I’m always happy when people outside my network find me. That means that they have come across someone who has seen the value of social performance management. I always try to live up to the expectation and deliver something new and inspiring – not just the usual sustainability buzzwords. Kudos to TSEV for inviting me! In the spirit of sharing ideas and inspiration, let me summarise what resilience, inclusion and sustainability in HR means to me in 2025.
As the business landscape evolves, so must HR! It is no longer an afterthought in an organisation’s life, it has the power to cultivate inclusive corporate cultures and drive the sustainability agenda. Looking at labour issues from an E&S performance management perspective we come across 3 main themes:
Internal (HR)
External (Procurement and Supply Chains)
External (Clients - Who are we insuring/investing in?)
Of these, HR is mainly involved in no1 and sometimes no2 if there is good collaboration with procurement on labour checklists for suppliers. I focused my presentation on point no1, however, providing some context and inspiration on how to improve on the other points as well.
If I had to summarise how HR can contribute meaningfully to a company’s sustainability agenda I would propose the following framework:
Policies and Corporate Culture: Integrate sustainability values into policies
Trainings on Sustainability: Employee awareness on issues in alignment with company goals
Green Incentives: Bike to work or maybe other eco-friendly benefits?
Important to emphasise that although policies are my no1., I advise clients to think in a more action-oriented manner and focus on putting those policies into practice. We are globally moving towards integrated management systems and away from policies and statements. More doing less talking!
What sustainability hot topics to address in 2025? Human rights, forced labour and child labour, supply chain management, diversity, inclusion and equity. These fall nicely in line with other general HR trends that include inclusive recruitment, flexible working models and the digital transformation in the age of AI. It is rather unfortunate that in 2025 we still have to highlight that significant gender pay gap the fact that we need artificial intelligence to support bias-free performance management and promotion. Let me just state the obvious: we all have unconscious bias, however, attending the training and challenging our belief systems will go a long way. Even if you don’t feel like you benefit from listening to someone go on about this topic again and again.
Undoubtedly, one of my favourite aspects about the digital transformation is how technology will create more inclusivity. Communication platforms, assistive technologies and AI-powered tools to reduce bias in hiring or even promotion are amazing initiatives. It is fascinating how quickly we transitioned into online meetings without losing productivity.
Under the second pillars, I highlighted the importance of the kind of training new employees and existing employees receive during their time at the company. The most obvious example to me is the leadership programs for future leaders. If we proactively prepare future leaders to understand the sustainability landscape and the company’s impacts (hello double materiality) and position in it.
Green incentives are often not talked about as an important factor in employee retention, but with Gen Z making up around the third of our workforce in 2025, we can’t escape their expectations for sustainability. I do expect to see more employee volunteer days, bike to work schemes, support for public transport and carpooling employees. Whatever makes sense in your country. And let’s not forget the flexible working that doesn’t only mean flexible with respect to the location but also with the hours you work. It is indeed a trend to step away from the 9-5 and focus on deliverables. Leaving the culture of being seen in the office even if unproductive is good riddance!
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