There has been an argument within the business circles if the embedding of corporate responsibility and sustainable practices are cost effective and if they indicate a positive financial performance for any organization. According to researches it is highlighted that keeping your business responsible results in higher profits whereas a strongly committed workforce contributes in the overall business performance on a long term. Nevertheless, there is concern over the nature of operations that need to be taken on behalf of the sustainability leaders in order to successfully correlate the human assets’ values and support for sustainability with the business’s ongoing sustainability activities.
There is a critical bottom line that points out that the first step to the engagement of employees with regards to the company’s environmental and social responsibility activities is the realization of the economic case. To that end, the clearer the profitable aspect of sustainability is spelled out to the workforce the more meaningful and supportive will it be towards the sustainability program and strategy that has been implemented.
Once the business case is understood and the company’s long-term purpose is defined and communicated properly there is one essential matter to be acknowledged and resolved and that is the thorough education over sustainability within all business departments. It is commonly agreed that a skilled sustainability director within an organization is a valuable asset; however it is not a one man’s job when sustainable performance is to be evaluated on a longer term. Sustainability directors have to involve all departments and cultivate sustainability language and actions across all levels and geographies of the organization. Engagement and dedication on behalf of employees is a consequence of a shared sustainability culture that is built and supported on a constant pace. More specifically, decision making managers need to invest in the education and training of the personnel through seminars and online trainings to provide them with a holistic sustainability experience. Involving everyone throughout relative learning, company’s sustainability initiatives are supported more effectively while employees are encouraged to step in to embrace and create new sustainability goals in the benefit of the whole organization.
Sustainability Academy by the Center for Sustainability & Excellence offers group online certified courses that are especially designed for companies and organizations that want to educate their staff and other important stakeholders (e.g Clients, Suppliers) on the most important topics of Sustainability and how it can be integrated into corporate strategy.
Browse through our unique options provided in Sustainability Academy and improve corporate sustainability performance.