Post COVID-19 Perspective: The Nexus of Planetary and Business Health

 

Kristina Kohl, Managing Principal, recently gave a webinar for the Wharton Club of New Jersey discussing new approaches to transformational leadership required to manage in the face of pandemics, superstorms, resource scarcity, and social unrest. Post COVID business strategy needs a more holistic approach focusing on delivering on economic prosperity while considering environmental and social impacts. Sustainability isn’t just for large organizations; it is for all of us. Kris shares her 10 Step Roadmap for improving your ESG strategy as well as her experiences.

Key takeaways include:

1. COVID-19 is a Symptom of Climate Change
2. Climate Change is a Risk to the Health of Our Planet, People and Economy
3. Business Leaders Need to Part of the Solution
4. Incorporate ESG Strategy into Business Strategy to Drive Impact
5. Think About the Legacy You Wish to Leave to Future Generations

We are sharing the You Tube video for those who are interested in seeing the full presentation.

Moving Beyond the Diversity Conversation to Drive Systemic Change

We have all read or heard the corporate statements in support of Black Lives Matter. We have participated and/or seen the protests. As a nation, we have been here before. How can we deliver a different outcome this time?

Working in the field of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, I am all too familiar with organizations taking a check the box approach to DEI. Many companies provide annual sexual harassment and diversity training. Check! Moving on.

Driving organizational systemic change requires a much deeper dive and takes significant time and resources. I recommend the following approach:

1. Assess you current culture, policies, processes, and outcomes.
2. Leverage your human capital management systems to dive deep into to your data to really understand how your organization hires, retains, and promotes diverse talent.
3. Make a Board and C-suite commitment to change and provide tools, resources, and time to achieve these goals. 
4. Engage experts to facilitate developing and implementing a DEI project plan.

A recent WSJ highlights the need to conduct a comprehensive audit of your operations, recruitment, investments, and suppliers. This assessment begins the process of shining a spotlight on how your organization is impacting BIPOC through its daily activities.

The talent pipeline is another area for significant improvement. Using our human capital system expertise, we help organizations better understand their recruitment strategy and how that impacts the diversity of the talent pool. Drilling into your HCM data provides details on talent at each level of your organization by level, function, and senior management. 

Leadership development and competencies are another area to peel back the layers. How are candidates selected for leadership development? Is it meritocracy? What does meritocracy mean if certain people are given the big projects and high profile clients and others are not? Are you practicing allyship and sponsorship or are you still using a mentorship model?

While Chief Diversity Officer roles have been on the rise, turnover in these positions remains high as many positions are more figurehead than change agent. If you want to drive meaningful change, it requires significant commitment to changing the staus quo including engaging  a DEI consultant to help support and guide your internal team.

In my next article, I will share some of our techniques to design for diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

We have been able to have impact and success working with clients remotely. If we can be of help, please reach out to Kristina Kohl at Kris@HRComputes.com

Until then, stay safe and well. 

HRComputes Sustainability Report

Sustainability Policy

We believe in being a responsible corporate citizen and as such we consider the environmental, social, governance and economic impacts of our decisions. We believe that everyone has a role to play in protecting natural and social capital and that all of us need to be concerned with ensuring that the earth’s resources are available to sustain future generations with a similar quality of life. We believe in business and social ethics and acting in accordance with all laws. We believe in the human rights of our employees and contractors and seek to provide a workplace free of discrimination and to provide wages and benefits in accordance with applicable laws.

Environment

1.     Measure carbon footprint data annually.

2.     Track resource usage water, electricity, natural gas, mileage

3.     Utilize renewable energy resources.

4.     Employees are encouraged to conserve resources through reusing, recycling, energy conservation.  

5.     Disposable water bottles are not used in our office. We offer guests glasses of filtered water.

6.     Employees are encouraged to minimize carbon emissions from travel through the use of flexible work arrangements where permitted by clients.

7.     We seek to identify suppliers that have sustainable standards.

8.     Total Carbon Footprint 6.4 tonnes CO2e

9.     Carbon Intensity: 1.6/ employee compared to 3.5 for office based employees

Voluntarism

1.     Our employees are involved in community, professional, and board service focusing on governance, leadership, skills development, and mentoring.

2.     Firm volunteer hours are 320+ valued at $80,000. 

People

1.     We value our people and our wages, benefits, and work standards comply with applicable laws.

2.     We seek to provide an environment that respects employee diversity.

3.     We do not use child labor, forced or bonded labor, and we provide a workplace free of harsh or inhumane treatment.

