Making a company sustainable is perhaps the most satisfying thing that you can do for your organization. By adopting sustainability reporting, your organization will enjoy a lot of benefits, from enhanced efficiency to lower cost of operations. But the biggest of all of them is the fact you are making the world a better place for all.
To achieve your goals for sustainability, it is prudent to focus on the three core elements, social, governance, and environmental. To create positive social impacts, you need to start with your staff. Keep reading as we demonstrate why your human resources are so important to your sustainability reporting strategies:
They are Part of Data Gathering Network
The start of a sustainability reporting process is the drawing of clear objectives for your organization, but these are only achievable with the help of employees. For example, if you want to cut energy use, your employees will come in handy in switching off lights and computers when not in use. They also help to gather essential data for your sustainability report.
To make the process of data gathering and report generation more effective, consider incorporating sustainability management software into the system. With a good program, it will be easy to capture data in real-time and keep employees more engaged. Remember to progressively review the effectiveness of your workforce in relation to overall productivity and sustainability efforts.
A Happy Workforce is a Committed Team
When employees come to your organization, most of them might be primarily driven by the need to earn money for a decent lifestyle. However, sustainability reporting changes that by making them feel part of the organization. You can do this through staff motivation. In line with your goals for sustainability, a happy workforce works as a team and can achieve more in terms of productivity.
Here are other benefits of a happy staff:
- The employees will be there to propose better solutions for company growth.
- Reduced or nil resistance to changes.
- Happy staff will serve as your company ambassadors in the society.
A Sure Way to Reduce High Staff Turnover
To increase profitability and improve governance performance as crucial components of sustainability reporting, you need to reduce staff turnover. Think of a scenario where an employee walks away in search of better remuneration and support. The company is likely to incur losses because a lot of resources had gone into recruiting the employee, training him, and equipping him/her with new skills.
Making employees more satisfied helps to reduce staff turnover allowing your company to utilize their skills for longer. Consider programs aimed at cutting down staff turnover to be important cogs in your business ESGsustainability reporting efforts. To make the efforts more effective, consider training employees on sustainability.
Employees are Important Agents of Change
Sustainability reporting is all about change in organizations. The moment you decide to adopt sustainability, your system must be prepared for change. For example, the initial review that identifies gaps that need to be fixed to achieve sustainability sets the stage for changes. Are your machines outdated and need changes? Does your production system require automation?
No matter the changes you anticipate for sustainability, involving the employees implies that they become part as opposed to resisting it. They become your eyes, useful “nuts” and “bolts” that work together to make the whole sustainability focus a reality. Sure, you might be in the head office drawing strategies, but the action of employees will be on the operations room, turning off lamps when not in use, ensuring they use protective clothing all the time, and noting areas that need maintenance. They are there to make the change you want to happen!
Sustainability reporting cannot be complete without involving all stakeholders, especially your staff. Indeed, it will be challenging to talk about success in sustainability reporting without the help of staff. Make sure to craft good strategies, from staff training & development to involving them in planning for change for better results. Remember that a good working relationship with staff is one area of ESG sustainability reporting. So, make sure to also direct part of the efforts to minimize negative impacts on the environmental and economic performance.
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