The role of skills in embedding sustainability across your organisation

Whilst protecting the planet has moved higher up on many people’s agendas in recent years, there is still much work to be done to tackle the climate crisis. Sustainability is beginning to be valued by organisations in a much more realistic way, rather than treating it as a tick box. In our 2023 UK Salary and Recruiting Trends guide, based on a survey of over 13,000 employers and professionals, 46% of employers rated their organisation’s commitment to sustainability issues as quite important and over a third (37%) said it is very important.  

Although the thought is there when it comes to the environment, actions speak louder than words. In order for employers to demonstrate how seriously they are taking sustainability today, it needs to become a core part of business strategy. That’s why I recommend integrating sustainability skills into your approach. Below are just a few ways you can improve your response to sustainability issues, to help move towards a greener future: 

1. Hire a dedicated resource 

Businesses can greatly benefit from having a specific person or team predominantly responsible for sustainability initiatives. Our research demonstrates the way things currently stand; when asked how sustainability is managed within their organisation, 29% of employers said there is no dedicated resource. This was followed by 26% of employers who said sustainability is managed by a small, dedicated team and 7% said it is managed by a large, dedicated team. 20% of employers said sustainability is managed by one single person supported by others in parts of the organisation.  

It's much easier to embed sustainability into your business agenda if there is a strong sense of who is in charge. Not only does hiring a dedicated resource increase structure and accountability but allows these individuals to focus on specific goals, which inevitability leads to more successful