Anne Krog Iversen is the Co-founder, Chief DNA & Culture Officer at TimeXtender.
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In today's ever-changing corporate landscape, the dynamics between employers and employees have undergone a profound transformation. No longer driven solely by profit, employees are seeking something more meaningful in their work. In particular, they're beginning to prioritize employers that acknowledge and act on social responsibility.
As businesses, we’re not just operating in a vacuum. Things are changing on a global scale, and with that comes new sets of responsibilities. With environmental, social and governance (ESG) legislation in place—and always updating—it’s our duty to not only comply with the law but also contribute positively to the world around us.
3 Steps To Build A Vision For Your ESG Initiatives
It’s essential we recognize this shift in priorities and take on the responsibility of assisting and empowering people to find their own sense of purpose and values. Here are several things we can do to work toward better social responsibility, both for our employees and the company at large.
1. Get Familiar With The United Nations' ESG Framework
Building a robust vision for your ESG initiatives is crucial for aligning your company's goals with broader social responsibility. As a jumping-off point, review the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals and decide how your company can be inspired and take action to align with them. Choose three to five of these goals that fit with your company's overall ESG vision.
Decide where you want to focus your time and efforts. You can’t aim for all, or you’ll overwhelm the organization and lose focus. If your business has a cultural focus or area of expertise, see how you can leverage that to make an impact and contribute positively with the experience you already possess. For example, at TimeXtender, our five cultural cornerstones—Resilience in Business, Connection, Personal Leadership, Core Purpose and Core Beliefs—helped us choose two of the UN's suggested goals: sustainable health and well-being and sustainable quality education.
Then, present your ESG vision and goals to the company, and have everyone brainstorm on how to implement them into daily work. Keep in mind that this doesn’t have to be limited to the organization. Take these initiatives to your customers and partners as well because it can improve employee buy-in and align your customer base with your new social responsibility. It will also have a positive impact on hiring decisions or choosing partners and suppliers because you'll be able to focus on attracting people with similar visions and goals.
2. Host ESG-Related Workshops
Workshops can be a great way to ensure employees are engaging with your ESG goals because they help everyone make conscious goal-related choices that align with company culture. Whether you're leading them internally or bringing in experts, workshops can guide and support employees as they work to adhere to ESG initiatives.
For instance, our own TimeXtender workshops promote our goal of sustainable health and well-being with lessons of personal leadership and purpose. XPeople get to learn to explore and define their purpose, align with their values and gain clarity around both their professional journey and personal lives. Through greater self-awareness, they can examine the ways they allocate time and energy and whether they’re steering themselves toward their desired destination. Then we help them use practical tools to manage their time and prioritize activities. This shows our dedication to health and well-being by educating XPeople on the behaviors that will support this goal and improve their professional and personal lives.
By hosting workshops that align with your ESG vision, you can help ensure employees stay on track to achieve their goals in a way that connects to overall social responsibility goals.
3. Choose Internal ESG Ambassadors
Another strategy I highly suggest is setting up focus groups that can act as ambassadors for driving your ESG vision forward. They can help launch or promote initiatives that support your organization's goals.
If you have a social responsibility goal of supporting employees' work-life balance, for instance, ambassadors can help ensure employees are capitalizing on initiatives and benefits that support a more harmonious life. They could help empower employees' agency to make choices that lead to a fulfilling life. With ambassadors to help you provide tools, resources and support, you can better enable your employees to craft a life that aligns with their purpose and values and your organization's.
Create A Harmonious Future
In taking on the mantle of social responsibility toward our people, we can create a better, more diverse work environment, as well as contribute to a more harmonious future. The imperative of social responsibility in business is not just a moral obligation; it's a strategic initiative for long-term success. By nurturing purpose-driven individuals, we're investing in our employees and our company's sustainability and prosperity. Together, we can shape a future where businesses thrive and individuals flourish.
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