Generation Y & H&S

It’s not uncommon when asking executives in the industry what they find to be the most exciting changes in their field to hear answer “Technology” in uniform chorus.

But what about the demographic age group that is perceived to be the force driving the next exciting change? Yes, I’m talking about Millennials!

They were not just brought up on cold brew coffee and farm to table fare. Millennials were raised on technology. Known as the first generation of digital natives, Generation Y grew up believing the technology was made to adapt to them, catering to their every need.

"The point is that using mobile technology is second-nature for millennials and pretty much for everyone in the workforce. Provide e-learning so employees can train at their convenience, when it best fits into their workflow".

Most of us could probably come up with a back-of-the-envelope sketch of generational stereotypes. Baby boomers (born post-war to 1960) are diligent but selfish; Generation X-ers (1965 to 1979) are loyal to their employer, whilst skeptical of authority; while millennials or Generation Y (celebrating birthdays after 1980) are inherently sociable and yet technology obsessed.

Our workplace and social lives are being driven by an increasingly diverse changing world and we are becoming divorced from our surroundings so we do not see the impact that technology is developing at a pace while in the health and safety world regulation and governance issues are lagging behind - This is the case in even the most advanced countries.

There are countless news stories out there focusing on our values, our work ethic, and our knowledge of technology. While defining a generation is important, the workforce needs to stop focusing on our differences and instead embrace and adapt to our unique characteristics.

Rooted in the integration of environmental, social, and economic considerations, the sustainability movement has steadily gained power and traction. Individual organisations (companies, local and governments, etc.) are using sustainability as a platform for decision-making and transparency efforts.

Psychosocial risks, work-related stress and non-communicable diseases are of growing concern for many workers in all parts of the world. At the same time, many workers remain challenged by persistent work-related safety and health risks and it is important not to overlook these populations as the world of work continues to transform.

I think we can all recognise that new strategies are needed to ensure that all workers return home safe, sound, and healthy from a day on the job. Workplace safety and health standards and their enforcement can have a huge impact on employee’s lives.

However, in practice, the sustainability movement has focused more on environmental concerns, leaving key social & workplace considerations, such as health and safety behind.

More recent efforts have focused on increasing transparency, developing global and national goals, and addressing emerging issues (e.g., climate change, supply chain sustainability).

The issues that are most often classified under the social sphere of sustainability (e.g. human rights, work relations, community engagement, diversity, equity & compensation, the organisation of work, supply chains, culture) are less understood and gained less attention.

This has led to people to silo sustainability using concepts of “environmental sustainability” and “social sustainability” rather than an integrated vision for sustainable outcomes.

This singular focus on any one aspect of sustainability can result in unintended negative impacts (e.g., hazards to workers arising from improvements to reduce environmental impacts) or creating tension between goals

 “Material issues are ones that can “reasonably be considered important for reflecting the organization’s economic, environmental and social impacts, or influencing the decisions of stakeholders.”

Currently, sustainability reporting is becoming common practice for organisations ranging from businesses to governments to NGOs are self-selecting what issues are included in their reports.

This selection can be based on a variety of mechanisms, including industry expectations, organizational values, data quality & availability, consumer demand, formal materiality assessment, or more recently, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

With this growth in disclosure, there has also been a move to increase the rigor of sustainability reporting through the development of organizations and tools to standardize practices and metrics.

“The scope of human capital management includes a company’s direct employees, as well as the employees of vendors in the company’s supply chain. In addition, human capital management encompasses a broad range of corporate practices, including but not limited to: hiring and retention, training, compensation, fair employee practices, health and safety, responsible contracting, and diversity and inclusion. ”

While H&S is generally considered to be important, particularly as it relates to governance and leadership performance, metrics used to assess H&S performance are not consistent in use or application.

This information gap makes it challenging, if not impossible, for H&S to be considered the material to an investor’s decision-making process. Information about safety and health performance is only required in quarterly and annual reports Other efforts to date have focused on gaining the attention of chief executive officers (CEOs) and board members through non-binding shareholder resolutions.

Inherited Challenges

Increasing the Salience of H&S as a Sustainability Issue: To date, the inclusion of H&S in sustainability reporting is highly dependent upon the industry sector.  

As sustainability reporting expands to include additional social aspects, there is an opportunity to increase the prevalence of reporting on H&S and the metrics that are used by more fully articulating and defining the path forward in this area.  

Leading Metrics: Leading indicators, in addition to the more commonly used lagging indicators for H&S, are needed. These metrics can be difficult to develop and use due to comparability challenges, but also because there is a lack of industry-specific evidence of financial impact related to safety and health.

