Sysco is now having its warehouse associates and truck drivers work four-day weeks, with the option to work overtime on a fifth day. CEO Kevin Hourican said the move will help with retention and lead to Sysco becoming "an even more preferred employer."

Distributors can stay profitable amid inflation and increased costs for fuel, shipping and labor by properly managing price increases, monitoring expenses and adopting automation and other technologies, writes consultant Frank Hurtte. Energy-efficient vehicles and alternative energy sources, such as solar, are also worth considering, Hurtte writes.

Roughly 12% of boxships around the world are spending more weeks than usual sitting idle outside ports, according to industry estimates, even though shipping companies have added container capacity to alleviate such bottlenecks ahead of the year's busiest import season. The ship backlog comes amid early orders of holiday goods and is caused in part by a lack of truck drivers, trains and warehousing space.

Inflation, component shortages and increased demand for vehicles, electronics and other high-value items are contributing to greater cargo-theft losses, experts say. Data from Verisk Analytics' CargoNet shows cargo-theft losses in the US and Canada rose 73% year over year in the first quarter to $19 million, although theft reports held steady at 319.

Business-to-business marketers must take a focused approach to digital lead generation, writes WebEnertia's Steve Ohanians, who explains how to do so in three steps. Ohanians describes what should be included in B2B websites, how to effectively use search engine optimization and what the best digital user experience should look like.

Contextual ad targeting is generally 1.2 times to 2.5 times more effective at driving sales and other campaign objectives for large businesses with broad customer bases than targeting using consumers' data, reports Analytic Partners. Conversely, hyper-targeting may be more beneficial for small- and medium-sized businesses with narrower customer bases and a local market focus, says Analytic Partners Senior Vice President Mike Menkes.

The American Innovation and Choice Online Act singles out Amazon for extra regulation and "would substantially degrade the value and quality of Prime" while harming "every American consumer and small business that currently relies on the Prime service," Amazon Vice President of Public Policy Brian Huseman wrote in a recent blog post. A spokesperson for Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said the legislation actually would benefit small businesses, including those represented by the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, which has endorsed the bill.

Employers can attract and retain workers by emphasizing employee purpose, well-being and values, advises Paula Kiger, vice president of special projects at Digimentors, a social media consultancy. "Be overt in letting your potential employees know what your company's values at work are, especially if you're finding it difficult to hire people right now," Kiger writes.

Companies that focus on collaboration across departments to create a holistic experience for both customers and employees will create more value and engagement for all stakeholders, writes Jodi Starkman, the executive director of the Innovation Resource Center for Human Resources. Starkman writes that aligning mindsets, behaviors and business structures can create an ecosystem for success.

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