Being a great place to work? It’s all about human sustainability

But in an era where worker expectations (especially expectations related to well-being) are higher than ever, it might be time for companies to switch their thinking from how to get the most from employees to how to give them the most.

What is human sustainability?

That’s the crux of human sustainability, a term coined by Deloitte in its 2023 Human Capital Trends report. Deloitte defines human sustainability as “the degree to which the organization creates value for people as human beings, leaving them with greater health and well-being, stronger skills and greater employability, good jobs, opportunities for advancement, progress toward equity, increased belonging, and heightened connection to purpose.”

Put even more simply, human sustainability requires organizations to focus less on “how much people benefit their organization and more on how their organization benefits people.”

It’s counterintuitive in a system that has previously focused on squeezing every last drop of effort and value out of employees.

But human sustainability was pushed into the limelight during the COVID-19 pandemic when workers experienced a major perspective shift in the role of work in their lives and specifically looked for employers that aligned with their values — a time now known as the Great Resignation. 

“I believe that this phenomenon created the power shift, and it remains,” explains Loren Margolis, Executive Coach and Founder of TLS Leaders, a leadership development firm that partners with organizations to train their leaders and create inclusive company cultures.

“Even though we are now in an employer-driven market, organizations still want to attract and retain the best talent. And, with the newest generation’s strong entrepreneurial mindset, it will continue.” 

Why does human sustainability matter?

Human sustainability boils down to treating people well, and it seems obvious that doing so can have far-reaching benefits.  “I’d argue that the strong majority of companies would agree that employees will likely stay where they are treated well and where opportunities for advancement are clear,” says Dr. Heather Rose Walker, Senior Data Journalist at Culture Amp, an employee experience platform.

For employees, human sustainability often translates to greater purpose and belonging, fairer pay, lower burnout, and an overall sense of feeling supported and cared for at work. And while the very point of human sustainability is to focus on adding value for employees, organizations often experience advantages too, including:

• Improved culture and morale: Employees who feel cared for are up to 3.2 times more likely to be happy at work, which boosts team morale and contributes to a more positive company culture.
  
• Increased productivity: Research shows that happy employees get more done.
  
• Lower turnover: From development to an emphasis on well-being, human sustainability incorporates many of the positive aspects that employees actively look for, making them more likely to stick with the organization.

If that wasn’t compelling enough, Deloitte says a focus on human sustainability has a ripple effect — going so far as to benefit society as a whole with better jobs and wages, improved health, and equitable contributions.

But despite the benefits, human sustainability isn’t without its naysayers. Truly embracing human sustainability requires money and resources that organizations can be hesitant to invest. And culturally, it can feel like a major shift — especially for older workers who are used to a more transactional approach with employees. “There has been a backlash within some organizations thinking that the newest generation has unrealistic expectations about work-life harmony,” Loren adds. 

How can you promote and prioritize human sustainability?

If your organization is ready to invest in human sustainability, there’s one crucial word you can’t overlook: action. “There is a difference between believing something is the right thing to do and acting on those beliefs with resources,” says Dr. Walker. 

“The latter is where we see companies faltering by reaching only for the lower-hanging fruit — those one-off micro solutions that do little more than add to the workload of employees,” she continues. “And, it seems that employees see through a more performative stated dedication to wellbeing.”

The data backs this up. Deloitte calls it the “knowing-doing gap.” While 76% of organizations recognize the importance of human sustainability, only 46% are doing something about it.

Additionally, over the last year, Culture Amp saw a 3% drop in employees agreeing with the statement, “I believe employee well-being is a priority at my company.”

“That statistic is global and agnostic to company size or industry,” Dr. Walker says. “This tells us that even if more organizations are turning toward human sustainability, employees are not yet seeing positive reverberations from it.”

Ready for your organization to step up? Here are four strategies to go beyond lip service and truly prioritize human sustainability.

1. Take a holistic approach

“What we know right now is that offering yoga classes, pizza parties — a cliche at this point — or crisis-only EAPs isn’t doing it,” shares Dr. Walker.

That’s not only because they seem like band-aids or half-hearted attempts, but also because they’re placing responsibility where it doesn’t belong.

“Those offerings miss the mark because they locate the problem of work-related stress within individuals,” explains Dr. Walker. “Companies need to look at employee well-being as a problem of the environment in which employees work, not of employees themselves.”

2. Make meaningful systemic changes

Once you recognize the importance of making changes at the organizational level, they can’t be empty efforts surface-level solutions. Dr. Walker says these need to be real, systemic changes that make a meaningful difference for employees, such as:

• Instituting clear career paths and upskilling programs
• Adding headcount to reduce workloads for existing employees
• Mandating a required number of days off
• Adjusting flexible work arrangement policies

When workers cite work stress (and related mental health challenges) as the biggest barrier to human sustainability, anything you can do to lighten the load and promote balance goes a long way in making employees feel valued and cared for. 

3. Lean on your leadership

While you need to zoom out and see your organization as a whole, it’s also important to look closely at your leadership. “Make sure your managers understand that they are the ‘culture keepers’ of your organization,” Loren shares.

When research shows that managers impact employees’ mental health at the same level as spouses, “organizations must make sure that they know how to role-model human sustainability,” adds Loren. This could mean providing training and opportunities related to: 

• Creating policies that address and mitigate burnout (such as set email hours)
• Establishing clear, measurable, and obtainable employee goals
• Providing useful and supportive feedback on an ongoing basis
• Empowering employees to own their work and make decisions

4. Measure and monitor employee well-being

When it comes to how workers are feeling, too many organizations rely on gut feel or anecdotal evidence. But “if a company truly wants to create a place that attracts and retains the best talent, they need to include well-being metrics in management dashboards,” Loren says.

This can include tracking absenteeism, engagement, turnover, satisfaction, and more — and these numbers shouldn’t be looked at once a year when you dust off an employee survey.

They need to be discussed frequently and predictably. “I recommend that boards of directors expect to see this number in quarterly reports alongside other key metrics,” adds Loren. 

Ask not what your employees can do for you…

Human sustainability flips the script on the traditional and transactional approach to employees. Rather than wringing your workers dry in service of your organization, you focus on making sure they extract as much value from their time with your organization as possible.

It’s a drastic departure from a system that assumed offering workers a paycheck was more than enough. And with such a dramatic shift, it’s natural for you to wonder if your organization can afford to meaningfully invest in your employees this way.

But as worker expectations evolve and companies continue to place a high prize on top talent, the better question to ask yourself is: Can you afford not to?