Integrating Sustainability In The Employee Experience Can Only Be A Good Thing

Employees are critical stakeholders for business success and sustainability and are the backbone of any organization. They drive innovation, productivity, customer satisfaction, and revenue growth. An organization’s success and sustainability depend on the well-being and engagement of its employees, as they are the ones who bring ideas to life, interact with customers, and contribute to the company's overall reputation. Engaged employees are more likely to remain loyal, promote a positive workplace culture, and provide superior customer service, all critical for long-term success and sustainability. Everyone benefits when employees enjoy a positive experience in their workplace, and investing in that is essential for businesses to thrive and maintain a competitive advantage in today's dynamic and ever-changing market. For all these reasons, organizations and their HR increasingly prioritize employee experience as part of their people strategy to deliver business goals.

In part 1 of this series, I talked about the power of sustainability in enabling a compelling experience for employees. In part 2 below, I highlight the multiple touchpoints in the employee journey, from recruitment to retirement, and which organizations can consider to incorporate sustainability initiatives to drive home an outstanding EX. I will also review how HR can identify touchpoints that matter to their employees and thereafter give priority when overlaying with sustainability initiatives.

Five key building blocks of the employee journey to leverage sustainability interventions

I explain below the main building blocks of an employee experience which present an opportunity for organizations to incorporate sustainability-related interventions and assign ESG goals that they can measure and report on. I also give ideas for sustainability initiatives that can be applied at each stage.

It is worthwhile mentioning that in the event an organization has a broader sustainability strategy in place, HR must ensure alignment with the same and is greatly encouraged to work in partnership with the sustainability team in their organization when deciding which initiatives to adopt, identify the relevant ESG targets and SDG goals to focus on, agree on the KPIs to work towards, and the mechanism to track progress, measure, and report on the results to advance the overall organizational sustainability and ESG plans.

Recruitment:

Sustainability can be integrated into recruitment practices by emphasizing the organization's commitment to sustainability and promoting its sustainability initiatives. This will attract candidates who share the organization's values and are committed to creating a more sustainable and socially responsible workplace culture wherever they work and enhance the organization's reputation as a socially responsible and sustainable business. I recommend that HR incorporate sustainability into the job description, highlighting the organization's sustainability goals and the candidate's role in achieving those goals. Findings of research published by?Michael Page ?this year show that 66% of respondents to a survey they conducted between May and June 2022 of jobseekers in continental Europe said that a company’s sustainability commitments are essential when applying for a job.

Here are some general examples of sustainability initiatives that organizations can incorporate in the recruitment stage of the employee experience:

1. Sustainable Job Postings: Organizations can create job postings emphasizing their commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. This can attract candidates with the same values and seeking a purpose-driven career.
2. Virtual Hiring: Organizations can use virtual hiring processes to reduce the environmental impact of travel and paper use. This can also create a more efficient and streamlined process for the organization and the candidate.
3. Green Credentials: Organizations can showcase their green credentials, such as their commitment to reducing waste, conserving energy, and promoting sustainable practices in the workplace. This can differentiate them as an employer of choice and attract candidates who prioritize sustainability.
4. Sustainable Benefits: Organizations can offer sustainable benefits, such as public transit subsidies, bike share memberships, and eco-friendly office supplies, to promote sustainable practices in the workplace and encourage employees to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

Onboarding:

Incorporating sustainability in the onboarding stage of the employee experience can help new hires understand and embrace the organization's sustainability values and initiatives from the outset, ensuring buy-in early in their journey with the company. This can improve engagement, retention, and productivity and enhance the organization's reputation as a socially responsible and sustainable business.