4.     We encourage community and professional voluntarism.

5.     Feedback from employees to promote sustainable solutions is encouraged.

Business Ethics

1.     We employ fair business practices and all corruption, bribery, and embezzlement are prohibited.

2.     Information has been distributed to employees on our policies and those of our clients including codes of conduct, confidentiality agreements, and corporate citizenship policies.

     

Highlights 2019 Sustainability Report

We continue to meet our goals of reporting on our environmental and social impact. In addition, we continue to promote sustainable practices through education and speaking opportunities. In addition, we work with students to encourage sustainability ideals in our future generations. We also to provide volunteer opportunities and allow our employees time to pursue volunteer interests.

1.     Kristina Kohl is on the faculty at the Bard MBA in Sustainability Program teaching “Employees and Organizations” focusing on embedding environmental, social, and governance standards into organizational culture.

2.     Kristina Koh spoke at number of events and webinars for groups such at Great IT Pro, Wharton Alumni Social Impact Club, Wharton Club of NJ, Ultimate Software Women Leaders Forum, and PMI.

3.     Served on the Wharton People Analytics Start-up Competition Judges Panel.

4.     Morris was featured guest on RT TV talk shows informing the audience about  corporate social responsibility, sustainability and the impact of human capital management for driving employee engagement.

5.     Served as mentor for local middle school students as part of a competition for their capstone sustainability project.

6.     Served on local community and professional boards. Provided mentoring and job counseling assistance.

7.     Reduced Landfill Waste:

a.     Paper Recycling

b.     HP Smart Ink and Cartridge Recycle

c.     Reusable Water Bottles

d.     Electronics Recycling

8.     Identified Additional Key Suppliers and Highlighted Sustainability Information

9.     Maintained NJ Registered Sustainable Business Status

2020 Goals

1.     Continue to report on ESG performance

2.     Continue to promote sustainability initiatives through education, activities, and speaking

3.     Continue to promote voluntarism among employees

4.     Consider additional hybrid vehicle

5.     Consider purchasing carbon offsets for client travel

6.     Assist clients address COVID19 challenges through education, webinars, partnerships and services.

Key Suppliers

a.     Sprint

                                               i.     http://goodworks.sprint.com/

b.     Staples

                                               i.     https://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/about_us/corporate-responsibility.html

c.     Horizon Blue Cross

                                               i.     https://www.horizonblue.com/brokers/news/broker-news/horizon-bcbsnj-invested-over-7-4-million-healthier-communities-2017

d.     Hilton

                                               i.     https://cr.hilton.com/

e.     Wells Fargo

                                               i.     https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/corporate-responsibility/

f.      HP

                                               i.     https://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/global-citizenship/index.html

g.     Apple

                                               i.     http://www.apple.com/environment/

h.     American Airlines

                                               i.     http://news.aa.com/crr/

i.      Go Daddy

                                               i.     https://www.godaddy.com/godaddy-for-good

                                                                                          

Embedding Sustainability and CSR into Projects, Programs, and Portfolios

I had the opportunity to both present and attend Boston University's Project Management in Practice conference. While we had to be virtual this year, it was a well attended event with many experts presenting on both research and actual projects. My presentation entitled, Building a More Sustainable Project Outcome, was well received and generated a great deal of conversation around embedding the Sustainable Development Goals into project, program, and portfolio management. While it has been several years since I published my book, Becoming a Sustainable Organization: A Project and Portfolio Management Approach published by CRC Press, the conference reinforced the importance of the topics, tools, models, and cases outlined in the book. My focus is to help leaders embedded the sustainable development goals into their organizations' mission, vision, and culture.

I was recently reminded of the impact of my book when I came across a link showing more than 100 libraries globally offering it as a resource for their members. Included in that number are some of the most prestigious research institutions in the world.

As a refresher on the content, I am sharing its Table of Contents.


