Discussion Our favourite stories this week

Dear Readers,

Here are a few articles published in the last few days that address issues – such as corporate governance, sustainability, trust in business, AI, mental health and productivity – that Tomorrow’s Company thinks business should seek to fully engage with if it is truly to become a force for good in society.

Yours,

The TC team

If our productivity and performance dip after 48 hours why do we still glorify working late? Research shows excessive slog damages our health. Shouldn’t we be connecting the search for improving both productivity and mental health at work? https://www.economist.com/business/2018/11/24/americans-need-to-take-a-break

Elon Musk predicted that Artificial Intelligence would be ‘seriously dangerous’ by 2019. How close is that to reality? http://entm.ag/dyt

When business leaders bemoan the fact that they are no longer trusted by a majority of the public they should fathom this: how much are you spending on influencing politicians to make or amend laws in your favour and why don’t you talk about this in your annual report? https://www.transparency.org.uk/cpei/

In 20 years global energy demand increases by over a third. If this is powered by fossil fuels then we are tipping climate change into unknown territory. We need to accelerate a shift into renewable wave and wind power is a huge opportunity to invest in jobs people and the planet https://www.weforum.org/whitepapers/accelerating-sustainable-energy-innovation?utm_source=Facebook%20Videos&utm_medium=Facebook%20Videos&utm_campaign=Facebook%20Video%20Blogs

Productivity and mental health is the classic combination we need to be talking about – not either/or but and/both. It will take fresh research, innovations and insight. A nice, practical profile – very human interest-influencing comms article https://amp.fastcompany.com/90264173/this-is-what-its-like-to-be-an-immigration-attorney-in-2018?__twitter_impression=true

“A state of good mental health enables people to realise their own potential, to cope with stress, to work productively and fruitfully and to contribute to their communities. Ill mental health inhibits people on all levels” https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/11/why-mental-health-investment-will-help-governments-across-the-sdgs

Experts are damaging democracy says UnHerd. Perhaps? Or perhaps it’s ‘the money’ that’s paying the experts to ‘prove’ whatever point of view they want to get across. Money from big business, Russians or NGOs…post-truth? https://unherd.com/2018/11/experts-damaging-democracy/?=sideshare

Making work and life more human by breathing the joy of life into work https://corporate-rebels.com/hoxby/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialWarfare

Recognised for their commitment to developing an economy that enables people, organisations and communities to flourish, here are Grant Thornton’s 2018 Faces of a Vibrant Economy http://ow.ly/F0mt30mAaXJ

Restoring trust will benefit the banking industry as a whole. But there’s a long way to go and it will require far more collaboration, many more courageous conversations and a focus on putting purpose into practice https://www.dinamedland.me/board-talk/banks-need-a-permanent-change-in-mindset-remove-the-link-between-sales-targets-and-compebsation-says-g30?format=amp&__twitter_impression=true

Voluntary codes don’t seem to be working when it comes to the excesses of executive pay; more action is needed. A nice summary by Dina Medland
http://www.abexcellence.com/governance-watch-list/2018/11/28/governance-watch-issue-48