Latest updated: 19 January 2023

Sustainability has become an HR issue. Today, customers, investors and employees expect companies to actively work for a more sustainable world, and it is an issue that is of the utmost importance to you as an HR manager. Sustainability work must be integrated into everything the company does, not least in recruitment, onboarding and employee development. But above all, HR has a great responsibility for social sustainability - ensuring that employees feel good mentally, avoid stress and burnout and feel included and engaged.

When talking about companies and employers' sustainability responsibilities, HR may not be the first department that comes to mind. But the fact is that as an HR manager, you play a crucial role in converting the fine words about sustainability into concrete actions. You are responsible for the personnel - and sustainability also concerns people.

The concept of sustainability does not contain a single issue, but can rather be seen as a philosophy that can be applied to all issues. When talking about sustainability, it is often environmental and climate issues that are at the center, but actually, sustainability can be divided into three parts: Environmental, social and economic sustainability. All three are equally important for the future of companies and society, as they are interdependent. We know from experience that societies that do not feel well socially and economically are not usually particularly environmentally friendly. If our human needs are not met, we are less likely to care about the environment.

So how can you as an HR manager think about the sustainability issue? Why is it important for the HR department, and what can you do to contribute to the organization's sustainability work?

The ability of the HR manager to influence

As an HR manager, you have a great ability to influence HR work, and you also have good reasons to want to do so. If your company takes a great responsibility for the environment and society, it will positively affect your employees' morale and loyalty. Companies that actively work on their social responsibility have more motivated and engaged employees who feel proud and therefore willingly act as ambassadors for the company. It also strengthens your brand as an employer, making it easier to attract young talents and sought-after expertise.

The sustainability mindset should be integrated throughout the organization, so it must start as early as during the recruitment and onboarding of new employees. As an HR manager, you are responsible for ensuring that you recruit employees who understand how you think about sustainability and who are willing to adopt that mindset and take it in during the onboarding process.

But even existing employees need the opportunity to take their sustainability responsibility. This may, for example, mean that they need further training or other forms of support to get into and learn about sustainability. Remember that sustainability is not a vague concept - it is about concrete knowledge and concrete work methods.

It is important that all employees understand how the company takes its social responsibility - what mission it has in society. You, as an HR manager, play an important role in ensuring that the message and knowledge reach out and that employees have the right opportunities and tools to take on that social responsibility in practice. Make sure that there are incentives for employees to work with sustainability. Create opportunities for employees to contribute to charitable work - it is not uncommon for companies to actively participate in charitable projects instead of just giving money.

Make sure employees have the opportunity to give feedback on the company's sustainability work, and that they can come up with their own ideas that are then taken into account within the organization.

Social sustainability - the responsibility of the employer

Perhaps the most important sustainability issue for you as an HR manager is social sustainability. Employers have a duty to create a sustainable working life for their employees. This means that they must take a holistic responsibility for their employees' physical and mental health, as well as their work environment and social inclusion in the workplace.

Employees' mental health is a particularly big challenge in today's work life. Stress and burnout have long been a big problem, not least because employees are expected to take an ever-greater responsibility and become increasingly dynamic. Concerns in the world also exacerbate the problem and increase the risk of anxiety and depression.

It has become even more complicated with the rapid increase in remote and hybrid work in recent years. As an HR manager, you have a huge responsibility to counter social isolation, stress and burnout among employees who are not always present in the office.

Another challenge is social inclusion. Most workplaces today are characterized by an increasingly diverse workforce in terms of culture, ethnicity, age and gender. Therefore, it is very important that inclusion work is taken seriously and not just a surface-level activity.

Sustainable workplace in a sustainable world

To achieve social sustainability and create a sustainable workplace, as an HR manager, you need to make sure that your employees receive active support in today's complex and demanding work life. Many simply need the opportunity to talk and discuss, bounce ideas and reflect on their work situation. Regular meetings and feedback (in both directions) are key to a sustainable workplace.

Your employees need the opportunity to strengthen their self-awareness and self-leadership, and take control of their development process, so that they can feel safe with the autonomy and freedom under responsibility that often characterizes today's work life. They need the right support to take responsibility for their career and personal development.

As an HR manager, it is important that you ensure that regular employee meetings are held, but also employee surveys that provide the right data for managers to understand the organization's needs. You also need to ensure that employees in practice receive the support and tools they need. This may include external support in the form of coaching or therapy, digital tools, courses and competency development. It may also include creative methods and bold initiatives to strengthen health, well-being, community and social engagement in the workplace.

Good sustainability work leads to greater employee engagement, higher productivity and profitability, reduced costs for sick leave and a stronger employer brand. As an HR manager, you have the opportunity to create a sustainable workplace that actively and engagedly works for a more sustainable world.