Sustainability and Securing Talent

Recent research is confirming people want to work for organizations with a healthy organizational footprint. Key indicators of a healthy footprint are engaged employees, operations that are carbon neutral or aiming for reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and positive contributions by the organization to the financial and social well-being of the wider community.

Proof Is in the Numbers

Recruitment and retention consultancies like Kenexa, Hewitt Associates, Robert Half, and Towers Perrin have published figures demonstrating a link between environmentally friendly workplaces and engaged employees. Monster, the online recruitment job site, is one of several firms to establish a careers section devoted to job listings with environmentally conscious companies. MonsterTRAK GreenCareers is in response to younger job hunters who would prefer to work for companies with good corporate social responsibility (CSR) records, especially when it comes to the environment.

Deb Connors, president of Canada’s annual Health, Work and Wellness conference, is convinced that in a tight labour market, a healthy footprint can enhance an organization’s retention and recruitment efforts. Citing corporate examples like Vancouver’s Vancity Credit Union and Interface Inc. of Atlanta, in an article co-written with Chris Freimond for the April 2008 issue of the HRIA’s E-Source newsletter, Connors suggests a “new breed of organization is emerging, one that understands that moving forward and giving back go hand in hand.”

Long-term Commitment

While some companies are only just beginning their green campaigns, a handful stand out for their enduring commitment. Interface Inc. and Patagonia are poster children for corporate environmentalism. Long before most organizations were concerned with being environmentally friendly, both companies embarked on green journeys. They have focused on achieving eco-effectiveness, not just reducing waste and carbon dioxide emissions, but gradually working towards ensuring their manufacturing and operational processes cause no harm to the environment. Patagonia has reported the firm has 900 applicants for every job opening. The HR department at Interface Inc. believes its positive environmental record helps it attract better employees, and its workplace learning program on sustainability keeps staff engaged.

Other organizations with environmental initiatives that are yielding positive results on the recruitment and engagement front include ANZ, the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group. With Hewitt Associates, ANZ has surveyed employees through an annual Engagement and Culture Survey to determine their levels of engagement. Rising levels have been attributed in part to the company’s CSR efforts and clarity about its values.

Advice for Newcomers

Many firms, large and small, have only just entered the fray. Standard Chartered Bank, which has partnered with the World Wildlife Foundation in the launch of its employee Environment Challenge, has set itself eco-efficiency targets. It wants to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions and diminish waste. Latecomers establishing green campaigns have to tread lightly, ensuring their newly found environmental commitment is not perceived as greenwash by cynical employees. The green mountain is a tall one to climb. It took Interface Inc. 12 years to reach a point where its sustainable investments paid off financially and from a human resources perspective.

There is enough evidence to substantiate the link between green business practices and employee engagement. At a minimum, employers with good records in sustainability can more easily attract people whose values align with the organization’s. At best, a genuine effort to go green can lead to greater productivity and higher sales. As Connors observes, at a time when retention and recruitment are crucial to global competitiveness, being sustainable has never been more important to organizational endurance.

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