By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Last Monday, the Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future held a discussion panel entitled Human Capital for a Sustainable Economy. WNSF Executive Director Anne Goodman said that a focus on sustainable careers can improve the economy and create jobs. She said, “WNSF envisions a future for sustainable jobs.” She explained that these kinds of careers can create financial, environmental, and social progress.

Moderated by Michelle Kahane, Professor of Professional Practice at Milano the New School for Management and Urban Policy, the panel featured Melinda Wolfe, Head of Human Resources at Bloomberg, Susan Heaney, Global Director of Corporate Responsibility, Avon, Natalie Thompson, Vice President, Global Leadership and Diversity, Goldman Sachs.

“Bloomberg has some very dramatic goals to reduce our carbon footprint by 50% in a couple of years,” said Wolf. She continued, “Our commitment is a defining hallmark for the company.”

Thompson said, “At Goldman Sachs, we’ve had an environmental policy in place since 2005. It is fully integrated at every aspect of the business.” Thompson also cited Goldman’s new LEED certified facilities.

Heaney explained that at Avon, CSR “functions very much like HR. It intersects with every single department in the company, and sets policy and procedural standards” across the organization. “When Goldman Sachs started tracking social investing, [we realized] this must really count!” she joked. “It was really a turning point.”

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Last week, Evolved Employer featured an article discussing why Starbucks’ commitment to on environmental stewardship makes sense – as a company that relies on an agricultural product, environmental changes have a big impact on the company’s bottom line. The same goes for Dell’s partnership with Goodwill to offer free computer recycling. The connection is there and easy to grasp.

One reason companies have a hard time building employee engagement with CR programming is because the logic isn’t always clear. CR programs should have an easy to discern link to your company’s business objectives or bottom line.

Here are three more companies with a logical connection between their CR initiative and their business.

1. Sodexho‘s “Servathon”

This month, Sodexho’s employees are donating food and serving meals to those who are hungry and malnourished around the world. The Servathon is part of Sodexho’s STOP Hunger initiative. Last year Sodexho’s 35,000 employees helped collect over 100,000 kilograms of food.

According to a press release, Michel Landel, Sodexo CEO and President of Sodexo STOP Hunger Association, said, “Sodexo employees touch the daily lives of 50 million people around the world. They give life to service spirit to improve the Quality of Daily Life of all the people we serve” He continued, “We are proud of their commitment to combat hunger and malnutrition in their local communities, which is the concrete development of our values and fundamentals.”

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Today Starbucks is offering free coffee to anyone who brings in a travel mug rather than a cup. The campaign is part of Starbucks “Shared Planet commitment to environmental stewardship,” according to a press release. By 2015, the company plans that 100 percent of its cups will be reusable or recyclable.

“While our cup has become an integral part of the coffeehouse experience over the years, it has also become an environmental concern,” said Ben Packard, Starbucks vice president of Global Responsibility. “As a result, we’ve set aggressive goals to minimize cup waste through recycling and reusable options, and are collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders to drive meaningful change. In addition to working with cup manufacturers, municipalities and recyclers to make our cups more broadly recyclable, we’re encouraging customers to think about reusable cups the way they think about reusable grocery bags.”

Corporate responsibility has long been part of Starbucks’ brand and strategic plan. This year the company was listed as number 52 on Corporate Responsibility Magazine Top 100 Best Corporate Citizens [PDF]. Packard said, “Even during the tough economic climate of the past two years, Starbucks has remained steadfastly committed to improving the lives of coffee farmers, reducing our environmental impact and giving back to our communities.”

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

In 2008, Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Inc. announced the company’s aspiration to be “the greenest tech company on the planet.” Since then, Dell has pushed itself to find new avenues to achieve this goal – through carbon emissions reduction, smarter packaging, recycling programs, and other initiatives.

The goal is part of a broader business strategy, Dell explained in the company’s fiscal year 2009 Corporate Responsibility Report [PDF]. He writes:

“We remain determined to be the greenest technology company on the planet, and last year we achieved carbon neutrality in our global operations. At the same time, we raised the standard Dell has set for IT consumer recycling… And Dell Green Teams around the world are educating employees, promoting awareness and inspiring positive actions for the environment.”

The sustainability initiative has added to the Dell brand in terms of consumer outreach – but it has had internal success as well. A large part of the program is related to employee engagement, as part of a larger directive to attract and retain high performing individuals. Gil Casellas, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and Chief Diversity Officer writes:

“At Dell, in any economic environment, we consider diversity and inclusion, sustainability and employee engagement integral parts of our business strategy. By continuing to drive these initiatives
throughout the company, we’re able to harness each individual’s full potential, drive innovation and
become a better place to work…”

Sustainability: The Role of Employees

The company’s commitment to environmental sustainability comes from an understanding that, more and more, consumers and employees are looking for a company whose values match their own. The report explains:

“…the next generation of chief information officers, consumers, employees and regulators are acutely aware of the environmental impact and consequences of not protecting our planet. In short, we are focused on our Enviro 2.0 strategy because we know it makes a difference to our employees, customers and other stakeholders.”

