How HR can promote sustainability

How HR can turn Earth Day into a movement

Sustainability has always been super important to us at Winningtemp. But with Earth Day just around the corner (22nd of April), now’s a great time for some extra reflection on how organisations can have a more positive impact, both for the planet and their people.

Let’s talk about why Earth Day matters, why it’s about much more than just a day, and how you can drive practical change across the organisation.

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What’s Earth Day about?

EARTHDAY.ORG is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement. The organisation works with over 150,000 partners in 192 countries to diversify, educate and activate the global environmental movement.

EARTHDAY.ORG runs global campaigns and programs throughout the year, crowned by the annual Earth Day celebrations on April 22nd, to mark the anniversary of the first Earth Day in 1970.

(At the time, the first Earth Day mobilised 10% of the then-US population to take to the streets and protest environmental ignorance. It was a huge leap forwards and credited as the birth of the modern environmental movement.)

Now, Earth Day is the planet’s largest civic event and does a huge amount to raise awareness and galvanise positive change.

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More than box-checking: why Earth Day matters for HR

We know there’s a long list of key dates that organisations celebrate and promote – and perhaps sometimes this can start to feel like a box-checking activity, far removed from pressing daily concerns of running your HR.

Unless you’re personally passionate and invested in environmental issues, it might be difficult to connect sincerely with Earth Day.

But Earth Day – and more broadly, the environmental movement and sustainable business as a whole – are super important. And not just because we all have to share a planet that’s increasingly in crisis.

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A strong ESG stance improves hiring and retention

Deloitte’s Global Millennial Survey 2022 leaves little doubt as to the importance of environmental and sustainability issues to millennial and Gen Z workers. (Together, these two groups make up around half of today’s workforce – a proportion that’s growing constantly).

According to the study:

• 83% of millennials and 79% of Gen Zs say the COVID-19 pandemic made them more concerned about sustainability and environmental issues

• 80% of Gen Zs and 77% of millennials say they feel a personal responsibility to create positive social and environmental impact

• 70% of Gen Zs and 66% of millennials say they would be willing to take a pay cut to work for a company that aligns with their values

• 81% of Gen Zs and 76% of millennials say they are concerned about income inequality and want to see more action from businesses to address it

• 78% of Gen Zs and 74% of millennials say they are concerned about climate change and want to see more action from businesses to address it

Irrespective of the moral imperative to act on environmental issues, stats like this show that organisations that prioritise ESG are better placed to attract, engage, and retain talent.

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A strong ESG stance improves business value

HR outcomes aren’t the only reason to care about ESG. Environmental issues matter in concrete business terms. For instance, recent research from BCG finds organisations that genuinely prioritise ESG are more likely to outperform their peers in the long-term – but many are turning their backs on this value, by focussing purely on compliance:

“Companies that view environmental, social, and governance initiatives as an exercise in compliance rather than a source of competitive advantage, are leaving substantial value on the table.”

The stats are compelling:

• 80% of investors believe that companies should prioritise ESG issues in their business strategies…but only 28% of executives believe their company's ESG strategy is adequately integrated into overall business strategy.

• 71% of executives believe companies that treat ESG as a strategic priority will outperform peers long-term…but 65% of executives believe their company's ESG strategy is primarily focused on compliance.

The upshot is, focussing on ESG isn’t just a fluffy nice-to-have or a compliance-based chore. Environmental and sustainability issues are fundamental drivers for the business – and HR can add enormous value by supporting the C-suite on this.

Here are some ideas you can take away this Earth Day (and beyond) to galvanise support for environmental and sustainability issues, and foster a culture of ESG impact.

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17 ideas organisations can consider to improve ESG and make a positive impact

1. Create a regular comms program talking about ESG across the organisation, so employees know where you stand, what you’re doing, and how they can get involved.

2. Educate employees around ESG, encourage individual buy-in and create some excitement around environment and sustainability issues by hosting guest speakers, workshops, webinars, or training sessions.

3. Create resources to educate employees to make more environmentally-friendly choices at work and home, like a toolkit.

4. Create a program of green initiatives including stuff like volunteer days, community challenges, company-wide sustainability competitions, and environmental pledges.

5. Integrate ESG activity into your reward and recognition programme.

6. Take the lead: work across other departments – and the C-suite – to set ESG goals that align to business strategy and filter across the organisation in a meaningful way.

7. Invite employee feedback into ESG regularly, to prove this is an important priority for you. (For instance, if you’re using our employee engagement platform to collect real-time feedback, you can easily add regular questions around sustainability).

8. Subsidise public transport, cycle schemes, lift sharing and electric vehicles.

9. Encourage hybrid or remote working to minimise employees’ travel impact.

10. Reconsider the ‘swag’ you buy for events, onboarding, and office celebrations – less pens, more tree planting, perhaps? Less ‘stuff’, more experiences?

11. Offset the organisation’s carbon footprint and subsidise employees to offset their own.

12. Make environmentally-sound choices across your offices, like ensuring good recycling practices, investing into motion controlled lighting, and using eco-friendly supplies.

13. Host and attend virtual events and learning rather than on-site events requiring travel.

14. Encourage employees to take ownership over ESG, by establishing employee groups that create community and offer a platform for environmental activity.

15. Donate or run fundraisers for environmental causes – and consider matching employee donations too.

16. Choose suppliers who align with your ESG commitments. Demand better from everyone you work with.

17. Promote EARTHDAY.ORG. The organisation makes it super simple to lend support to a wide range of social and environmental issues. Use the resources already out there to inspire your people to get involved.  

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Think beyond Earth “Day”

As EARTHDAY.ORG says, Earth Day is not a day but a movement – and it’s one your people probably care a lot about. Making real progress means integrating ESG properly and sincerely into how the organisation operates, not just paying lip service.

That’s not just the right thing for the planet – it’s the right thing for your people and organisation too.

Winningtemp’s employee engagement platform helps you better understand and serve your people – to build a winning culture. Watch this two-minute video to see how it works.‍‍‍