American businesses are sending a clear message: They need to focus on doing more than making profit. On Monday, the Business Roundtable, which represents the largest corporations in the United States, published a new, broader statement about the purpose of business, declaring that delivering shareholder value is not enough. The United States Chamber of Commerce, which represents three million businesses, revised its purpose last year to focus on job creation.

That said, accomplishing these aspirations requires more dialogue and action, and there is much more that we can do. Investors in these companies should ask management and boards of directors to focus on jobs. American businesses prosper by asking tough questions, creating specific goals and executing plans. This must now be applied to creating higher-paying jobs.

Boards need to raise specific questions to chief executives: Should we locate jobs in the same country where customers live, even if it makes prices higher? How do we count jobs created by suppliers? How do we determine whether wages are fair relative to the value created? At Allstate we began this journey in 2016, when we raised our minimum wage to $15 an hour. That gave 2,900 people an immediate income boost. To address our broader responsibilities, we created a Prosperity Report to replace the annual financial report. Other companies are pursuing similar paths, and we all need to do more.

I write this at a time when most Americans are struggling. Sure, the unemployment rate is near a record low, but that figure masks the fact that many families are not financially secure. A 2017 survey by the Federal Reserve Board showed that 40 percent of Americans do not have $400 for an emergency. We all have relatives, friends and acquaintances who are struggling to keep up. Being broke while working is not an American value. Poor financial health creates stress, reduces hope and undermines capitalism. It is a cancer waiting to metastasize.