For decades, various management concepts have challenged the Friedman doctrine that a business’s sole obligation to society is to generate profit. The Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) movement has gained prominence in recent years, joining other approaches to sustainability and social purpose, such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), B Corps, and Conscious Capitalism, in exploring an organization’s broader societal impact. Going beyond aspirational values statements, charitable giving, and responsible policies, social or shared value measurement, and reporting quantifies how well an organization’s actions align with its commitments and provides a mechanism for accountability to stakeholders.

While the Social component of ESG efforts focuses on people issues, current reporting mechanisms do not always explicitly include an organization’s health and well-being efforts, which may inadvertently reduce employers’ prioritization of this area. So, the questions remain: Will shared value frameworks actually move the needle? Is doing good actually doing any good? And is the ESG approach a sustainable movement that can help drive social change?

Forum23 will explore the alignment between workforce health and well-being efforts and shared value. We’ll grapple with how ESG and other value frameworks are currently defined and measured, the effects an organization’s shared value efforts can have on workers, where workforce health and well-being fits into the mix, and how successfully addressing societal challenges can help drive organizational performance and population health.