Leveraging Sustainable Strategy to Attract, Engage and Retain Your Workforce

On September 29, 2016, Kristina Kohl, MBA, PMP, principal of Becoming Sustainable moderated a panel at the Sustainable Business Initiative Meeting hosted by the NJDEP and Bergen Community College. The panelist included John Queenan, Senior Director of CSR, ADP, Nicole Dube, Outreach Coordinator, NJ Board of Public Utilities, and Nick Lange, Senior Consultant, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation. The panelist participated in a lively discussion around environmental and social responsibility as drivers for employee attraction, retention, and engagement.

Nick Lange of VEIC discussed the concept of a Sustainability Benefits, which works similarly to health or retirements benefits for employees. The benefit is company funded and it can be used towards environmentally beneficial expenditures such as solar panels for the home, high efficiency HVAC equipment, or improved insulation. The concept is for an organization to expand the reach of its environmental impact by engaging employees and reducing their environmental footprints as well. Sustainability Benefits provide value to employees, companies, and society.

John Queenan of ADP shared his experience with how sustainability drives engagement especially with the millennial generation.  ADP’s CSR pillars align business goals with organizational culture. The foundational pillars are employability, ethics & compliance, environmental sustainability, and associate & community engagement. From their survey, their key drives of engagement are satisfaction, pride, retention, and advocacy. Alignment between organizational and Millennial values is an important driver in recruitment, retention, and engagement. Utilizing a social media app to recognize employee actions promotes a positive impact. Volunteer programs like partnering with Habitat for Humanity to donate used office furniture to flood ravaged Louisiana helps to promote a shared corporate vision while creating opportunities for skills development. CSR drives attraction, engagement, and retention based in ADP's data and metrics.

Nicole Dube, NJ Board of Public Utilities, spoke about the benefits of the NJ Clean Energy Program (NJCEP) for businesses and their employees. She also shared several case studies that highlight the NJCEP incentives, annual savings, and payback periods to demonstrate the effectiveness of the programs. She also gave some personal insights as a Millennial and what is important to her generation.

The event was well attended and concluded with a drawing of Kristina Kohl’s new book entitled “Becoming a Sustainable Organization.”