Disconnect Between H&S Professionals and Business Leadership: Incorporating information into high-level reporting channels in organizations often falls beyond the normal functions of most H&S professionals. Primarily seen as technical specialists, they are not typically involved in discussions about business goals and opportunities.

Risk Approaches: Viewing H&S as a business risk rather than an operational function can drive its inclusion in internal audits and enterprise risk analysis. A number of practitioners in this field have identified the advantage of expanding audit and risk analysis beyond financials to include applied approaches, policies, and control mechanisms.

Emerging Topics: There are a number of macro trends that are contributing to interest in ESG considerations including supply chain risks, climate change, human capital, and rising economies. As many engaging in ESG opportunities are interested in long term investing (e.g., 20-30 year time horizons), investors are not as constrained by conventional economic frameworks or deterred by the complexities of working towards solutions in these areas.

 “For many organisations, sustainability has evolved from a ‘feel good’ exercise to a strategic imperative focusing on economic, environmental & social risks and opportunities which, left unattended, can potentially threaten the long-term success strategies & viability business models.”

• There have been several drivers for this, which include: increased importance of transparency and reporting, supply chain and customer demand, regulations and voluntary standards, green procurement and contracting, and investing.
• To meet these demands, sustainability is seen as a way to package and express the core values of a company to outsiders.
• Over time, businesses have started to move from a focus on environmental sustainability to one that also embraces social aspects.
• For many businesses, safety and health is a non-negotiable value (e.g., “zero harm”) In some of these cases, efforts are also seen as a natural fit under a broader sustainability umbrella (e.g. “people, planet, profit”).

Leading companies are taking on “a broader, more holistic view of sustainability, of which safety plays a key role

Technology: Rapidly advancing technologies affect almost every aspect of the world of work. Digitalization, robotics, and the use of nanotechnology, among others, have revolutionized the workplace but have simultaneously raised serious H&S concerns.

• For example, increased digitalization has provided the opportunity of real-time monitoring of workers to reduce hazardous exposures, but has simultaneously reduced privacy through the collection and recording of sensitive personal information.

Demographics: The global workforce is in constant flux and in certain regions, youth populations are expanding, while in others, populations are aging.

• Gender gaps in the employment market persist in both developed and developing countries, and women are more likely to work in non-standard work arrangements and in home-based platform work.
• While home-based work can remove female workers from hazardous workplaces, the lack of H&S oversight in non-formal settings can cause its own unique challenges.
• In the case of sedentary and repetitive work, women are increasingly affected by musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and face a higher risk of developing MSDs when compared to men performing the same tasks.

Sustainable Development: Human-induced climate change is a major driver transforming the world of work. Air pollution from coal mining, for example, directly impacts the health of miners, but also indirectly affects workers’ health in other industries around them, as well as the general public.

• While the increase of green jobs and industries will promote low-carbon societies and may reduce hazardous work in traditional sectors such as mining, green jobs may also give rise to emerging and unknown risks, such as exposure to chemicals in the recycling sector.

Changes in work organisation: The demands of an increasingly globalized world have led to a growing number of workers involved in excessive hours of work and non-standard forms of employment.  

• The growth of the globalized platform economy has blurred the lines between home and work – on one hand reducing the stress associated with commuting and increasing self-reliance, while on the other hand, creating unique psychosocial pressures for workers attempting to balance the demands of work life and home-based responsibilities. 

Widening our horizons to include public health: H&S does not end at work as the effects & outcomes of H&S have a clear spill over on people’s health and well being in general and on society as a whole.

• If work is recognised as a social determinant of health, then there is a need for greater attention to the connections between H&S and public health, in health promotion, prevention, and management of emerging psychosocial risks, stress and mental health disorders and non-communicable diseases.

Where can Millennia’s go from here?

The world of work is transforming before our eyes, bringing with it unique opportunities while simultaneously providing novel challenges.

We are unable to predict exactly what type of technology will exist in the future, how it will be integrated into the world of work, and what impacts – positive or negative – this will have on Health and Safety.

• Therefore our responses to this unknown transformation must evolve in an inclusive and human-centered way, emphasizing the importance of life-long learning and continued skill development.

The human-centered approach for H&S in the future of work requires innovative investments in people’s capa-bilities, enabling them to acquire and update skills and supporting them through the transformations they undergo in their life course.

• Including Health and Safety education and training in lifelong learning can help workers and employers adapt to new, emerging, and persistent safety and health risks and improve Health and Safety outcomes at work.
• While the road ahead presents many new challenges to H&S at work, it is important for governments, employers/employees, and other stakeholders to seize the opportunities at hand to create a safe and healthy future of work for all. The time to take action is now.

