Business leaders gather at UN week to back pro-human workplace culture

Foundation for Social Connection and Human Change Foundation are bringing corporate leaders together in New York during UN General Assembly week to discuss how companies can preserve purpose, relationships and flourishing as AI reshapes work. The event will feed a new framework and toolkit for business leaders on social connection, family support and responsible AI.

Why it matters: - AI and digital tools are changing how people work, connect and build careers, forcing companies to make choices that affect workplace culture and human development. - The convening aims to show how business decisions on culture, family support, community investment and AI can either strengthen or weaken social connection. - The event is designed to turn research into practical workplace actions that business leaders can apply across sectors.

What happened: - The Foundation for Social Connection and the Human Change Foundation are hosting "Building a Pro-Human Corporate Culture: Business Leadership to Promote Purpose and Flourishing in the Next Generation" in New York during UN General Assembly week. - The event brings together corporate leaders from multiple sectors to discuss how businesses can center human flourishing in the digital era. - Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, Chairperson of Louis Dreyfus Group and founder of the Human Change Foundation, said business leaders should think beyond what technology can do and focus on the human future they want to create. - The discussion follows Human Change Foundation conversations held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos with senior global business leaders.

The details: - The event builds on the Foundation for Social Connection's Corporate Working Group on Social Connection. - That working group includes Workday, the NFL, Spotify, The Cigna Group, Macy's, Beiersdorf, Signet and Match Group. - The group treats social connection as both a public health issue and a business priority. - Jillian Racoosin Kornmeier, executive director of the Foundation for Social Connection, said social connection is becoming essential to healthy, effective workplaces, including collaboration, adaptation and talent retention. - The convening will use recent research to lay out the business case for advancing connection and highlight promising organizational practices. - Representatives from the Corporate Working Group and other business leaders will share case studies on how they are applying these ideas through policies, practices and investments. - Sara Quist, senior director of community programs and president of The Cigna Group Foundation, said nurturing social connectedness is central to the company's community programs strategy. - The discussion will be organized around six pillars of a forthcoming Pro-Human Corporate Culture Framework. - Those pillars are: cultivating and developing the next-generation workforce; empowering working parents and families; facilitating meaningful relationships at work; supporting causes that advance human flourishing in a digital era; building trust and using AI responsibly; and investing in research and measurement. - Insights from the convening will inform an accompanying toolkit with practical, evidence-informed resources for business leaders. - Key takeaways will be shared after the event to support continued learning and action. - Media interviews can be arranged with Foundation for Social Connection and Human Change Foundation leadership through Shannon Vyvijal at shannon@social-connection.org and Jenna Galper at jenna@humanchange.com.

Between the lines: - The event reflects a broader business-world shift from treating employee well-being as a side issue to treating social connection, purpose and trust as core operating concerns. - The emphasis on AI responsibility suggests companies are looking for a framework that balances innovation with human-centered management. - The mix of research, case studies and a future toolkit points to an effort to move the conversation from values to implementation.

What's next: - The organizers will publish key takeaways after the convening. - The forthcoming Pro-Human Corporate Culture Framework and toolkit will give business leaders guidance they can adapt in workplaces and communities. - The convening's discussions are expected to shape continued work on social connection, future of work and responsible AI across the participating networks.