Professional Documents
Culture Documents
HR Functional Area 11
HR Functional Area 11
HR Functional Area 11
Human Resources plays an important role in building a greener organization by integrating sustainability
into the company's culture, policies, and practices. Here are some specific ways that HR can contribute
to building a more environmentally sustainable organization:
Develop and implement green policies: HR can work with other departments to create policies that
encourage sustainable practices such as waste reduction, energy conservation, and eco-friendly
procurement.
Promote sustainable practices: HR can create awareness among employees about the importance of
sustainability by promoting environmentally friendly practices such as recycling, energy conservation,
and green transportation.
Encourage telecommuting: HR can encourage employees to work from home, which not only reduces
the organization's carbon footprint but also enhances work-life balance and improves employee
satisfaction.
Offer eco-friendly benefits: HR can offer incentives for employees who use eco-friendly modes of
transportation, such as public transportation, cycling, or walking. They can also offer incentives for
employees who use eco-friendly products and services, such as reusable water bottles, coffee cups, and
bags.
Support sustainability training: HR can support sustainability training for employees to help them
understand the organization's commitment to sustainability and how they can contribute to it.
Overall, HR can play a critical role in building a greener organization by developing policies, practices,
and programs that promote sustainability and reduce the organization's environmental impact.
2) What are the potential benifit in terms of attracting and retaining talent?
Employee retention isn't just about costs or minimising the damage when employees leave, employee
retention comes with several benefits that help improve organisational practices and processes.
1. It reduces costs
As mentioned, there's no denying that turnover is expensive. Recruitment and onboarding is a costly
and time-consuming process. Training new employees takes a considerable amount of time, with the
recruitment of new and inexperienced employees often reduces the overall productivity and quality of
service within your organisation.
2. It improves morale
When employees come and go, it can create a demoralised workplace culture for other employees
within the organisation. No one wants their favourite co-worker to leave, right? That's why having
effective retention processes and strategies in place can help boost the morale of other team members.
When someone is employed within an organisation for a long time, they have had the possibility to build
and nurture their skill set that is applicable to the role. The longer an employee is with your
organisation, the longer they have had to gain expertise in the field, thus, the more value they can bring
overall. One of the largest costs of onboarding is training and developing new members of staff, this is
why it's critical to keep your top talent happy.
The longer employees are within an organisation, the longer they have to build trusting and valued
relationships with their co-workers. The better connection your employees have, the better they work
together as a team, which leads to enhanced productivity. When your employees have worked together
for a few years, they are familiar with the working styles and practices of their co-workers.
When the word gets around that you have a high retention rate and your employees are satisfied within
their roles, it's no surprise that this can help attract new talent to the organisation. When someone is
looking for a job, they are more likely to lean towards an organisation with happy staff in comparison to
competitors who may have unhappy employees.
As an Al language model, I can provide some insights and suggestions for the exercise "Developing
Environmentally Friendly HR Policies at City University." Here are some possible ideas and answers to
the questions posed in the exercise:
Green initiatives can improve an organization's reputation as a socially responsible and environmentaly
conscious employer, which can attract and retain top talent who value sustainability and ethics.
Employees who feel aligned with an organization's values and mission are more likely to be engaged,
productive, and committed to theirwork. Additionally, green initiatives can lead to cost savings,
improved efficiency, and regulatory compliance, which can benefit the organization as a whole.
Andrea can start by conducting an environmental audit of the HR function to identify areas of
improvement and opportunities for green initiatives. Then, she can develop an action plan that aligns
with the university's sustainability goals and involves key stakeholders, such as senior management,
employees, and external partners. The action plan should include specific goals, timelines, and metrics
for measuring progress and success. Andrea can also communicate the green initiatives and their
benefits to employees, solicit feedback and ideas, and celebrate successes to foster a culture of
sustainability in the organization. Finally, Andrea should evaluate the effectiveness of the green
initiatives regularly and adjust the strategy as needed to ensure continuous improvement and impact.
Recruitment and staffing Use a recruiting and staffing -No added IT costs
software
-less duplication
-Easier to access
Compensation and Benefits - Electronic pay stubs - Less paper used
- Direct deposit - Saves money
- W2 online - Easily acceptable
- Faster deposit time