How Your HR Practices Outwardly Affect the Sustainability of Your Organisation

From actively recruiting/retaining employees and maintaining a healthy work environment to
offering better training and enhancing the organisation, HR is vital for encouraging your employees (and staff) to do their best daily, even regarding non-HR-related tasks like sustainability.

Due to the concerning symptoms of climate change, many businesses have been forced to think about sustainability, with 60% of SMEs admitting they have a plan.

However, these plans only work through promoting transparent practices and communication –
something HR excels at. With this knowledge, we examine HR's role in encouraging organisational
sustainability and how it affects your organisation below:

Leading By Example

Sometimes, it is best done through behaviour instead of words to encourage something. And since
everyone in your organisation looks towards HR whenever there is an issue, starting with your HR
department is best if your organisation proactively tries to implement sustainable practices. One of
the best ways to do this is by digitising your HR department.

Using HR software instead of traditional methods like filing cabinets to store digital documents,
sign/issue contracts, manage staff absences, and other routine HR-related tasks makes your HR
department more efficient and directly affects your organisation's sustainability.

Discover how using HR software could help kickstart better sustainability practices at your
organisation by visiting providers' websites like HS Direct. From Health & Safety to HR software, they
create packages that'll help your business tackle sustainability by digitising it while improving the
effectiveness of your departments. Consider visiting their website to find out more today.

Developing Green Policies

Another way that your HR department can outwardly affect the sustainability of your organisation is
by creating/developing greener guidelines and policies. Equipped with greener policies, your
business can reap profound benefits from helping employees understand their roles and
responsibilities, conserving energy/raw materials, improving cost control, and much more.

Your amended policy could address several issues related to your business, whether it tackles the
efficient use of water/energy, recycling waste materials, transport, sourcing wood products, etc. By
creating greener changes within your business procedures, your HR department can help encourage
eco-friendly, positive changes from everyone in the business.

Employee Rewards

Sometimes implementing even the most minor of changes can boost the sustainability of your
organisation and make a significant difference. For instance, rewarding an employee for their
continued efforts at work or sending them a birthday card when their special day arrives – although
it can be thoughtful to receive a card or gift card, as kind as the gesture is, it's not that kind to our
environment.

Instead of sending out gift cards and annual birthday cards to all the staff, there are kinder decisions
you can make for the planet that show your employees (and the planet!) that you care. For example,
you could implement an employee rewards programme to help your HR department recognise
employees' hard work by incentivising them with praise, gifts, and non-monetary rewards like
discounts at their favourite restaurants, shops, and much more.