People + Work Connect Brings Together Leading Companies to Keep People Employed During COVID-19 Crisis

As unemployment surpasses record highs due to COVID-19, a group of leading companies from multiple industries has formed People + Work Connect, an employer-to-employer initiative that brings together companies laying off or furloughing people with those companies in urgent need of workers. There is no cost for employers to join and participate.

People + Work Connect was designed by CHROs from Accenture, Lincoln Financial Group, ServiceNow and Verizon — and Accenture built the platform. From idea to launch in just 14 business days, the initiative is rapidly attracting a range of companies.

To date, participating companies include ADM, Baxter, Blue Apron, Cargill, Frito-Lay, Lincoln Financial Group, Marriott, Mondelēz International, Nordstrom, ServiceNow, Walmart and Zenefits. Additionally, more than 250 companies are expected to onboard over the next week, and the platform will soon add public sector jobs.

People + Work has been able to quickly scale the participation of companies due to the invaluable support and commitment to help put people back to work from Business Roundtable, Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies in the ILR School at Cornell University, Center for Executive Succession at the Darla Moore School of Business, Gallup and the CHRO Roundtable, HR Policy Association, Institute for Corporate Productivity, National Academy of Human Resources, Society for Human Resource Management and World50.

The business-to-business platform enables companies that are best positioned to rapidly share the experience and skills of their laid-off or furloughed workforces to connect at no cost with other companies on the platform that are seeking workers. The platform is global and cross-industry to maximize the ability to deploy people with similar skills in one industry into other industries where jobs are being created. Ultimately, this will shorten the complex, often lengthy cycle of unemployment for people. The analytics-driven platform pools non-confidential and aggregated workforce information by categories such as location and experience.

The CHROs who are leading People + Work Connect came together to create a collaborative, inclusive community to help put people back to work quickly in areas of new opportunity.

“By providing real-time visibility into which companies need people and where, People + Work Connect is designed to lessen the economic and societal impacts of the virus and help us work together to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people,” said Ellyn Shook, Accenture’s chief leadership and human resources officer.

“Life is filled with many moments that matter, including some that are tougher than others. People remember who shows up during those tough times to help them through,” said Lisa M. Buckingham, executive vice president and chief people, place and brand officer for Lincoln Financial Group. “A small group of CHROs came together because we share a passion for making sure that we—and the companies we represent — are remembered for addressing this tough moment with compassion and a sense of responsibility that transcends the business we do every day.”

Pat Wadors, chief talent officer at ServiceNow, said, “This crisis has created massive job loss and people need help finding work. By connecting companies that are hiring with a talented and available workforce, technology is truly acting in service of people. Working together, we can quickly make a meaningful impact on the people who need it most.”

“While the current pandemic has been the impetus for People + Work Connect, we expect this type of collaboration to become the norm going forward,” said Christy Pambianchi, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, Verizon. “Now is the time to build a more resilient workforce — for today and tomorrow.”

For more information, visit: https://peopleworkconnect.accenture.com/welcome

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services in strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operations, with digital capabilities across all of these services. We combine unmatched experience and specialized capabilities across more than 40 industries — powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. With 509,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture brings continuous innovation to help clients improve their performance and create lasting value across their enterprises. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

About Lincoln Financial Group
Lincoln Financial Group provides advice and solutions that help empower people to take charge of their financial lives with confidence and optimism. Today, more than 17 million customers trust our retirement, insurance and wealth protection expertise to help address their lifestyle, savings and income goals, as well as to guard against long-term care expenses. Headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) and its affiliates. The company had $275 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2019. Lincoln Financial Group is a committed corporate citizen included on major sustainability indices including the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America and FTSE4Good. Dedicated to diversity and inclusion, Lincoln earned perfect 100 percent scores on the Corporate Equality Index and the Disability Equality Index. Lincoln has also been recognized in Newsweek’s Most Responsible Companies and is among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers, Best Large Employers, Best Employers for Diversity, Best Employers for Women and ranked on the JUST 100 list. Learn more at: www.LincolnFinancial.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Sign up for email alerts at http://newsroom.lfg.com.

About ServiceNow
ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) is making the world of work, work better for people. Our cloud‑based platform and solutions deliver digital workflows that create great experiences and unlock productivity for employees and the enterprise. For more information, visit: www.servicenow.com.

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000, and it’s celebrating its 20^th year as one of the world’s leading providers of technology, communications, information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $131.9 billion in 2019. The company offers voice, data and video services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.