Learning and Development Environmental sustainability can be embedded into Learning and Development by considering the environmental impact of both the content and the process of activities. All programme content should reference the organisation’s green ambitions and the process of delivery should consider the resulting carbon footprint, for example face-to-face versus online.
HR’s green role: Embedding environmental sustainability
Competencies, job descriptions, person specifications and objectives Competencies should contain knowledge about general environmental impacts, as well as recognising the effects of climate change on the activities of your organisation. Skill competencies should be role-specific and behavioural competencies should cover aspects of ethical decision-making at all levels of the organisation. As well as being used for recruitment and selection, job descriptions and person specifications enable employees and managers to understand what is required in any role. Reference could be made to environmental competencies, as well as explaining what the person’s responsibility, authority and accountability are in terms of environmental sustainability. By explaining ‘how we do things here’, ‘what is important to us’, and ‘what we expect from you’, the induction process can reinforce how the organisation aims to achieve its sustainability targets. Specific individual and team objectives can be agreed around environmental sustainability targets to help the organisation reach its targets. Meanwhile, performance
The buildings where we work, including offices, shops and hospitals account for 30-40% of greenhouse gas emissions, whilst organisations more broadly are responsible for 17% of emissions.
Leadership Senior management, including senior HR
professionals, must be supportive of environmental initiatives. Leaders must be seen to be green if they are to encourage employees to behave in similar ways. HR can be the exemplar for this and encourage and enable people throughout the organisation to participate in environmental activities and initiatives. Rewards and Recognition Make sure that employee rewards have a positive environmental impact, and that any recognition is aligned to the organisation’s values. For example, are your pension fund investments in line with your organisation’s ethical and environmental standards? The thread of environmental sustainability can run throughout the work of HR. About the author Dr Jan Maskell MCIPD is an Occupational Psychologist and Sustainability consultant based in Lancaster.
People professionals, as business leaders, can play a fundamental role in building sustainable practices into the business strategy and working with all internal and external stakeholders to make a positive impact by committing to pro-environmental actions.
How can you integrate environmental sustainability into your policies and practices
Strategies and Values Check if your organisation has included environmental sustainability in its overarching principles and translated these into actions. If not, can you influence those who implement the organisational strategies to incorporate relevant issues? HR should integrate environmental sustainability throughout all of their policies, procedures and practices, and clearly articulate this to all stakeholders.
objectives could include one- off targets to be completed by specified dates or ongoing standards to be met.
Download the CIPD Guide to Environmental Sustainability here .
REGIONAL INSIGHTS
Autumn 2022
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