Organizations can incorporate sustainability in their onboarding process in the following ways:

1. Sustainability Welcome Kit: Organizations can create a welcome kit that includes information about the organization's sustainability practices and initiatives. This can help new employees understand the organization's commitment to sustainability and how they can contribute to these efforts.
2. Sustainability Training: Organizations can provide sustainability training to new hires during onboarding. This can include information on reducing waste, conserving energy, promoting ethical and inclusive practices, and other ESG-related initiatives.
3. Sustainable Office Tour: Where applicable, organizations can provide new hires with a sustainable office tour, highlighting green features such as recycling stations, energy-efficient lighting, and eco-friendly products. This can create a more engaging and interactive onboarding experience and inspire employees to adopt sustainable practices in the workplace.
4. Sustainable Networking: Organizations can facilitate sustainable networking opportunities during onboarding, such as introductions to the sustainability committee or green team. This can help new employees connect with like-minded colleagues and feel more engaged in the organization's sustainability efforts.

Training and Development:

Training and development are essential for employee growth and career advancement. Incorporating sustainability in the learning and development stage of the employee experience is critical as it can help promote sustainability literacy and awareness among employees, empowering them to adopt sustainable practices in the workplace beyond. Furthermore, it helps build a culture of sustainability within the organization, contributes to overall employee engagement and motivation, and allows the organization to achieve its sustainability targets by ensuring that employees are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to implement sustainable practices in their roles.

An additional resource you may find helpful -?Corporate Sustainability Training for Employees: An Executive Guide

Here are some examples of sustainability initiatives that organizations can incorporate in the learning and development stage of the employee experience:

1. Run sustainability training programs and workshops such as reducing waste, conserving energy, promoting sustainable practices, and ethical and inclusive practices, trends, and technologies in their field of work. These trainings/ workshops can provide employees opportunities for personal and professional growth that align with the organization's sustainability goals.
2. Sustainability Certifications: Organizations can offer sustainability certifications to employees, recognizing their knowledge and skills in sustainable practices. This can incentivize employees to adopt sustainable practices in their roles.
3. Sustainability Speakers Series: Organizations can host sustainability speakers series, where employees can learn from sustainability experts, business leaders, and environmental advocates. These series can inspire employees to adopt sustainable practices in their roles and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Performance Management and Reward:

Incorporating sustainability in the performance management stage of the employee experience helps to align employee performance with the organization's sustainability goals. This will ensure that sustainability is a key performance indicator and that employees are held accountable for achieving sustainability goals.

It will also incentivize employees to adopt sustainable practices in their roles, contribute to employee engagement and motivation by providing employees with a sense of purpose and meaning in their work, and drive the achievement of the organization’s sustainability targets by ensuring that employee performance is evaluated based on their sustainability contributions. HR can also incorporate sustainability into employee recognition and rewards, motivating employees to contribute to sustainability initiatives.

Here are some ideas for sustainability initiatives that organizations can incorporate in the performance management stage of the employee experience:

1. Sustainability Goals: Organizations can set sustainability goals for leaders and incorporate them into their performance objectives and bonus scheme. This helps align performance with the organization's sustainability vision and incentivizes leaders to adopt sustainable practices in their roles. Learn how to do that here?Making Sustainability Count: How to Embed Sustainability in Leaders’ Objectives .
2. Sustainability Recognition Programs: Organizations can create sustainability recognition programs that reward employees for their sustainability contributions. This can provide employees with a sense of purpose and meaning in their work and enhance their engagement and motivation.
3. Sustainability in the Competency Framework: HR may want to embed sustainability skills in the competency framework based on which potential hires are interviewed for and current talents evaluated, assessed, rewarded, and developed.

Retirement:

Sustainability can be incorporated into retirement to promote sustainable retirement planning, enable employees to align their retirement savings with their sustainability values and goals, provide opportunities for sustainability engagement beyond the employee's working years, enhance the organization's reputation as a socially responsible and sustainable business, and promote a culture of sustainability within the organization. I recommend you read this paper by?MDPI ?published last year for insights into how inclusive leadership and HR practices can foster employability until retirement.