One of the reasons Dell’s initiative is notable is that the company has backed up its aspiration with numbers, plans, and achievements. For example, as the report notes, the company is the first in the tech industry to go “operationally carbon neutral.” Achievements like this cannot be attained without the participation of employees.

The report notes, “We rely on the talents, dedication and ideas of our employees — from global Green
Teams to individual volunteer efforts — as we work toward achieving our commitment to become the greenest technology company on the planet.”

For example, last year more than 36 percent of Dell’s global employees participated in September’s Global Community Involvement month. The company needs the participation of its workforce in order to achieve its green goals – and this commitment is gained in two ways – employee engagement in other areas and direct green action by the company – walking the talk.

Two-pronged Approach to Sustainability Engagement

First of all, the company has worked hard to build employee engagement. For example, last year marked the founding of Dell’s Global Diversity Council, chaired by CEO Michael Dell. Additionally, the company was named one of Working Mother’s top companies to work for, and it received a score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.

Other notable achievements include achieving 85% employee participation on its annual Tell Dell survey, expanding its nondiscrimination policy to include gender identity, pregnancy, and HIV status, and improving working conditions at suppliers through an audit process.

Keeping employees engaged within other parts of the corporate responsibility sphere encourages them to participate in the green one as well.

Secondly, the company works to find real sustainable solutions within its manufacturing process.

For example, the company has pioneered new ways of packaging that use less material and create less waste. According to Dell’s website, “The company plans to reduce desktop and laptop packaging materials by approximately 10 percent worldwide, increase sustainable content in cushioning and corrugate packaging by 40 percent and ensure that 75 percent of packaging components are curbside recyclable by 2012.”

Dell also partners with Goodwill to offer free computer recycling in the US and Canada as. Mike Watson, senior manager of Dell Global Recycling Services explained, “Donating used goods to Goodwill has become second nature for most people. Reconnect exemplifies what sustainability practices can mean to our communities. It gives new life to these old systems – or, at least, their parts – and gives deserving people jobs and skills they need to be successful.”

Dell’s commitment to sustainability is more than an image. By showing that it is a true supporter of the green movement, as well as a responsible and accountable employer, employees are encouraged to participate in and build its environmental programs now. This paves the way for further environment engagement in the future.

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Last week Accenture released its 2009 Corporate Citizenship Report, which details, among other programs, its successful Skills to Succeed program. Launched in the middle of 2009, Skills to Succeed provides job training and leadership development to individuals around the world.

As the report explains, this empowers them “to participate in and contribute to the economy” by “….strengthening leadership capabilities, assisting in the development of business plans and strategies; helping to establish core competencies in areas such as financial operations, hiring policies, and customer service; and providing access to mentors and other resources.”

According to the report:

“Securing a job and sustainable income requires practical skills, but for millions of people, it remains difficult to develop such skills, due to economic hardship, poor educational systems or lack of local business infrastructure. Working with key organizations, Accenture is helping these people acquire the skills they need to gain employment.”

The program proves that doing good for others can also be good for internal company relations – specifically employee engagement. As William D. Green, Accenture’s chairman & CEO explains, “We are well on our way to aligning our corporate citizenship initiatives with Skills to Succeed, which emphasizes the importance of education and nurturing talent…”

The report continues:

“Our employees are also supporting Skills to Succeed in their individual fund-raising endeavors. For example, more than 450 employees from 17 countries have taken part in VSO “challenge events,” such as treks to Mount Everest Base Camp. These efforts have raised more than US$3 million for VSO initiatives around the world, and going forward, will solely support Skills to Succeed initiatives.”

Utilizing an Engagement Driver

The report explains, “Developing the skill and talent of our people is at the heart of our business – it’s what we do every day. In a fast-changing multi-polar world, skills are a key driver of economic empowerment for individuals and communities alike.”

Global professional development is clearly an engagement driver for Accenture. It’s culturally significant within the organization – it improves economic circumstances, produces results, and builds community – and as a result, Skills to Succeed has really appealed to Accenture’s employees.

As Adrian Lajtha, Accenture’s Chief Leadership Officer explained, “Being a good corporate citizen has long been a fundamental part of the character of Accenture people around the world.” The new Skills to Succeed program simply makes sense for Accenture, and as a result the company’s employees are engaged in its success.

But Accenture has long been focused on engaging its employees through corporate citizenship measures. For example, environmental stewardship is an important issue for this global organization. As the report says, “Our people around the world have enthusiastically embraced environmental stewardship and embedded it in our internal and external activities.”

For example, according to the report, “In fiscal 2009, we achieved our initial target of a 25 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emitted per employee, measured against our fiscal 2007 baseline.”