Chapter 1. What is sustainability? Why does it matter?
Chapter 2. Building the business case for sustainability
Chapter 3. Gaining stakeholder and c-suite support and sponsorship
Chapter 4. Alignment of business and sustainability strategy creates sustainable strategy
Chapter 5. Project management techniques inform sustainable strategy development
Chapter 6. Creating a culture of sustainability
Chapter 7. Portfolio management supports strategic sustainability alignment
Chapter 8. Identifying and engaging external stakeholders
Chapter 9. Leveraging organizational relationships and assets
Chapter 10. Leveraging human capital professionals
Chapter 11. Adopting a culture of change to unlock the benefits of sustainable strategy
Chapter 12. Sustainable strategy as a lever to attract, engage, and retain the workforce
Chapter 13. Tools and techniques to embed sustainability
Chapter 14. Selecting goals and metrics that matter
Chapter 15. Celebrating success

Becoming a Sustainable Organization is available for sale from any of your favorite book retailers. It can also be borrowed from the following libraries . In case you are wondering, yesBoston University Libraries have a copy of my book!

I hope you find my book inspirational and useful as we transition to a post COVID-19 world in which both environmental and social issues are increasingly part of our business and governmental policy conversations.

Celebrating Juneteenth in Solidarity with Our Community

In recognition of our community and business partners and the need for social justice reform and change, we are honoring Juneteenth by taking a company-wide holiday on June 19th. Juneteenth is a celebration by the African American community commemorating emancipation from slavery on June 19, 1865 in Texas.  Our hope is that this day will provide time for reflection on how we can all drive  meaningful change within our social systems.


In addition to this action, we encourage our employees, customers and partners to share their voices in support of social justice reform. We are pursuing making a difference through the following actions:

Contact Political Representatives: Make phone calls to your local, state, and federal representatives and tell them your issues and the actions that you would like them to take.
Share Your Voice: While we are in the pandemic, show your solidarity while social distancing. Consider joining a caravan car parade, post signs, wear buttons. have a conversation.
Donate:  Donate funds to not for profits and community organizations supporting communities and social justice reform.
Be Informed: Gather information from a variety of sources, read books and articles, and listen to podcast and NPR.
Vote: Register to vote and vote in all elections.  If you will be traveling, register for a mail in ballot.

We are inspired by our partner’s, Ultimate Software and Kronos Incorporated, and are following their lead in taking this action. Here is their announcement:

The historical significance of Juneteenth will be honored as a company-wide holiday by Ultimate Software and Kronos Incorporated. Standing in complete solidarity with our community we will also take this time to focus on the critical work ahead in the pursuit of racial justice.

Be safe, be active, speak up!

Business Leaders Driving Impact on Climate Change and COVID-19

As we at Becoming Sustainable social distance and work remotely, I am drawn to thoughts about the health of our planet and the interconnectivity between climate change and disease. In the early days of COVID-19, I was on a webinar with a former head of the CDC, Dr. Julie Gerberding, who highlighted the impact that climate change is having on infectious disease. The health of our planet affects the health of our people and businesses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted as business shut down and layoffs ensued. As business leaders, it is time that we take climate change seriously as a business risk and work toward a viable solution that protects our planet, people, and profit.

Viewing some of the Nasa photos taken during China's COVID-19 shutdown gives us an opportunity to better understand the impact reduced industrial activity and consumption has on our planet. On February 28, NASA reported how decreases in industrial, transportation, and business activity since the coronavirus outbreak reduced levels of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) over China.  Oil and coal consumption in China were also significantly down resulting in 25% lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. These significant drops in emissions are  a reminder that while individuals can make personal choices to reduce their own carbon footprint, it will take significant business leadership action to reduce Green House Gases (GHG) emissions. The industrial sector is a major contributor to GHG emissions and air pollution. Without a meaningful plan from business leaders, we will not begin to reach our lower emission targets and our planet's health and ours remains at risk.

In order to drive meaningful change around climate action, we need a broad based approach that considers both environmental and social levers. Environmental and social impacts are intertwined within an interconnected system and their interdependency is reflected in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). A team of researchers and scientists at Project Drawdown found that promoting gender equality (SDG#5) was one of the most impactful tools for addressing climate change. Through better access to education and family planning services, outcomes for women and girls improved. As a result, stewardship of land and resources also improved.

If you are a business leader thinking about what you can do, the following 10 steps provide a roadmap to begin to drive Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) change:

1.     Build a culture for ESG impact by changing behaviors in employees, customers, and suppliers.

2.     Leverage industry resources and best practices to identify and address material issues for your business.

3.     Align business goals and material UN SDGs

4.     Engage employees, communities, and peers on material ESG issues to collectively address solutions in public and political forums.

5.     Build partnerships with community organizations, industry members, supply chain organizations, and government agencies to support private public partnership solutions.