Here are some examples of sustainability initiatives that organizations can incorporate in the retirement stage of the employee experience:

1. Sustainable Investment Options: Organizations can provide employees with sustainable investment options for their retirement savings, such as socially responsible investment funds or green bonds.
2. Sustainability Education: Organizations can provide employees with sustainability education and resources on retirement planning strategies that align with their sustainability values, such as investing in renewable energy or sustainable agriculture.
3. Sustainability Volunteering: Organizations can provide retirees with opportunities to engage in sustainability volunteering and community service projects, such as environmental clean-up or conservation efforts. This can enable retirees to continue their sustainability journey beyond their working years and contribute to the organization's sustainability goals.
4. Sustainability Networking: Organizations can facilitate sustainability networking opportunities for retirees, such as introductions to sustainability committees or green teams. This can help retirees connect with like-minded individuals and stay engaged in sustainability efforts.
5. Sustainability Alumni Programs: Organizations can establish sustainability alumni programs that enable retirees to stay connected to the organization's sustainability goals and initiatives. Turning retiring employees into brand advocates can help promote a culture of sustainability within the organization and demonstrate the organization's commitment to sustainability beyond the employee's working years.

Prioritize Before You Act

I outlined the key stages in the employee journey where organizations can leverage sustainability efforts to influence the overall employee experience positively. Addressing all five stages at once can be overwhelming and ineffective. Instead, companies and their HR must be very intentional about taking the below steps to identify and understand which touchpoints in each employee experience stage matter most to their employees and then prioritize those to maximize the outcome of the pairing between sustainability and EX. Focusing effort is necessary for success. A powerful tool to achieve that is mapping out the employee journey. HR can follow the same rigor of Customer Experience professionals to track the path-to-purchase of the customer – everything from discovery, research, evaluation, purchase, and use.

Must read:?3 Reasons Why Your Company Needs an Employee Journey Map

Conduct Employee Surveys:

By gathering employee feedback on various aspects of their workplace experience, such as job satisfaction, communication, leadership, work-life balance, and career development, organizations can gain a deeper understanding of what matters most to their employees and identify areas for improvement. This will enable organizations to identify the touchpoints that matter at various stages of the employee journey, from hiring to onboarding to retirement. For example, an employee survey may ask employees about their interview experience, onboarding experience, satisfaction with their job responsibilities and tasks, relationships with colleagues and managers, access to training and development opportunities, and perceptions of the organization's culture and values. Once employee feedback is gathered, it must be analyzed to identify trends and areas that require improvement.

Use People Analytics:

People analytics provides organizations with data-driven insights into employee preferences and needs. By analyzing data from various sources, such as feedback from employee surveys, employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention metrics, organizations can gain a deeper understanding of the specific touchpoints they need to prioritize to move the needle towards a more positive employee experience.

Conduct Focus Groups:

Focus groups can gather feedback from diverse employees on specific touchpoints, what is working for them in the workplace, and what’s not. Focus groups are an essential source of data because they provide organizations with valuable insights into their employees' experiences, needs, and preferences. As a result, organizations can gain a deeper understanding of their employees’ thoughts and feelings and dentify pain points, areas for improvement, and opportunities for innovation. In addition, focus groups provide organizations with rich, qualitative data that can be used to inform EX strategies and improve the employee experience.

Tip: Visualizing and analyzing the various stages of an employee's experience with an organization through the steps I mention above is traditionally known as Employee Journey Mapping and is a powerful tool available for HR to demonstrate the various touchpoints in the employee journey at play, and that is driving how negative or positive the EX is.

Once the focus areas are identified, HR can start overlaying EX with relevant sustainability initiatives that are meaningful to the employees and aligned with the overall business strategy, ultimately driving the organization to achieve its vision and business goals.

In Part 3 of this series, I will double down on how sustainability can impact talent attraction, acquisition and retention, productivity, and engagement.

#futureofwork #sustainability #esg #humancapital #sustainablebusiness #talentmanagement #recruitment #employeeexperience #peopleanalytics #businessstrategy #culture #employeejourney #workplace #purpose