On July 13, 2022, at HRMATT’s inaugural C-Suite Conversations, our special guest, Mr Johnny Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) words resonated with me. He spoke about the rising wage bills and the demand for more benefits by employees, he then posed the question of how employees can support these increased/improved benefits and pay.
Reflection on his words and with this in mind, I began thinking about the ways in which employees help their organisations maintain sustainability. Immediately, the first question that came to me was whether or not sustainability was the responsibility of the employees or management.
Considering how often we see inflation and economic downturns which ultimately result in job losses, increased food prices and in general the increased cost of living, high negotiations for salaries and benefits etc., not many, if any employees at all, think about how the organisation survives amidst these changes. The perfect example is the COVID-19 pandemic whereby organisations were mandated by goodwill or law in many countries, to provide extra sanitising of work spaces, consumables/items that were not usually purchased, for example, hand/air sanitisers, thermometers, masks etc) and in some cases, purchase new equipment, for example, laptops, cellphones etc. when allowing employees to work remotely.
In light of the above, it is possible that employees can support the organisation in maintaining its sustainability by reducing wastage, reducing expenditure, increasing productivity, acting as brand ambassadors, improving service levels etc. Employees may reduce wastage and expenditure in simple ways, such as, abstaining from printing unnecessarily, turning off lights in unused rooms etc. They can increase productivity by avoiding time wastage and putting in a few unpaid additional hours to meet customer needs. They can also act as a brand ambassador by sharing details about the organisation’s products and services to attract customers. Customer service encourages loyalty, preference of provider and happy customers.
During the pandemic, heavy demands were placed on organisations to offer additional consumables to ensure that the environment was safe, offer remote working and other demands by employees and the unions however in many cases, employees refused to work with the organisations to support the change/implementation of measures that even benefitted them. In many cases, employees and/or unions requested additional allowances for internet use and cellphones but incongruously, in several cases, they did not agree to reduce/cut benefits such as travelling allowances despite employees being allowed to work remotely and not incurring the expense/inconvenience/safety risks of commute.
The dual responsibility lies with the management and employees to ensure that the organisation maintains its sustainability and relevance since the effects of failure in these areas shall significantly affect both groups. Many organisations have been challenged with providing evidence to support that sustainability is everyone’s business and, in some cases, organisations that could not sustain their operations had to close down.
Sustainability should be the priority of all stakeholders and it is important for each to understand their role and the effects, whether positive or negative.
It was also evident that throughout the pandemic, many organisations quickly adjusted their processes, whether to serve customers online or otherwise and in these cases, they were able to become leaders in change management, ultimately resulting in increased profitability. Organisations that were resilient, capitalised on the opportunities and re-engineered processes to suit the demands profited. Timeliness was also integral to sustainability and resilience.
Some key organisations who can be commended for their resilience, and ability to capitalise on the opportunities were those who quickly offered sanitising services, sales of COVID test kits, drive-thru testing centres, doctors at your doorstep, food delivery (groceries & market supplies), supply of masks etc.
Sustainability is reliant on the economy, the society and the environment. What is the current state of the economy, what are the current needs and demands of the society, especially those with the buying power and the present state of the environment, for example, the pandemic, climate, natural disasters, war etc.