Responsibility Rules
July 15, 2008
New study says managers are still a long way from making the changes on workplace sustainability that their workers want to see
By Nathan Adkisson
A new study shows that while both employees and employers want their companies to be more socially responsible, achieving this sustainability remains a challenge.
"Corporate leaders confronted by the twin challenges of peak oil and rising environmental and social concerns have an ally in their employees," says the 2008 Corporate Sustainability Employee Study, conducted by Brooklyn, Conn.-based Fresh Marketing. "If they can just figure out how to help those employees harness their concerns for the brand’s benefit."
The CEO of Fresh Marketing, Shari Aaron, founded the company several years ago after leaving a job in traditional market research to focus on sustainability.
The responses illustrate a disconnect between this desire for change and its implementation.
Three quarters of respondents claimed that their management was "indifferent at best" to helping accomplish employees' sustainability wishes.
Despite these numbers, Aaron believes the situation is improving. Her interviews show that more companies are listening to suggestions for change from all positions along the corporate ladder.
"It could be a CEO like Lee Scott [of Wal-Mart] saying, 'It's time for us to do this,'" she says. "They are creating standards for vendors suppliers by saying, 'If you want to sell to Wal-Mart, you have to meet these packaging rules.' Big names like that are at a tipping point."
But it's not always just executives who make the changes, she says. She has seen an increasing number of MBAs who only want to work for responsible companies.
Mike Dupee, director of corporate sustainability for Vt.-based Green Mountain Coffee says that throughout its 25-year history, the company has been encouraging suggestions from employees who are environmentally aware and progressive.
"It's always been important to us that as an employees you ‘bring your whole self to work,'" Dupee says. "They don’t do something at work that they wouldn't do at home. If they recycle at home and they don't see recycling here, they’re going to do something about it."
Amy Hall, director of social consciousness for women’s clothing company Eileen Fisher, says creating teams in different departments and levels of management has helped the company be more responsible.
"I don't resonate with that statistic," Hall says of the report’s claim that three-quarters of employees reported that management was 'indifferent at best.' "We have an eco steering committee—that’s the managers—and then an eco-product team for the clothing, and teams for an eco supply chain and eco finance. It’s really quite integrated here."
Aaron also says more consumers are taking a company's responsibility into consideration when making their purchases.
"Consumers are looking for companies to educate them," she says. "We look at our brands: we've grown up with them, we trust them, they define our lives. It's no longer just this crunchy green granola consumer."
Amy Hall agrees, saying that the increase in environmentally aware consumers will reward socially responsible companies.
"It's always been our belief that if we do the right thing for the people and the product, the profit will follow," she says. "Too many companies put all their eggs in the profitability basket."
Aaron and many of the people interviewed for the study predict that it will be several years before responsibility awareness makes its way into actual implementation.
"There are a lot of conferences about this, but they are time-consuming and expensive," she says. "Companies have to connect these changes with their brand heritage and reputation. Also, we all have to get on the same page of what it means to be responsible. There are no shared definitions. There will be a lot of noise, but that will happen in a time of change."
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