In recent years, sustainability has emerged as a driving force not only behind what products people buy, but where they want to work as well. Deloitte’s 2024 survey across 44 different countries found that 72% of Gen Zers and 71% of Millennials say that environmental credentials and policies are important when considering a potential employer, and roughly 20% of employees from either generation report already changing jobs due to environmental concerns. For many employees, planning for or prioritizing their own future cannot be separated from the future of the environment, and they want their work to reflect these commitments.
For companies hoping to meet these demands and attract top talent, it is not enough to talk about values in the abstract. Customers and employees want to know how a company will implement sustainable operations to achieve their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. HR professionals are instrumental in exploring, communicating, and implementing these practices and values across an organization, leading businesses towards a more sustainable—and successful—future.
The Role of Workplace Culture in Driving Sustainable Change
“Employees value purpose-driven work,” says Tara Milburn, CEO of Ethical Swag, a sustainable merch company that works with hiring professionals to attract, onboard, and retain talent by helping businesses develop a holistic approach to social and environmental sustainability. “When a shared social and environmental purpose is treated as fundamental rather than secondary, employees feel more connected to and fulfilled by their work, which then creates a positive feedback loop.” Employees who resonate with company culture internalize its values and goals, and, in turn, act in ways that uphold and promote them.
Creating an environment in which employees can tangibly see the value of their work comes with a wide variety of benefits. Not only do cultures of sustainability help attract top talent, particularly among Millennials and Gen Zs, they also improve retention, as employees feel more personally connected to the company and are thus less likely to leave. A solid workplace culture built on sustainability helps promote growth and stability for a business as well—research shows that companies with strong ESG performance outperform competitors financially in the long run. HR professionals play an essential role in creating these cultures and unlocking their numerous benefits.
How HR Leaders Can Create Sustainable Cultures
Center your people, starting from the ground up. Much like how digital technology is most effective when embraced by an entire organization rather than being relegated to the IT department, sustainability is something that everyone—from the CEO to an entry-level employee—can use their unique strengths to promote. Embedding sustainability into company culture helps everyone see how their individual actions contribute to a greater goal. HR professionals can support this company-wide transformation by facilitating collaboration across departments and teams, ensuring employees feel comfortable communicating with their peers as well as higher-ups. They also assist in the creation of guidelines and objectives that help employees see their progress and the impacts of their actions in more concrete and measurable ways.
Engage employees with creative giving programs. Measurable give-back programs are an exceptional way to keep employees engaged. Employee-directed initiatives, such as department-based giving programs and team challenges that have a sustainable focus, help make employees feel like they are taking a lead in contributing to the causes that they care about the most. These kinds of programs help make sustainability and community impact fun and engaging while also turning them into opportunities for facilitating team bonding. There are also numerous third-party companies that can help businesses streamline the giving process in a way that still resonates with their core values.
Align with external sustainability certifications. Programs like B Corp certification can help strengthen a company’s credibility and accountability. “These audits can create an increased sense of confidence and security for employees across a company,” Milburn notes. “By collecting this reliable and relevant data, a clear path can be drawn between a company’s current performance and the future it champions, including what, when, and how these changes will occur to progress towards it. This helps employees understand how they fit into the future of the company, what opportunities for growth are available to them, and how they can themselves offer ideas or expertise to be drivers of sustainable change.” Audits are also an excellent way for companies to assess their current sustainability performance and create a concrete strategy for improvement.
HR leaders have a significant role to play in spearheading sustainability in the workplace. Not only are they uniquely positioned to help companies implement sustainable practices and policies, but they can help transform and redefine workplace culture to reflect this commitment to sustainability. By embedding sustainable initiatives into recruitment, onboarding, and training, HR professionals can help companies ensure that their values are integrated into every level of their operations. This creates a sense of cohesion and authenticity that speaks directly to the needs and values of today’s workforce.
“In this day and age, both consumers and workers are tired of buzzwords,” says Milburn. “They are interested in real, tangible actions that make a difference in the present. As HR leaders, we play an essential role in helping employees see their work as a vehicle for creating change.”