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Sustainability programs must reflect differing employee expectations to work best

Sustainability programs must reflect differing employee expectations to work best

Robert Alexander

EY Canada, People Advisory Services, Partner

4 minute read 30 Sep. 2024

As Canada experiences a mix of generations in the workforce, businesses must reevaluate their sustainability strategies to adapt to the diverse demographic backgrounds.

In brief

  • Canadian employees expect organizations to dedicate time, resources and funding to sustainability initiatives.
  • Generational differences — and the intersectionality within generational groups — are shaping those expectations. This makes it essential for leadership to build flexibility and optionality into sustainability strategies.
  • Thinking beyond a one-size-fits-all approach helps employers distinguish themselves with employees, while building a more sustainable future. 

Employees care a great deal about how their organizations support sustainability initiatives. Even so, the intersectionality within generations means people across your workforce have unique views on environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities. Going beyond a one-sized-fits-all approach can help you retain talent and build bottom-line results while fostering a brighter future overall. 

How do Canadian employees view sustainability at work?

EY research has shown as many as 85% of employees feel it’s important, or very important, for them to work for an organization that positively impacts society. As with many aspects of work, individual experiences influence the kinds of sustainability-oriented policies and programs employee groups would like to see. At a high level, we see common themes emerging within distinct demographic groups.

How EY can help

What does that look like in practice?

 

In 2023, the market watched as thousands of tech-giant employees staged a walkout based on two primary issues: a return-to-office mandate and a change in stance on sustainability. You might assume that Gen Z and Millennials drove this action. In fact, the walkout spanned four different generations. And that’s more common than you might assume.

 

The EY Workforce Reimagined research and experience supporting clients across Canada shows us that attitudes around hybrid work, as well as green and sustainability initiatives, tend to be surprisingly consistent among the four generations. Yet, while they care about the same issues, employees across generational groups have different preferences on exactly what an organization should do about those priorities.

 

Let’s say your organization is focused on supporting lakeshore cleanup programs in the neighborhoods where your plants operate. Experience tells us that Generation X employees are more likely to favour straight-up financial support or fundraising. They’d like the organization to donate towards a cause that supports a sustainable shoreline. Among younger generations, you’d likely find a greater appetite for time off so they can go out and volunteer, playing a hands-on role in the program itself.

 

While these broad brushstrokes are a starting point for a sustainability strategy, they’re more complex than at first glance. That’s because it’s also important not to assume that everyone, in each generation, is seeking the same thing either. In fact, they’re likely not. Even when folks within a certain demographic or generational group share an overarching concern, digging a layer deeper often reveals there are divergences and distinctions even within the larger group.

 

We’ve long known that people thrive when ESG frameworks put humans at the heart of strategy design. That means there can be no true ESG success without doubling down on the core, where people converge to make an impact. This applies to the very way those frameworks are designed, too. Putting humans at the centre of your approach is the first step to ensuring it is flexible and adaptable enough to succeed in a workforce as diverse as ours is today. 

At EY, we recommend keeping these three leading practices in mind as you reframe sustainability with your employees’ expectations in mind:

1. Talk to your people. Generalizations or assumptions will not help you form the basis of a sustainability strategy that actually works. Creating channels for two-way dialogue can help you map out a spectrum of employee expectations. This is particularly important given the organizational hierarchy now largely sees older generations in senior leadership and management roles, making decisions at the organizational level that will affect a multitude of generations at scale. Consulting your workforce allows you to begin hashing out a strategic set of personas on which you can ground your sustainability plans.

2. Reverse-engineer sustainability programs to meet your people’s broad and validated needs. Using understanding gleaned from canvassing employees will help you to map out a core set of options and flexible approaches. This data-backed approach can be helpful when working to bring different groups on board. It shows that you, as an employer, are invested in meeting their expectations, and in creating opportunities for them to play a part in your sustainability activities. While we’re focusing on generational differences now, this theory applies to the multitude of different ways we define ourselves and our lived experiences, and the undoubtedly diverse ways those factors similarly influence our sustainability views.

3. Empower your people with flexibility to support sustainability in ways that feel meaningful to them. Even if you’re working to address the majority of concerns, weaving in flexibility allows you to provide a menu of sustainability options employes can choose from. This cuts across generational differences and helps you balance the needs of a hybrid workforce. That’s key. Sustainability programs must be applicable and accessible for all employees — including those who work remotely. A live, moment-in-time volunteer opportunity or public transit credit might work for someone with regular, in-office days. Meanwhile, a credit towards energy-efficient appliance purchases might be more attractive for an employee who works full-time from home and would still like to support sustainability overall. 

What’s the bottom line?

Avoid the pitfalls of assuming that all your people, or everyone within a particular generation, have the same expectation regarding sustainability. Design a people-centric and flexible sustainability program built around your workforce’s expectations that is meant to engage them in a purposeful mission. 

Summary

Being able to design people-centric and flexible sustainability programs sets an organization apart, and helps the business grow successfully over the long term.

About this article

Robert Alexander
EY Canada, People Advisory Services, Partner
Building a future in which humans have the best opportunity to thrive. An experienced leader and advisor, Robert is passionate about optimizing human potential.
Related topics
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Sustainability
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