BANDtogether to elevate societal wellbeing

Systemic societal issues demand systemic solutions, with collaboration across governments, academia, and business. As president of Banfield, I take seriously my responsibility to help improve the lives and realities of everyone in our care. Our purpose – a better world for pets – is at the heart of everything we do, and I believe firmly that in supporting pet health, we are uniquely positioned to advance human health and elevate societal wellbeing.

To help bring about progress, Banfield has launched?BANDtogether?– a series of multi-sector discussions to generate ideas and, more importantly, actions in response to three society-wide challenges:

• Improving education:?Investing in equitable education is an effective tool for business success and, as I’ve seen firsthand, it can have a transformational effect on the lives of our people. As leaders, we need to help remove barriers to education so Associates can realize their full potential.
• Elevating mental health:?83% of US employees experienced negative emotions associated with poor mental health in the past year. By breaking down stigmas and addressing mental health head-on, organizations have an opportunity to positively impact not just the workplace, but society as a whole.
• Empowering women:?Since the pandemic took hold, more than 2 million women have dropped out of the workforce.?This is a clear signal that we must collectively do better to address the challenges this essential population faces.?With 86 percent of our workface being women, Banfield is uniquely invested in supporting and empowering women in the workplace.?

We recently convened our first?BANDtogether Roundtable, focused on education. Banfield’s VP of People & Organization Melissa Marshall and I came together with several experts representing academia, government, philanthropy, and other businesses. We brought our ideas and experiences to the table, and we came away with the below set of insights and actions focused on improving the transition from school to work, expanding students’ employment horizons, and enabling people to learn throughout their working lives – affordably in every case.

It was so inspiring to learn from this incredible group of leaders who share in my impatience to improve the lives of people and societal wellbeing for the long term. I look forward to Banfield’s next two roundtable discussions later this year, focused on elevating mental health and empowering women.

With such significant challenges, progress will happen in proportion to our willingness to embrace genuine “cross-sector collaboration,” which a?recent article ?in the?Stanford Social Innovation Review?aptly defined as “alliances of individuals and organizations from the nonprofit, government, philanthropic, and business sectors that use their diverse perspectives and resources to jointly solve a societal problem and achieve a shared goal.”?

BANDtogether?is Banfield’s affirmation of that spirit of collaboration, and our contribution to action. Together, we can ensure today’s workforce has access to the tools and resources they need to be their best selves. If you take care of your people, everything else will follow.