HR’s crucial role in environmental sustainability
It’s difficult to ignore the fact that our world is at a bit of a make-or-break moment in terms of environmental sustainability. Notable figures like David Attenborough have done fantastic jobs warning us of the dangers we face if we continue down the path we’re on.
But something that is a little more difficult to see is how HR and environmental sustainability come together. After all, HR is responsible for things like hiring and firing, right? What have they got to do with environmental sustainability?
These days HR teams are playing a more strategic role in business, advising on key issues that contribute to the organisation’s success. It’s important that you’re across the issues that are important to your leaders and employees - and in 2021, environmental sustainability is top of mind for many people.
Environmental sustainability is good for business
Melissa Rey is the HR manager for executive transport service “drvn”, and says that a business should consider sustainability for two reasons:
- People vote with their wallets. “The public has never been more engaged or considerate of supporting sustainability.”
- Sustainability is good for business. “For companies who have their eye on the long game, sustainability is a large part of that.”
“We live in an age where consumers care about where their products come from, and how they are packaged” she explains. “And it is always better to be ahead of the curve, than to be hit with a heavy fine for pollution.”
As the HR manager for her company, Melissa took practices like zero waste and paperless working, and created a sustainability program which her employees could get behind, with a goal of offsetting the carbon her workforce produced.
More employees are demanding environmental sustainability
You don’t necessarily have to think about the end user of your products or services in order to see why sustainability should be important to HR. In fact, if you take HR’s key ‘customer’ – the employee – then there’s an even bigger case for sustainability. At least that’s the opinion of Allie Golon, Managing Director of IndustryMasters.
“More new hires and existing employees insist that their employers adopt sustainability options” Allie explains.
Allie adds that one of HR’s primary functions is to develop opportunities for employees – and that they should look at the carbon footprint this generates. After all, more employees care about this carbon footprint than ever before.
One such way Allie advises doing this, is by checking what your carbon footprint is in the first place – which you can do right here. You will find that things such as flying employees to training sessions will easily exceed their annual allowance for recommended CO2 emissions.
The quality of our environment impacts employee wellbeing
But perhaps the most obvious thing connecting HR and environmental sustainability is the fact that the quality of our environment affects the quality of life for employees. And not just on a macro level – even down to the micro environment within which we work.
“HR talks about wellness often” says Tom Paladino, CEO of green building consulting firm Paladino and Company. “But they are excluded from conversations of how the built environment can impact health and performance.”
Tom says that inviting the human component into the built environment dialogue at the start of any building planning process, allows HR to become change agents and drive significant gains for the business.
“HR can offer insights on functional design, based on talent, roles, and staff needs” he explains. “Once designed and built, HR is essential in educating occupants on how to properly use the space and promote healthy programs and options to encourage attraction and retention.”
