Winne Benschop
Senior Consultant
Engagement
Increase engagement
As a manager, you understand the value and strategic importance of ESG initiatives for your organization. The figures, the reports, the long-term goals — they all make sense and are crucial to conducting business in an environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and sustainable manner. At first glance, you might think that implementing ESG initiatives will go smoothly. You’re confident that your team — surely — shares the same vision. ESG initiatives are the future, and everyone recognizes this, right?
Employee engagement isn’t easy
But fostering engagement turns out to be no easy task. Some employees are hesitant. They wonder why they should be involved in ESG-related issues or don’t understand why it’s so important. Others feel they simply don’t have time for it; they’re already so busy with their day-to-day tasks. Moreover, ESG can seem like a jungle of acronyms and reports. This can be off-putting to employees. You’ll get a lot of questions.
Simply providing information is not enough. Practical steps are needed to truly inspire and engage the team. To work together toward the ESG goals and turn them into a widely embraced strategy — one supported throughout the entire organization.
Here’s how we handle it
Translating complex sustainability concepts into practical steps that employees can take. Steps that go beyond mere “engagement,” but in which employees are a driving force behind sustainability successes. This ensures that a sustainable corporate culture is actively built and that every employee discovers his or her power to make a difference. We help with that. And here’s how we do it.
Step 1. Research
Every organization is unique, which is why we conduct a two-part analysis of the company as part of a baseline assessment: organization-wide (what is the current level of engagement?) and at the target group level (what types of target groups are there?). We then plot the level of engagement for each target group.
Step 2: Design an engagement plan
We determine which departments are a priority. How far along is a given department, and what needs to be done to move it to the next phase? When drafting the plan, we involve HR, Business Development/Innovation, Procurement, Communications (internal/external), Operations, and Finance, among others. In this way, we develop a carefully tailored engagement plan with specific actions for each target group — all prioritized.
Step 3: Implementation
We are rolling out the engagement plan in three phases, guided by “final goals”:
Informing
Through clear communication, we ensure that employees are aware of the importance and focus of the sustainability strategy. In this way, we build strong support for the next steps.
Inspire
We highlight how individual employees can make a difference and show that their contributions truly matter. We create a contagious energy that not only helps employees embrace the strategy but also inspires them to actively contribute and know exactly how to do so.
Engagement
We help motivate employees to proactively participate in implementing the sustainability strategy. It starts with small steps — which, together, add up to a lasting impact. What’s essential here is recognizing and rewarding employees’ dedication. That’s how we create long-term impact.
Getting started with your own team
We strongly believe in teamwork. We tailor our long-term strategic programs to meet the specific needs of your company or organization. We’re a dedicated team of three to six experts — diverse and resilient. They work together to guide your organization from development through implementation. This way, we ensure quality and guarantee the continuity of your sustainability initiatives. Ready to make an impact together?
A selection of our experts
Meet two of our experts who — together with a strong team of fellow experts — contribute to our clients’ long-term success.
