and be transparent about its own workforce to help lead Silicon Valley to become more diverse. “True inclusion is something that can only be achieved through a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of our member base, and this is something we strive to do in all of our hiring efforts,” Wadors (Pat, Head of LinkedIn Talent) wrote. Read more:

Wadors said the company is already taking steps to address the imbalance, but said improving diversity is a continuous process. “While it’s easy for tech companies, like LinkedIn, to form partnerships with organisations that can promote a more balanced workplace diversity, there is a cycle of responsibility associated with transparency,” said Wadors.  Read more:

Being more transparent can spark that much-needed impetus to galvanize a company to improving its diversity reach, and it is hoped that with Google and LinkedIn publicly acknowledging the lack of diversity among their workforce, the technology industry will be enriched with an influx of diverse talents coming from the women and minority sectors soon.

 

Nestlé Purina – A ‘Best Place to Work’

Known nationally as a ‘Best Place to Work’, Nestlé Purina is packed with passionate, industry experts from across the globe who are revolutionizing the science and innovation behind pet nutrition and enriching the lives or pets and people everywhere.

The Purina family is continuously growing and recruiting year-round in all areas of their business and at all career levels. Each August, they begin their College Recruitment Program to attract high-performing undergrads, first-year MBA students and recent college graduates. Specifically, they recruit for the following functional areas: Supply Chain, Finance, Accounting, Audit, Human Resources, Production, Engineering, Quality Assurance, Information Systems and Branded Marketing.

Undergraduate Internships

Nestlé Purina’s internships span 10-12 weeks during the summer months at their Headquarters in St. Louis, MO. These internships fall within the areas of Finance/Accounting, Audit and Supply Chain – each opportunity offers students the chance to truly ‘unleash’ their potential in roles that require hands-on work for real-world projects. Throughout the year, internship opportunities become available in other areas of the business as well, such as Human Resources, Market Research, Sustainability and their Creative Communications Agency, known as CheckMark.

MBA and Other Graduate Internships

The Branded Marketing team offers a robust internship opportunity, also in St. Louis, for students between their first and second year of an accredited full-time MBA program. Over 12 summer weeks, these interns are faced with challenging projects across Purina’s portfolio of brands and, in return, they receive 360-feedback and professional experience that no classroom could provide. Purina also offers a unique financial reporting internship for those pursuing a master’s degree in the areas of finance or accounting. This internship is highly cross-functional, exposing students to industry experts from various internal departments.

Management Trainee Program

Nestlé Purina believes its Trainees are the future leaders of the manufacturing business. They invest into this program, unique to Purina, which recruits college seniors and recent graduates into entry-level, salaried roles within various functional areas at four of their North American factory locations. These areas include: Accounting, Engineering, Human Resources, Information Systems, Production, Quality Assurance, and Supply Chain. While recruitment for these roles begins each August, each position actually begins the following summer.

“Nestle Purina’s long term success is driven by the quality of college students we select for our internship and trainee programs,” Mel Kohr, Director, Talent Sourcing, said. “These individuals form our pipeline of future leaders. A key attribute to our success will be the diverse backgrounds of the students that join the Purina Family. Diversity in the form of experiences, race, gender, school, thought, etc. is critical to our long term success and it has proven to drive creativity and productive changes, which has enhanced our overall business performance.”

Connecting with Purina

Aside from a prominent presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+, Purina runs an annual College Sweepstakes for students to enter for chances to win $1,500 cash and to be among the first who learn when their internships and entry-level positions are posted online later in the summer.

If you’re interested in a career with Purina, but unsure as to where you’ll be a strong fit, their Career Connexion App allows the ability to enter in your area of study/interest, which then helps connect you to a department or functional area that may be best, given your background experience.

Click here to learn more about career opportunities at Nestlé Purina – truly a Best Place to Work.