The following text is an abridged version of the book article "Nachhaltigkeit in KMU: Personal als Erfolgsfaktor" published in 2023 by Kiki Radicke (Head of People & Culture, Adacor) and Steve Grundig (sustainability consultant at plant values). The text examines the question of how sustainability can be implemented in companies (SMEs) with the involvement of human resources management (HRM). The full article appeared in the Anthology "People Sustainability" from Haufe Verlag.
In this extract from the book contribution you will find:
- Sustainability in companies and the role of HR management
- Five principles for implementing sustainability in companies
- Understanding: Open your eyes to the big picture!
- Rooms and resources: Provide budget and time!
- Expertise and methods: impart knowledge in and from the company!
- Exchange and help: utilise the reflective power of conversation!
- Working environment and corporate culture: make change a matter of course!
Sustainability in companies and the role of HR management
HRM (human resource management) has excellent access to the company's managers and employees. HRM can therefore play a decisive role in sustainability, especially if there is no sustainability manager or only weakly staffed CSR departments.
HRM has the means and tools to empower employees for change and create the right foundations for sustainability in the company. More on this in a moment.
In addition, HRM itself has some major sustainability levers with regard to its own HR activities. Sustainability should be taken into account in HR tools, for example how environmentally friendly trade fair visits are organised or how training courses are organised. Likewise, application processes for climate impacts or job benefits should be scrutinised for their positive or negative impact on the environment.
Next, we want to look at the five foundations that need to be created in order to empower and inspire people in the company to act sustainably and bring about sustainable change.
Five principles for implementing sustainability in companies
We have identified five basic principles for instilling sustainability in the minds, hearts and hands of employees and managers. This is a prerequisite for long-term motivation and the ability to act sustainably.
1) Understanding: Open your eyes to the big picture!
If you make it clear to all employees what sustainability actually means for your company, they are more likely to be motivated to change their behaviour. They will then also develop their own approaches in terms of sustainable behaviour and management. It is important to recognise where you yourself have a relevant influence on environmental, social and societal aspects. Where is the climate impact particularly high? Where are there risks to human rights or compliance failures? Breaking this down into departments or daily work tasks helps to make the abstract concept of sustainability clear to everyone in the company. It creates understanding.
Possible ways to do this are
- In a Mission statement can describe why sustainability is part of the corporate principles and what this means for their own field of work.
- Linking measures or the company's own strategy to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations (UN).
- Infographics or explanatory videos to explain the relevance of sustainability and fields of action for sustainability in their own company.
2) Rooms and resources: Provide budget and time!
Capacities are needed to take on new tasks and to develop, implement and document sustainable initiatives. Company management is required to provide sufficient time and the necessary budgets. This is the only way to drive change and successfully implement sustainability initiatives.
Rooms and resources can be created as follows:
- Forming a Sustainability working group from various department members in order to have a committee to work on the topic.
- Create awarenessby actively involving all employees, e.g. in dialogue events, training courses and workshops.
- Establish structuresto coordinate the implementation of sustainable measures. In addition, clarify responsibilities.
- Making sustainability a topicfor example, as a fixed agenda item at team meetings or for strategic planning.
3) Expertise and methods: impart knowledge in and from the company!
Only if employees have the appropriate knowledge can they react to challenges in day-to-day operations and make well-founded strategic decisions. Expertise, methodological knowledge, knowledge of technical approaches or social skills, for example, may be required here in order to promote sustainable action in the company. Exactly what knowledge is needed and where varies greatly from company to company. Identifying needs and providing offers is a central task of HRM.
There are various ways to impart knowledge on the topic of sustainability:
- Seminars, training courses and workshops around sustainability knowledge, skills and competences.
- Contributions about sustainability via your own channels internal communication, such as the social intranet, in the newsletter or analogue on the notice board, keep your employees up to date.
- Internal expertise i.e. train our own sustainability specialists and position in-house consultants.
- External expertise for example, through coaching, experts from associations and universities or by providing advice on sustainability.
4) Exchange and help: utilise the reflective power of conversation!
An important building block for success is a space in which those responsible can share their experiences, ask questions and reflect on uncertainties. As is usually the case with innovations, resistance or previously unknown hurdles can arise when implementing sustainability measures, projects and initiatives. In such situations, it is very valuable to exchange ideas with other people who have been or are in similar situations. Discussion partners can help with reflection or provide a valuable outside perspective.
Ways of exchanging ideas and building up a support network can be:
- Networks to various company committees or to the expertise of the company's own sustainability working group.
- External experts associations, universities or CSR consultancies on board and involve them in exchange formats.
- internal communication platforms such as intranets, chat tools or online discussion forums.
- Informal and formal exchange opportunitiesfor example, attend networking events on sustainability or specialist forums with other company representatives.
Are you planning the next steps towards sustainability?
Ask me for a free information meeting.
I am ready with advice and pleasure.
Steve Grundig
Sustainability in human resources and corporate culture
5) Work environment and corporate culture: Make change a matter of course!
Sustainability often requires a rethink, a departure from previous patterns of behaviour. The pursuit of greater sustainability in a company has a direct influence on the working environment and corporate culture and vice versa. There are forms of corporate culture that enable and encourage employees to act and think sustainably, but there are also some that make this more difficult or ultimately prevent it.
You can read more about this in the Blog post by plant values about corporate culture.
Those responsible for sustainability must therefore be aware that sustainability ambitions and employee motivation will be nipped in the bud if the working environment and culture of a company have a completely different focus. It is therefore important to create an environment in which sustainability is recognised as a fundamental value and commitment to the cause is encouraged.
Conclusion: Sustainability needs a stable foundation, and HRM can lay it
Especially in companies without a dedicated position or specialised department for CSR or sustainability management, the HR department is predestined to drive this topic centrally within the company. In companies where there is a responsible sustainability department, it is advisable to closely involve HR in the implementation. Establishing this requires a holistic approach and succeeds through the interplay of various building blocks - the five foundations outlined above.
It requires understanding, space and resources, knowledge, exchange and help, as well as a corporate culture that promotes sustainability.
Consistently implemented sustainability only takes place through HRM. Without people with their motivation, skills and potential for creative development, it will be difficult for companies to achieve their sustainable goals.
The book "People Sustainability" incl. unabridged text version was published by Haufe Verlag in 2023. For more information and to order, go to https://shop.haufe.de/prod/people-sustainability
Photos and graphics by Adacor and plant values (portrait photo by T.Schlorke, presentation photos by laba.de)