6.     Highlight organizational sustainability goals and initiatives to attract and retain top millennial talent to continue to drive change.

7.     Establish ESG goals, track progress, and report on outcomes.

8.     Leverage technology and Artificial Intelligence to improve data, impact and outcomes.

9.     Align capital investments and projects with ESG goals.

10.  Participate in public policy conversations to change resource allocation toward addressing the UN SDGs.

For additional information on driving impactful ESG change, here is a link to my book Becoming a Sustainable Organization. We believe that the health of our planet and its people are the top priority. We are happy to discuss these ideas with you and to begin the conversation about driving impactful change. 

Stay safe and well.

Is Remote Work the New Normal?

When things return to the new normal, the state of work will not be the same. While some may have a different point of view, from my perspective remote work is here to stay. Both managers and employees are fully participating in this workforce dynamic and, if handled proactively, it adds value to businesses.

The benefits of making flexible work the norm include tapping into a broader and more diverse talent pool. For many, the work requirements of a 9-5 in person position just didn’t match their life requirements. Offering flexible work as the norm rather than the exception promotes belonging in your organization building a more diverse talent pipeline. Other good news, all of your employees are much more skilled in digital tool usage and are finding new and better ways to leverage existing tools to improve communication and project outcomes.

While there are many benefits to both employees and employers for offering remote or flexible work arrangements, it is imperative to have a policy that is well supported by tools, resources, and information for both employees and managers. At HRcomputes, we have worked with clients to create flexible work arrangements that include remote work, compressed schedules, and job sharing. Here are some of our top keys to success:

1.     Leadership Buy-in-Garner leadership buy-in and support for flexible work arrangements so that it is institutionally supported as the new norm. It is imperative that a flexible work structure is part of the organizational culture and that it is consistently implemented across the organization.

2.     Program and People Eligibility-Identify which flexible work options are going to be offered such as telecommuting, compressed schedule, and extended shifts and who within the organization will be eligible. Also, consider tax law requirements for remote workers.

3.     Tools and Resources-Clearly communicate expectations around requirements for a remote workspace; not only physical space but also technology requirements to meet service level agreements and security protocols. Leveraging existing employee engagement and communication platforms can be a great way to communicate the organization’s resource offering and the requirements need for remote work from the employee.

4.     Training-Both employees and managers will need some training on best practices for remote work. From managing people and projects to effectively utilizing digital tools, your people are going to need to learn new skills to effectively work and manage under a flexible paradigm. Providing on-going remote training is a way to establish baseline competencies as well as to provide access to gain new skills and competencies. The good news is that there are many great HCM learning platforms to support this delivery mechanism.

5.     Deliverables-Consider how work will be assigned, what it includes, who needs to be involved, and when it will be due. Set guidelines for responsiveness to invitations and emails. If your work is client based or collaborative, you may want to consider establishing hours for team availability. Working remotely requires us to be much more focused on transparency of process both around assignment of projects and deliverables.

6.     Feedback- Create a feedback mechanism such as a pulse survey that provides actionable data for managers and leaders. Also, provide a coaching protocol to allow managers to provide ongoing meaningful feedback for employees.

7.     Dashboards-Help managers meet their goals by providing meaningful data so that they can make data driven decisions rather than decisions based on their own biased perceptions. Leverage metrics, analytics, and predictive analytics to improve decision making and organizational outcomes.

8.     Networks-Promote a sense of community through your online communication platforms. Think of new ideas such as the virtual lunch and learn or virtual team gatherings. Use your voluntarism program to connect remote workers and create a sense of community around shared interests. Remote work can create a feeling of loneliness so proactively build a sense of virtual community.

9.     Technology- Managing remote devices can be challenging. Organizations that have gone to total remote workforces provide a useful model for technology support. They have tech support attend large conferences and employee gatherings and provide timeslots for employees to bring in laptops for upgrades. Clearly describe what equipment the organization will provide and what the remote worker needs to obtain. Consider providing reimbursement for internet access.

10.  Data Security-Set clear expectations around data security including data and information that should not be sent via email or provide a secure email option. Identify requirements for internet and WIFI usage especially for employees who like to work from coffee shops. Are you providing a VPN for employees? If so, are there restrictions such as employees printing documents on home office printers that might need to be addressed?

These are a few of our ideas to support a vibrant virtual workforce. We would be happy to continue to conversation including digital, AI, and machine learning tools that can help.

Stay safe and well!