H&S as Innovation: Employee engagement can also help identify opportunities for innovations that improve not only safety and health but also business performance.

• This understanding includes a focus on the many aspects of work that need to be addressed in order to reach a truly sustainable workplace that ensures workers are flourishing.
• This includes providing a healthy, safe work environment, but may also extend to community engagement, volunteering, and other aspects of company practices.

Collaboration: Business leaders recognize that many of their sustainability goals cannot be achieved alone.

• Convening of groups of sustainability leaders, EHS managers, and others that are similarly situated in companies will likely take on more important going forward.

Lack of Consistency in OSH Reporting: Even where businesses are regularly considering H&S within their sustainability goals, there is a lack of consistency in global reporting of these issues that make it challenging to compare, even across the various entities within a global company.

Supply Chain: As business becomes ever more global, supply chain management and engagement is increasingly seen as the next frontier in sustainability.

• Because employee health and safety issues may be more pronounced in global supply chains, it will continue to be a challenge to supply chains.
• When evaluating goods and services for sustainability, it is important to also consider safety and health implications for those who are actually performing the services or manufacturing the goods throughout the supply chain, not just those using the final products.

Scalability: As many large, global businesses have made substantial progress in sustainability over the last decade, many small businesses are in the beginning stages of understanding how they can incorporate these issues into their business models to remain competitive.  

Standards: For some trade associations, industry sectors, and parts of the supply chains that are demanding participation by suppliers (e.g., brands, retailers) also provide technical support. In other cases, communities of users have come together to share their experiences and provide support for others that are similarly situated 

Technical Support: Given the rapid development and updating of standards and certifications, there is a place for providing input on worker safety and health into these processes.  

Credibility: With so many standards and certifications available, credibility is a key challenge. Methods to determine whether a certified business or product is, in fact, more “sustainable” or has superior performance for all of the evaluated aspects need to be developed, especially for entities that use standards and certifications as part of their decision-making.

Benchmarking: A lack of benchmarking also contributes to the inability_ to understand whether there are actual improvements or differentiation between those businesses and products that are certified as “sustainable” and those that are not.  

Education: Given that many schools and universities are not currently educating across these disciplines, a whole population of current professionals would benefit from additional training opportunities that address these synergies.

• For example, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is evolving a competency framework for OSH professionals that include not only technical capacity but also business strategy issues.

Curriculum and Training Development: Further integration and inclusion of social sustainability concepts into education and training for the next generation and current professionals can bring attention to safety and health as a business strategy.

Horizon Scanning: Emerging issue’s impacting H&S (e.g., stress & worker well-being issues, an aging workforce, nanotechnology, green chemistry, ionizing radiation, asbestos, occupational cancer, and chemicals) are a potential path for integrated sustainability research.

• For example, climate change is one of the most talked about areas of sustainability and workers have been and will continue to be disproportionately impacted.
• It will be critical to recognize exposures, anticipate hazards and responses, and possible adaptation mechanisms for these responses (chemicals, pathogens, conflict, heat, etc.).

Business Case Development: One of the primary areas of research needed surrounds the development of business cases demonstrating the integration of OSH and sustainability. In particular, the way that costs are accounted for, as OSH costs are often transferred elsewhere, challenges traditional economic models.

Institutional Barriers: The lack of institutional interdisciplinary opportunities has constructed silos around various academic programs and there are limited mechanisms available to create a space for discussing cross-cutting issues or adding new topic areas to curriculum also preclude this sort of interdisciplinary engagement from occurring.

Funding: Researchers need funding for their work. As the requests for proposals and review procedures often follow traditional processes, it can be difficult to secure funding for research and activity in areas that have not yet been proven to provide fruitful outcomes or are interdisciplinary in nature (e.g., worker impacts from climate change).

Traditional Publication Venues: The target audience for much of the research related to sustainability does not necessarily read academic journals, which is where researchers tend to publish. Innovative communication channels could be better utilized to disseminate research outcomes.

Scope: Much of the research being conducted in safety and health and sustainability is occurring in discrete and specific areas potentially limiting its applicability.

Demand: Is a key driver of sustainability and the environmental sector has linked to sustainability through demand and has communicated how going beyond compliance is a smart business decision.  

• Identifying where and how H&S expertise and awareness can be used to drive consumer (e.g., investors, NGOs, public) and supply chain (e.g., business to business interactions) demand may drive conversation and action that can better protect workers.

Costs: And benefits associated with H&S are not well established and should be made more public and better demonstrations of the costs associated with failing to fully integrate H&S in the business model (e.g., business case) are critical for driving behavior change and highlighting opportunities for innovation.

