Companies in competitive markets face a multitude of challenges related to their critical talent. Chief among these challenges is high turnover rates for in-demand and skilled employees. If left unaddressed, this kind of employee turnover can lead to deteriorating service quality, a disengaged workforce, and poor financial performance.
Security leaders often struggle to communicate how well they are performing. Similarly, to justify new investments, budget increases, or ongoing costs, security teams find it difficult to articulate the value of security investments. It is not enough to claim we prevented something bad from happening.
Over the past few years, diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives have moved from basic compliance reporting to business-critical strategies that unlock workforce potential and deepen the connection with customers. Keep in mind that D&I encompasses a wide range of employee characteristics, including age, race, gender, sexual orientation, sense of belonging, fit with company culture, experience, capabilities, and more. While we have moved beyond simply tracking a handful of basic demographic measures, people data continues to serve as a critical element for any D&I program. After all, it is hard to know where to go with your D&I program if it isn’t clear where you are today as an organization or where you’ve been.
Energy efficiency programs, which have been a staple of utility services for many years, are receiving renewed focus. Specifically, energy efficiency (EE) not only provides savings to customers, but utilities increasingly see it as a necessary tool to achieve ambitious carbon-reduction goals. In these cases, utilities are facing a significant ramp-up in EE targets and budgets, prompting them to ask how to approach increasing the scale and scope of programs.
With the transportation sector accounting for the largest portion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States,[1] meeting state, local, and corporate GHG emissions targets will require businesses operating fleets to proactively adopt electric vehicles (EV). With this in mind, companies are beginning to pursue electrification, including halting procurement of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and planning for the considerable charging infrastructure, business model impacts, and personnel changes required to operate an electric fleet.
As decarbonization efforts continue to proliferate, electric vehicles (EVs) are widely seen as essential to meeting state and local clean energy goals. However, in order to meet the charging needs of EVs, a significant charging infrastructure still needs to be developed. As states and regulators consider how to foster EV adoption, make-ready programs have emerged as an increasingly popular option. By March 2021, 15 utilities across the United States announced make-ready programs with a collective budget of more than $1 billion.
For Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, ScottMadden is celebrating its powerhouse women through this employee spotlight series! Learn more about the impressive achievements and inspiring stories of Molly Donofrio and Farzeen Tejani.
Jon Luk, a director within ScottMadden’s corporate & shared services practice, joined the firm as an M.B.A. summer intern in 2014. He then returned in 2015 as a full-time associate. Over his six-year tenure, Jon has designed and implemented various shared services organizations and supporting technologies. Today, he leads the service delivery model and HR technologies pillar for the human capital management CoP. Jon holds a B.A. in mathematics and economics from Emory University and an M.B.A. from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
This Veterans Day, ScottMadden is honored to recognize 18 of our employees who have served, or continue to serve, within the branches of the United States military. Not only do each of our Veterans bring undeniable skill and expertise to our firm, but they also bring discipline and integrity. From their time in service, they understand the dynamics of leadership and teamwork and demonstrate accountability and efficiency in all that they do.
For more than a decade, nuclear operators have faced an uphill battle to compete with low natural gas prices and increasing renewable generation. Plants have been focused on reducing operating expenses to manage costs and compete in bid-based and regulated markets. As we shared in the article, “While You Were Sleeping: The Unnoticed Loss of Carbon-Free Generation in the United States,” the early retirement of at-risk nuclear plants may give back gains in carbon-free generation from new wind and solar. There is increasing urgency for nuclear plants to increase profitability and avoid premature decommissioning.
President Joe Biden is expected to pursue an “all-of-government” approach to climate change. The incoming administration is expected to move as swiftly as possible on an agenda that modifies or reverses the Trump administration’s policies. Many of these changes were signaled in the Biden campaign’s Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force Recommendations, released last August, and other initiatives announced during the campaign.
Sussex Economic Advisors is now part of ScottMadden. We invite you to learn more about our expanded firm. Please use the Contact Us form to request additional information.
