5 Tips for the Success of Sustainability and Human Resources
5 Tips for the Success of Sustainability and Human
Resources
Sustainability is the concept of
managing an organization by considering environmental, social and a broad range
of economic factors – and the external reporting on progress on all 3 “bottom
lines.” This is the first in a series of how sustainability touches
various functions in a business, often in ways that are not recognized.
describing how companies can leverage HR to
achieve sustainable growth. I’ve selected 5 of the many ways that
businesses can achieve value by linking sustainability and human resources,
drawn from the book and an interview with the author.
1. HR can accelerate
innovation by embedding sustainable culture into each job.
In the 1970s, companies began
addressing quality by creating a [small] centralized “quality
department.” This failed, because quality is not the same as
correcting defects in finished products; it involves careful attention to
detail in every aspect of a company’s activities.
Sustainability, while still in need
of clear guidance and specialized expertise, achieves real business value when
it is fully understood as a component of the business. Employees factor
environmental, social, and business considerations into every decision.
2. HR can manage the
employment cycle to create more fulfilling employment and business value for
the company.
Sustainability aspects affect many
functions in business, from research, supply chain management, operations,
maintenance, customer fulfillment, brand positioning, and marketing. The
social and environmental factors differ, just as applicable specialist business
expertise differs.
Many companies have realized that a
career path up within one department is limiting; they now rotate top talent
through several functions to understand the breadth of the business.
Integrating environmental, social and non-traditional economic factors into a
career trajectory in different departments can help achieve greater successes
for the individual and each department.
3. HR can help bring business
skills to Sustainability.
Mr. Savitz’s book includes venn
diagrams that illustrate how the “sustainability sweet spot” combines business
and sustainability elements. Sustainability professionals have embraced
many business practices, from accounting practices for greenhouse gas emissions
to financial and energy returns on investment for capital
investments. HR can help with personal and departmental goals,
metrics, and resource plans.
4.
Robust sustainability programs enable HR to attract the talent the
company wants.
Talent, Transformation and TBL
includes references to several surveys that show new employees (especially
millennials) want to work for companies with commitments and solid programs for
environmental and economic issues. Indeed, they regard companies without
such programs as being out of touch.
Mr. Savitz says, “As concern grows
over the environment and various social issues like privacy, human rights and
product safety, employees want to be with companies that are part of the
solution, not part of the problem.”
5.
Sustainability helps HR achieve their goals.
Company goals involving diversity,
teamwork, and other issues often fall to HR. Benefits designed to improve
employee skills, such as training or continuing education, often fall to HR.
Sustainability includes diversity
aspects including gender, economic class, and employee benefits. It
includes training and education sponsored or subsidized by the company.
Mr. Savitz says, “As I spoke with
dozens of HR professionals while researching my book, it struck me how many of
the things HR is doing lines up perfectly with sustainability. For
example, diversity requires a culture of openness to different points of view.
So does sustainability.”
Talent, Transformation and TBL
includes many stories that illustrate these points. Traditionally, if The
Gap had a hot-selling item, they would order more from their suppliers.
Now, the company considers economic, environmental, and social feasibility of
this action. For example, do the suppliers have capacity to fulfill a big
rush order without creating unacceptable work conditions, or the possibility of
unauthorized subcontracting for other entities that use forced labor?
Employees at the Campbell’s Soup
Company begin the performance review process with a self-assessment that
includes questions and goals on sustainability matters. There are dozens
of other examples in many industry sectors, as well as practical questions for
business leaders, sustainability specialists, and HR professionals at the end
of each chapter. Many of these tips are usable or adaptable for HR practices
at smaller and growing companies.
Reference :Douglas HilemanMarch 28, 2014
Human Resource Management is important for any company with employees. If you’re just a small company, you might manage HR yourself, while most large corporations have whole divisions dedicated to finding and retaining the right staff.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a job that requires tact, dedication and organisation. Like any sector of business, managing HR has its ups and downs, but most problems can be solved fairly easily.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the management of HR, it’s imperative that everything has its place, because lost items and files can be of great importance down the track. For large corporations, it’s especially important to have HR intranet software in operation these days as very little is done without the Internet, or at least an intranet portal.
ReplyDeleteBeing organised also helps when there are lots of things to manage at once. Multitasking is the important word here, and it’s one of the main things that a HR manager should be good at. There are potentially lots of issues staff can have and very often they all need to be dealt with simultaneously.
ReplyDeleteHR managers have to deal with situations that are vague. Was it sexual harassment? Discrimination? There’s a lot of pressure to decide an outcome when there’s a grey area, and it’s important to know when to make an assertive decision yourself, and when to ask colleagues or managers for help. In these cases, it’s helpful to hone skills of negotiation and mediation and to learn how to manage conflict because not every case is easily resolved or accepted by all parties.
ReplyDeleteObviously, the goal is to make both/all parties happy with the outcome, and it’s not always easily achieved. A good attitude and problem solving ability come with the need to negotiate – it’s important that everyone, while they may not (and probably won’t) all like each other, at least manage to be civil. That’s HR’s job, and it’s not always an easy one.
ReplyDeleteAccording to a United National Global Compact Accenture Industry Study, 93 percent of industry CEOs believe that sustainability issues will be critical to the future success of their business. That study highlights the fact that sustainable businesses are becoming the new reality.
ReplyDeleteAs more and more organisations implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, many HR professionals may be left questioning just how possible it is to embed and operationalise a sustainability strategy into their organizational culture.
ReplyDeleteThe role of HRM in growing sustainable business organizations is frequently drawing attention. Sustainable HRM contributes to the sustainability of the business organizations through cooperation with the top management and key stakeholders by realizing economic, biological, social and human sustainability intentions.
ReplyDelete