Compliance: Moving beyond a compliance mentality is necessary to achieve sustainability. To leverage action, there must be a compelling case that doing more than is required makes sense for business.

Materiality: The identification of factors that have an impact on business performance is the basis for sustainability metrics, standards, and reporting.

• Where a factor is not considered to be material, it is not measured, included, or reported on.
• Data demonstrating the materiality of H&S is available in only a limited number of sectors.
• Leveraging the use of H&S data to support findings of materiality can elevate the importance of H&S within sustainability discussions.

Stakeholder Engagement: Creating a dialogue around H&S and sustainability by engaging individuals representing the H&S community as well as multiple disciplines of sustainability to discuss next steps for integrating H&S into sustainability, horizon scanning, networking, and providing technical expertise.

Collaborating to advance H&S and sustainability activity with diverse stakeholders interested in addressing similar challenges or opportunities to share resources and expertise.

• Collaborative efforts around H&S and sustainability could include data and information gathering and product development for specific audiences, such as industry sectors, small businesses, purchasers, or the investment community; solutions-oriented forums for companies to engage with each other; and mentoring programs for the development of leadership or technical skills.

Recognizing leaders Highlight leaders that are successfully incorporating worker safety and health into their sustainability efforts.

This aligns with high-value stakeholders place in this type of recognition for their efforts & innovations, as well as existing recognition programs that are already linked to sustainability.

• Recognizing the next generation of leaders will also help to shape and promote their different expectations and practices.

Leveraging powerful global efforts Expand engagement to include meaningful relationships with stakeholders that are global in scope and considered best in class in their areas of activity to drive demand throughout the supply chain.

Operationalizing for replication and scalability Engage SMEs and the supply chain to advance the development and implementation of innovative safety and health practices. Opportunities exist to tailor tools, standards, certifications, and resources for organisations of all sizes.

Strategies for Success: Ensure that any activities undertaken to advance worker safety and health in sustainability are as inclusive, meaningful, and productive as possible by:

·Thinking more broadly: A narrow focus can limit the potential for making broad impacts. It is important that there may be multiple pathways to gain traction and drive change.

1. Innovating and disrupting: Business, as usual, won’t allow for transformation. It is critical to explore new and different approaches, as well as to adapt existing processes and procedures to allow for growth.
2. Contextualizing: Know what is going on and who the key players are in order to align with current activities, build credibility, reach the appropriate audience, use the most effective mechanisms of engagement, and identify new opportunities to push forward.
3. Collaborating: Establish mechanisms for communicating in order to build trust, facilitate dialogue and information exchange, and give credit and value expert input where it is due.  

Exploring professional development opportunities: Identify professionals that would benefit from a greater understanding of the impact that H&S has on business, how to reach them, what materials would be useful, and what messages would resonate.

Develop resources and identify venues for meeting these training needs.

Creating multi-dimensional next-generation professionals Cultivate educational opportunities that integrate worker safety and health into a broad range of academic disciplines, such as public health, business, sustainability, and others.

• These opportunities can include cross-disciplinary training, coursework, internships, research, degree program requirements, and degrees (e.g., finance and industrial hygiene; environmental and H&S management).

Generating mass appeal: Mainstream worker health and safety concerns by sharing compelling stories and informative sound bites through social media, news feeds, blogs, and ad campaigns. Build on these messages to spur action by the public.

Millennials Challenges & Opportunities?

The anticipation of new H&S risks: With new technologies, shifting demographics, climate change and different patterns of employment and work organization shaping the world of work, it has and will become more important than ever to anticipate new and emerging work-related safety and health risks.

• Anticipating risks is a crucial first step to effectively managing them and to building a preventative H&S culture in an ever-changing world.
• Practices to do this include forecasting, technology assessments and future studies, which enable the identifi-cation of potential work-related safety and health risks & development of effective preventative actions.

Multi interdisciplinary in managing H&S: Approach could aim to bring together such disciplines as law (public policy and employ-ment law); work design (engineering, ergonomic, software, and automation); tools (technology, health tech, and sen-sors); the environment; physical and social impacts (public health, nutrition, physical activity, and demographics); human nature (psychology sociology and economics); med-icine and neuroscience; and work organization, in addition to design and human resources.

Building competence in H&S: There is a growing need for mainstream H&S into the core of general education for everyone before they enter the world of work, and continuing throughout their working lives.

Integrating H&S into general education and into vocational training programs can help build safer and healthier future generations of workers.

Promoting lifelong learning on H&S can help workers and employers learn about, and adapt to, emerging as well as persistent H&S risks, thus improving safety and health throughout the work-life continuum.?