Accenture’s employees are highly engaged in this issue – willing to show their commitment through personal participation. Lajtha explained, “For example, last year, we invited employees to participate in an “Eco Challenge” to focus attention on sustainability. An overwhelming 32,000 Accenture people participated and pledged more than 40,000 tons of carbon reductions – the same amount of carbon emitted by 28,000 commercial flights between London and New York.”

Engaging on Sustainability

Sustainability – both economic and environmental – is a key engagement driver for Accenture. By engaging individuals on this cultural and business motivator, the company does its best to attract and retain key staff – individuals who reflect these company values and will, in turn, work to perpetuate them within the organization in the long term.

As Lathja explained, “Clearly, our people care – and the fact that our company supports their commitment helps us attract and retain high performers.”

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

At PricewaterhouseCoopers, diversity means openness – about oneself and about accepting others’ differences. The company explains that “open working relationships are stronger and more productive.” Openness about difference allows colleagues greater opportunities to learn about one another, and find common ground.

Jennifer Allyn, Managing Director, Office of Diversity, explained that GLBT inclusiveness is often overlooked within diversity programs, because “the gay dimension of diversity is invisible.” That is, people can’t usually tell if someone fits into this group simply by their appearance.

“Five to six years ago, PwC convened a board of GLBT partners to advise our diversity team, to make sure GLBT staff feel included and welcome at our firm,” Allyn explained. “The advisory board is made up of very visible role models” – role models for both GLBT individuals, as well as PwC employees at large.

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Fortune Magazine and Hay Group, a global management consultancy released today their annual list of
the World’s Most Admired Companies. And, this should come as no surprise, the top companies on the list are the ones rated best for employee engagement as well.

Mel Stark, vice president in Hay Group’s Reward Practice, explained, “Equally important, the WMAC communicate their objectives to all employees, connecting the goals and objectives of every employee to the overall business strategy, and as a result, were able to come out of the downturn with motivated and loyal employees.”

According to a report published by the Hay Group in conjunction with the WMAC list, 90 percent of WMAC respondents marked their company as “very effective” or “effective” at fostering high levels of employee engagement. In comparison, only 71 percent of employees at companies not on the list ranked their companies “very effective” or “effective.”

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By Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles)

It seems as if young working women not only feel as if they can have it all, but a shockingly high percentage reports that they do have it all. According to recent research by Accenture, young professional women ages 22-35 – otherwise known as “millennial women” – believe they will have rewarding careers in equal balance with fulfilling personal lives, despite a rough economy and corporate structures that are still lacking in their understanding of women’s dual obligations in the workplace and at home.

The Millennial Women Workplace Success Index marked the results of an online study taken by 1,000 millennial women currently employed full-time in the U.S. According to the index, 94 percent believe they will achieve a work/life balance and even more astonishing, almost half (46 percent) of the women surveyed believe their work life and personal life are in equal balance.

Accenture’s U.S. Human Capital and Diversity Managing Director Lamae Allen deJongh was extremely surprised by the index’s findings- as were many, but she does not believe that the statistics are the result of naiveté on behalf of young or inexperienced women. “I think the results speak to the high degree of confidence of millennial women,” deJongh said. “And because of their confidence, their work/life balance goals are realistic. Having a satisfying professional life and a gratifying personal life is important to them; it exemplifies the fact that they believe they can have it all.”

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

On Monday night the Financial Women’s Association of New York held the second of its Economic Panel series: The American Worker. Moderated by Patti Domm, Executive News Editor of CNBC, Panelists included Richard B. Hoey, Chief Economist at BNY Mellon and The Dreyfus Corporation, Joseph A. LaVorgna, Managing Director and Chief US Economist, Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc., and Edward F. Keon, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager, Quantitative Management Associates (QMA).

The discussion focused on the state of the economy and unemployment as the Untied States exits the recent recession. LaVorgna started the evening asking for a show of hands – how many in the audience were worried about a “double dip” recession, as defined by the economy “rolling back” within a twelve month period following a recession. More than half the audience raised their hands.

LaVorgna had some positive information though – only three times, he said, since 1884 has a double dip occurred – the most recent in the 1980-81 cycle. In fact, all three panelists expressed doubt that the recession would see a double dip. Hoey said, for example, that the 1980 recession is inherently different than the recent economic downturn. He explained that the reason for the 1980-81 double dip was anti-inflationary policy by then-Fed chief Paul Volcker – an intentional double dip.

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

During a review-session at my last company, I was asked who my “best friend” at work was. The question didn’t really make sense to me – I liked all of my coworkers, but I didn’t feel I liked any one more than the others. On top of that, it seemed like a silly question – why did it even matter?

We also did lots of team-building exercises and had a quarterly staff outing, which was always a good time (watching my coworkers jam out on Guitar Hero was certainly memorable). But I always assumed the purpose was to build coworker relationships, and thus help us perform better as a team in the office.

I never considered it a retention strategy as well.

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