Amid nationwide labor shortages and high turnover, employment experts say fostering an equitable workplace is key to finding and retaining workers.

To help, Florida Gulf Coast University is launching the Building Equitable Workplaces: 2024 Summer Workshop Series, a free program aimed at equipping Southwest Florida businesses with strategies to create inclusive work environments.

Meagan Baskin, director of the Southwest Florida Leadership Institute at the university, said the workshops will address topics such as gender equity, generational differences and using AI to address equity challenges.

"And when employees feel that equity," she said, "they're more likely to be satisfied with the place where they work, they're more likely to stay in that organization and talk positively about that organization, which brings in new workers."

Business groups such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce stress the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Baskin noted that professional development is crucial for employee retention and job satisfaction, and encouraged businesses to visit the Southwest Florida Leadership Institute website to register for the workshops on June 14 and July 24.

Chrissann Ruehle, provost faculty fellow for artificial intelligence at the university, is leading a workshop focused on the challenges and opportunities of using the technology to shape the workforce.

"It's almost like today's candidates need to write for two audiences," she said. "They may be writing for an AI screener and then later on down the road there will eventually be a human screener, so sometimes biases can creep into the hiring and selection process."

Ruehle noted that while AI offers efficiency, equity and diversity within the design teams are essential to catching potential problems.

Baskin added that the workshops, valued at around $100 each, can save employers as much as $600 if they attend all six sessions.

A new survey of nonprofit leaders finds staff burnout is a major concern.

The 2024 "State of Nonprofits" report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy finds 95% of nonprofit leaders say staff burnout over the last year is worrying - and 57% name staff issues as one of their biggest challenges.

The Center's Vice President for Research Elisha Smith Arrillaga said the problem is getting worse.

"Burnout remains a top concern for most nonprofit leaders, which was also true last year," said Arrillaga. "But this year, we also find that half of nonprofit leaders are feeling more concerned about their own burnout than this time last year. And so that's really disconcerting to hear."

239 nonprofits took part in the survey. Researchers also found most nonprofits had a balanced budget or a surplus, this fiscal year and last.

Rusty Stahl - founder, president and CEO of the nonprofit Fund the People - said many nonprofit leaders hesitate to hire more staff because of unstable funding or restrictions on how money can be used.

But, he noted some progress. Recently, some of the country's biggest foundations moved to loosen limits on what can be spent on so-called indirect costs - such as staff and benefits.

"Nonprofit staff are not overhead," said Stahl. "They're the bedrock of organizational effectiveness. You would want to invest significantly in making sure that that bedrock is in place because everything else rides on it."

Stahl said nonprofit leaders can reduce turnover by focusing on staff wellness and improving organizational culture, employee engagement, pay, benefits, and workflow.




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The National Weather Service continues to survey damage across northern Arkansas after tornadoes ripped through the state over the weekend.

Crews have confirmed at least six twisters touched down causing widespread destruction. Schools and businesses remain closed, and thousands of residents are still without electricity as power lines across the state were destroyed.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed two executive orders, one declaring a state of emergency and a second authorizing paid leave for state employees affected by the storms.

"We are in, still, an assessment phase; we're going to have to continue," Sanders said. "The rebuilding efforts will come-this is not going to be a short process, but a long road ahead. But I can assure you that not only will our city, county, state and federal partners, we will work together. "

Seven people were killed in the tornadoes. The storms hit just a little over a year after five people were killed by tornadoes in 2023.

Families who have lost everything are receiving help from their neighbors as well as local, state and federal agencies. The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management is accepting monetary donations through the Arkansas Disaster Relief Program, and the Texas based nonprofit Texans on Mission is working with partner agencies in Arkansas to help residents pick up the pieces.

John Hall, chief mission officer and director of communications for Texans on Mission, said it is an emotional task.

"The very first thing we typically go in with is that we call box teams," Hall explained. "These are small groups of volunteers who bring in trailers full of empty boxes. They'll drive into these neighborhoods and start handing out these pre-boxes, that people then use to go through the debris and find the heirlooms and find the jewelry."

The organization also provides shower and laundry teams, mass feeding trucks and chain saw teams to clear away downed trees and debris. Crews from the National Weather Service are still checking damage patterns and the number of confirmed tornadoes could increase.


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Residents of north Texas continue to clean up after the latest in a string of deadly tornadoes.

According to the National Weather Service, an EF-2 tornado with wind speeds of 135 miles per hour killed seven people and injured more than 100 others in Cooke County. It was just one of a series of dangerous weather events across the state in the last several weeks.

The group Texans on Mission, a faith-based nonprofit formerly known as Texas Baptist Men, assists victims worldwide after a disaster.

John Hall, chief mission officer and director of communications for the group, said crews are spread out across the Lone Star State.

"Right now, we are serving in multiple locations in Houston after the high windstorms down there," Hall pointed out. "We're serving in two locations in San Marcos, after tornadoes down there. We're serving after the flooding in southeast Texas; we're serving here after the tornado up in far north Texas."

Hall noted because of the number of recent severe weather events in Texas, they are short on volunteers. The organization is now receiving assistance from partner groups in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and North Carolina.

At least 200 homes and businesses in north Texas were destroyed by the tornadoes. Gov. Greg Abbott has extended an existing disaster declaration to include Denton, Montague, Cooke and Collin counties. The declaration makes the regions eligible for additional funding under FEMA's public assistance program.

Hall explained when volunteers arrive at a disaster scene, residents need basic necessities.

"We'll bring in mobile shower-laundry teams to give people access to shower and laundry services," Hall outlined. "We'll bring in mass feeding teams and then often, we bring in chain saw teams that will take out the large trees that have fallen on people's cars and their houses."

He added the volunteers remain in the affected areas for several weeks after a catastrophic event. Hall said over the past year, they have responded to disasters on six different continents.


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