HR Practices for Sustainable Business Growth
Every business operates in the society utilizing its resources, and it essentially is their responsibility to contribute towards the environment in a similar manner. Sustainability, as a term, has various connotations, such as, causing minimal or no damage to the environment, or a practice that focuses on the essence of standing the test of time. Sustainability is all this and much more. It is not only ecological, but also social and economic.
Sustainability essentially means meeting today’s requirements without compromising the needs and demands of future generations. It means balancing multiple aspects like social, economic, and environmental factors for a just and equitable growth for the business and the society it flourishes in.
It’s a fast-changing world today, and so has changed our dynamics with everything around us. It takes a lot of investment in terms of money and time to establish a business and therefore it only makes sense that growth is planned for the long term if you want your business to survive and thrive.
The growing inclination towards a sustainable world
Just a few years ago, it was all about maximizing profits and the growth of the business. But today, a behavioral shift has taken place; it’s towards a world where customers seek brands that motivate, employees seek workplaces that give a healthy work culture and society as a whole towards socially responsible corporations.
According to some researches,
- 64% of millennials won’t agree to a job if they don’t see CSR in practice.
- 33% of consumers prefer to buy from brands with a purpose.
- 88% say their jobs would be more fulfilling if allowed to work towards a societal or environmental cause.
So, how can an HR manager, in his capacity, contribute towards a sustainable business practice?
Define your company’s purpose and communicate
Work with the leadership to define what the company’s purpose is and how everyone can work together to achieve it.
Review the current practices
Review the current practices at your workplace to make sure that they are in alignment with your sustainability goals.
Incorporate sustainability into your brand
Ensure that your sustainability goals are incorporated in the company’s policies reflecting in the recruitment process as well, hiring candidates invested in the cause.
Focus on sustainable infrastructure
Employ assets that are coherent with the environment, selecting materials that are safe, recyclable, and biodegradable. Incorporate sustainability in your work culture from everything as simple as furniture to complex systems like meeting the energy requirements of your workplace.
Build a system that is resilient, proactive and tactical
Crafting policies that are anticipatory and resilient is imperative for sustainable work culture. The most established aspect of sustainability is a culture that anticipates foreseeable and unforeseeable future trends. Tweak your HR practices for a culture that’s agile and adaptable.
Embedding the qualities of resilience, predictability in the HR practices can help the organization withstand any impediments. HR plays a very crucial role in facilitating a positive work environment for any business, playing the role of a mediator for the management and the employees.
How your organization can embed the concept of sustainability in its work culture? Find out with our team of experts.
Related Article: Employee-Centric Workplace