In a recent session of The Conference Board’s Asia Sustainability Leaders Council, we talked about resourcing for impact. For most, the issue wasn’t necessarily finding talent. It's matching them with the right job within the organization. When there are specific ESG qualifications needed, hiring can get even more complex. There is also a hard ceiling for job opportunities, limiting advancement.
Within their organizations staff were highly interested in sustainability. This then led to a conversation about the need for everyone within a business to be working on sustainability as ESG issues cut across the entire organization.
Funny enough, the group also recommended the creation of entry-level analytics roles. The thinking was since this is a growing area of sustainability, having younger professionals (who may have more technical education in ESG) may also help it evolve faster. Perhaps this is just the bump in the road we need to get over before we can speed ahead.
I know none of this necessarily guarantees impact. The silver lining, though, is that it seems we’re reaching a critical mass of employees seeking action. This will hopefully evolve the role of sustainability from disclosure to impactful future-proofing.