You are interested in transforming your business with sustainability but have no idea where to start. You have thought about several initiatives such as recycling and waste reduction but they do not seem to be impactful enough. Does this seem familiar to you?
Employees are often the most important playing factor in a business’s transformation. They are inevitably integrated into a company’s operations. They must understand the company’s goals and visions so they can have a sense of direction when aiding the development of the company.
Invest In Acquiring Sustainability Knowledge
It is important to invest in the education of the employees so they can proceed to create systems and processes to integrate sustainability in the day-to-day operations of procurement, marketing, supply chain management. Many sustainability initiatives require specialized knowledge and skills. For instance, in sustainability reporting, there are specific frameworks to abide by. There are also skills and eco tools to be aware of when communicating to a supplier about sustainable sourcing.
The topics for sustainability training can include:
- Recycling and waste management
- Corporate Sustainability & ESG Strategy
- Sustainability Reporting
- Employee engagement and wellbeing
- Procurement and supply chain management
- Financial impact and metrics
Enable All Employees To Be Part Of Sustainability Efforts
Good leadership can change the performance of an organization. The first step to moving towards being sustainable is to have leaders who believe in sustainability and commit to it. Getting senior executives directly involved in sustainability issues can motivate all levels of the organization and allow them to contribute to the sustainability agenda. As a result, improving team camaraderie.
Creating Sustainable Practices As A Team Effort
Another way to integrate sustainability in a company is to engage employees in the process of creating sustainable practices. One way is for the company higher-ups to declare that there are funds readily available to be used when an employee comes up with a good idea. Subsequently, when an employee’s initiative is being used, they will start to see the positive impact that they have helped to create and believe they have a part to play.
One great example of this is Marks & Spencer where an employee suggested having clothes-recycling boxes in its retail stores to provide income for the non-profit Oxfam. This idea received support from the boards and has achieved great success.
Measuring And Communicating
As there are many components to benchmark a company’s sustainability effort, the company must be able to create a framework and tools to educate the employees on the organization’s progression (for example, how far the company is from the goals set). It will also allow employees to provide inputs that can enhance the company’s sustainability efforts. It is not just important to work towards the sustainability targets, evaluation and reflection should also be done at every milestone for improvement and correction. This is also why Sustainability Reports play an important part in the corporate world.
Creating reports to document environmental, social and governance issues can also help to strengthen data management and streamline processes that reduce costs and increase efficiency. These sustainability reports can also be used to communicate with external stakeholders on the company’s sustainability performance and increase transparency for credibility.
Make Sustainability From The Visible Inside And Outside Of The Company
Besides communicating through Sustainability Reports, communication and engagement can also be done through other methods such as indicating environmental goals and objectives on the website. This can show consumers that the company is dedicated to transforming the organization.
The management can also present awards to recognise employees who have contributed significantly to the sustainability efforts of the company. This can be through rating how active the employees are in presenting feasible initiatives ideas or the efficiency of employees in aiding the company’s development to meet targets set.
In Conclusion
Employee Engagement can affect an organization’s sustainable development to a great extent. To optimise a company’s growth, employees should be part of every milestone and be integrated into every progression stage. Sustainability is not just a corporate responsibility, it is a societal issue with global implications. Most people aspire to leave this world a better place, this can only happen when companies start to include employees in their working life so they can serve a higher purpose that goes beyond working and earning income.
Companies should find meaningful and strategic ways to tie that purpose into the employee’s day-to-day working life. It is time to integrate sustainability into employee engagement. Make your employees stay aware and be a part of your sustainable transformation.
In Aventis, we offer Sustainability workshops in both Virtual and Face-to-Face training modes.
- Starting & Managing Corporate Sustainability & ESG Strategy
- Effective Guide to Sustainability Reporting
- Responsible Sourcing, Supply Chain Management & Sustainable Procurement
Come and meet our industry experts: Chan Mun Wei, Sue Meng Chan, Kavickumar Muruganathan
Are your Employees part of your Sustainable Development yet? You decide.
