Sustainability is an essential focus for businesses as consumers prioritise environmental responsibility in their purchasing decisions.<\/p>\n
Deloitte research shows<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> that over 60% of consumers have reduced their use of single-use plastics, 39% have reduced the volume of goods they buy for sustainability reasons, and 30% are consuming less meat and animal products.<\/p>\n While environmental sustainability must have an organisation-wide focus, HR can help align employee needs with the business\u2019s sustainability goals.<\/p>\n April Marcot, Chief People Officer at HR services firm McArthur, said in a recent Sage report<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>, sustainability will be \u201csomething that workforces will expect a much more serious attitude towards\u201d.<\/p>\n Here are four ways your HR department can contribute to your business\u2019s sustainability goals:<\/p>\n While your company\u2019s leadership must lead the overall sustainability discussion, HR departments are well equipped to facilitate these discussions and ensure all employees\u2019 voices are heard.<\/p>\n This is not a once-off action \u2013 HR must facilitate continuous dialogue to ensure that, as the business evolves, its sustainability strategy does, too.<\/p>\n These continuous dialogues can also help you understand how new implementations are benefiting your employees, and where more can be done.<\/p>\n There is no doubt your organisation has many sustainability advocates, so tap into their enthusiasm by forming a sustainability team.<\/p>\n A great place to start would be building a \u2018green team\u2019 that promotes improved environmental responsibility within your organisation.<\/p>\n HR\u2019s role would be to help form this group and bring ideas to the table from an HR perspective.<\/p>\n Hybrid working is a great way to reduce your business\u2019s environmental impact, as employees won\u2019t use their cars to travel to work each day.<\/p>\n Hybrid working is preferable, rather than pure remote working, as not all employees will feel comfortable and be as productive doing their work at home.<\/p>\n HR should lead by developing a comprehensive hybrid working strategy and work with management to implement it.<\/p>\n While your HR department likely won\u2019t lead your company\u2019s entire sustainability strategy, it still has a big role to play, so being informed on this important topic is a good idea.<\/p>\n You can find a wealth of information online about organisation sustainability and HR\u2019s role in the process.<\/p>\n For example, Sage has many great resources on the topic such as this article.<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n1. Find out your employees\u2019 sustainability needs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Create a sustainability team<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Promote hybrid working<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4. Conduct research<\/strong><\/h3>\n