The ESG opportunity for internal communicators
Research shows that the internal communicator’s role in ESG has, to date, mainly centred on top-down information sharing about organisational ESG commitments and activities. I believe we’re missing a trick, and that ESG gives us the opportunity to get culture, purpose and employee experience (collectively ‘wellbeing’) genuinely on the board agenda. The time has come for internal communicators to play a bigger and more influential role in ESG. A role that involves balancing all that top-down information sharing, with bottom-up thinking. Thinking that might just ensure benefits for both people and business.
ESG can help organisations articulate, live and breathe a sense of purpose and meaning that is good for our people. And it’s good for business too - affording genuine competitive advantage, not just some standardised thing that’s indistinguishable from others in the same industry.
‘What is this amazing opportunity?’ I hear you ask…It’s employee wellbeing Jim, but not as we know it… (yes, I’m a Trekkie).
A long-awaited employee wellbeing evolution
Employee wellbeing is now the top focal area for S in ESG strategy. Momentum has been growing over the last year, and now nearly six in ten (57%) UK senior leaders in large organisations say that, in the next year, they want S in ESG strategy to pay attention to employee wellbeing first and foremost, followed by diversity (37%) and inclusion (34%). All of which are arguably intrinsically linked.
This could represent the springboard wellbeing has needed for so long, finally getting it on the board agenda; a crucial contributor to business success in terms of recruitment, retention and productivity which helps organisations to thrive and stand out from the crowd.
That’s the vision at least.
Now the reality. Without some solid recognition from the top that wellbeing is subjective and aligned with culture, purpose and employee experience (not just awareness days, bean bags and mindfulness apps) there’s a risk that it will continue to be fragmented and divorced from what really matters to people and businesses alike.
Thinking on the need for a more joined-up wellbeing approach is now gathering pace in HR circles as well as by public bodies and academia.
So, the time is ripe for internal communications professionals. Your organisation, your people and the UK economy needs you! No pressure…
It’s time to balance the top down with the bottom up
Employee voice is (or should be) the thread running through everything here. It’s the thread that’s needed to help ensure joined-up wellbeing thinking. It’s the thread that will help ensure organisational identification with all those aspects of work and working life that make an organisation distinctive – in this case, with wellbeing in mind. And, in turn, it could be the thing that motivates your people to say good things about the organisation, exemplify – and share – the values, and simply enjoy their job and working life.
But (and here comes the rub) although senior leaders want S in ESG strategy to pay attention to employee wellbeing, only a quarter want to also focus on ensuring employees help inform the strategy. Of those that do use employee insights, the majority (65%) get those insights from an employee engagement survey.
Engagement surveys can be useful, but they have limitations. One being that they don’t provide any information on underlying drivers associated with the things people say are and aren’t working.
Also, engagement surveys arguably don’t equate to employee voice. Academic definitions of employee voice centre on the notion of people feeling able to contribute to and challenge management decision making – with ideas and opinions, not just feedback – and to speak up when they’re dissatisfied.
Internal communicators have a really important role in helping create the conditions for employee voice, to genuinely place people at the heart of S in ESG and wellbeing strategies. The ultimate goal? To help ensure relevance, emotional connection and all the good things for people and business that come with that.
To find out more about ESG and internal communication, why not come along to our next networking breakfast on 29 June where you’ll hear real life case studies and gets some hints and tips.
Or if you’d like to chat about how HarknessKennett can help you support ESG or employee voice in your organisation – get in touch.
Published by Suzanne