Why sustainability starts and ends with your staff

More companies – and their investors – are prioritising environmental, social and governance  (ESG) practices, not least as they hold significant business opportunities. Indeed, in 2021 KPMG reported that 65% of UK CEOs were facing increased demand and transparency on ESG issues.

Organisational success, however, depends not only on visionary leadership but also on the engagement and commitment of each team member. So how can leaders promote a culture of sustainability and motivate their teams to embrace environmental goals? From setting clear and compelling sustainability objectives to integrating eco-friendly practices into everyday operations, it is possible to empower leaders to drive meaningful change.

ESG starts with ‘S’

Business leaders are often unsure about which sustainability initiatives to put in place, or how to reduce their company’s carbon emissions. Putting people (the ‘Social’ [‘S’] element of ESG) at the heart of this strategy potentially enables a business to build on activities that its people might already be engaged in.

If, for instance, a member of staff is volunteering within their local community, what can be put in place to support them? Would leaving half an hour earlier on the day that they volunteer make it easier for them? By asking people how they would like to be supported it is possible to completely change the culture of a business.

Establishing the ‘S’ as a starting point will help businesses to achieve the ‘E’. Driving cultural change by empowering teams to take ownership of social impact – ensuring policies and pledges are relevant and engaged with – will encourage staff also to take ownership of environmental impact, as they come to understand why the business is committed to sustainability.

Too often, the responsibility for change is placed on a single leader, with the expectation that they alone will drive transformation. In reality lasting, meaningful change requires the collective effort of an engaged community. Putting a framework in place can help businesses begin to change their corporate culture. Holding discovery sessions, followed by training and analysis, can help senior leaders to identify a ‘community champion’ within their business.

This person then takes ownership of communicating events and activities, and is responsible for attracting employee buy-in. By empowering community champions – and staff more generally – with ownership, encouragement, support, and development opportunities, businesses can enable people to take the lead in managing and driving sustainability initiatives.

Change starts with us

Change like this takes time; it is not something that can be finalised in six weeks. However, by developing over time a strong, values-driven programme promoting sustainable initiatives, businesses can gradually embed new attitudes and practices into their culture. As people join and leave a business, such a foundation helps maintain momentum, allowing an organisation to sustain itself over time and build a reputation as a responsible, forward-thinking local employer. Ask staff questions such as:

• Do you volunteer within your local community? If so, on average, approximately how many hours a month does this take up?
• What/which charities do you support and how much have you raised for it/them in the last 12 months?
• Would you like to see the business adopt green initiatives such as a cycle-to-work scheme or car sharing?

Through responses to questions such as these, you will gain insights into what your staff are already doing, which the business can further incentivise by supporting them. If employees are already undertaking 4,000 hours of volunteering a year, for example, by supporting them with additional time to fulfil those duties a business is effectively contributing to those hours.

Similarly, a business could set up a match-funding pot. For example, if employees are donating £2,000 a year to charity, setting up a £2,000 per year match-funding pot would mean that for every £200 they raise you would give them £50. This would be logged, enabling your organisation to say it has helped its staff raise money for charity.

Logging and recording initiatives such as volunteering or match-funding events provides clear evidence of a business’s commitment to social responsibility. This documentation supports accreditations, demonstrates social value, and strengthens applications for awards – all of which enhance a company’s reputation. As a result, a business can benefit from lower recruitment costs, improved staff retention, and increased opportunities to secure higher-value contracts.

Sustainability clusters (groups of individuals within a business who focus on or actively work towards sustainable goals and practices) are important. Asking questions on a regular basis, such as: ‘What should we do more of?’; ‘What should we do less of?’; ‘What should we start doing?’; ‘What should we stop doing?’ can have a powerful effect.

If your people are keen to see change, and they can clearly envisage its benefits, they will start to take ownership of the sustainability strategy because they genuinely care. By equipping staff with knowledge as well as providing specific support, it is possible to motivate them to environmental action in tandem with managed cultural change.

To find out out how we work with businesses like yours on sustainability and other issues, contact us at transform@pyndar.uk.