“Sustainable development is not just the responsibility of environmental specialists or communications professionals. It requires contributions from people across all functions of an organization.”⁽¹⁾ That is the main reason why Human Resources play an important role in the sustainable development plans of any organization. But the most important thing before Human Resources take action over this matter is that sustainability is in the company’s goals.
“CSR – HR = PR. If employees are not engaged, Corporate Social Responsibility becomes an exercise in public relations. The credibility of an organization will become damaged when it becomes evident that a company is not ‘walking the talk’.” ⁽²⁾ From this particular phrase I can think of the different challenges that a Human Resources Department faces their main goals a part of the organization: Recruiting and retaining top talent, creating incentives for exceptional performance and enhancing critical competencies. And combine it with sustainability in order to get the best results from the employees to support the organizational Corporate Social Responsibility and also develop sustainable practices at their own homes or community.
Something that surprised me was the idea that sustainable development practices of a company where just seen as cost reduction measures, that was accompanied by the awareness of the environment and sustainability. However, if the people are the heart of a company, why the relationship between Human Resources and Sustainability is seen as a new discovery of the lasts years.
At the end the main goal is that ”HR has an important role to play in building the capabilities that enable the organizational change, from an economic, social and environmental perspective, and as a way to achieve a new competitive advantage”⁽³⁾
References:
⁽¹⁾ Driving Success - Human resources and sustainable development By:
· The World Business Council for Sustainable Development
· HRH The Prince of Wales’s Business & the Environment Programme
· The University of Cambridge Programme for Industry
⁽²⁾Adine Mees and Jamie Bunham, Canadian Business for Social Responsibility
Driving Success - Human resources and sustainable development By:
· The World Business Council for Sustainable Development
· HRH The Prince of Wales’s Business & the Environment Programme
· The University of Cambridge Programme for Industry
⁽³⁾ Role of HR in the new world of sustainability
Guilsborough: 2010. Vol. 42, Iss. 1; pg. 11
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