Sustainability as a HR strategy: how to attract and retain clients and employees starting with sustainable Christmas gifts

This article explains how to start embedding sustainability into your workplace culture with sustainable Christmas gifts for businesses. 

Sustainability is now a great HR strategy, but it has much to offer beyond just that. With the growing need for organisations to become more digital and go green, this is now just as important as fostering a culture of innovation.

Many organisations are also discovering that incorporating sustainability into HR can help them recruit top talent who are more likely to align their values with those of the company. And if you want to attract talented Millennials and Gen Zs, adding sustainable values into your HR strategy becomes even more important than ever before. Read on to know more about why sustainability is now a great HR strategy you need in your organisation.

Why it is in a business's own interest to adopt sustainability as a strategy

CEOs hardly spoke about ‘purpose’ just a few years ago. But customers now want companies that care, employees that appreciate work that matters, and societies that value companies that act responsibly. In fact, 64% of millennials will not work for a firm that does not possess strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies, and 88% of people enjoy their jobs more when they are allowed to make a positive difference on social and environmental issues. 92% of companies consider social responsibility to be an important part of their business. 33% of consumers choose to buy from companies with social or environmental missions.

What can HR worker's role in sustainability?

HR will be involved in several pieces of the sustainability puzzle. HR will be involved in defining a code of conduct, launching equity initiatives, and training, competency models, and leadership development initiatives with employees. However, HR involvement will vary from firm to firm. There are several approaches HR will take, including facilitating discussions with employees and the board, establishing a code of conduct, and launching equity initiatives. HR team members must participate in engaging employees in the sustainability project because they are well suited to addressing the cultural and technological changes needed to make it a reality.

How can businesses start conversations on how climate change will affect their businesses?

In a world that is becoming increasingly more resource-conscious, it’s important for businesses to be aware of sustainability issues and how climate change will affect their company and communicate this to their staff. If staff understand the real-life changes in the climate they can understand better the importance of sustainability in the workplace.

There are several ways to approach this task. One is to offer sustainability outreach programs and resources. Another is to foster an organisational culture that is committed to sustainability. And another is simply to start conversations about sustainability in the workplace.

Start by identifying areas where climate change could harm the business. For example, you could consider whether extreme weather events could affect your business operations, or whether global warming could impact customer demand for your products and services. Then, identify how those impacts might be mitigated or reduced in some way. For example, by investing in renewable energy sources or promoting carpooling and public transportation options.

Talk about your goals and how you can work together to achieve them. These conversations can go a long way toward creating a culture of sustainability within your organisation.

Make sure you encourage your whole team to pitch in ideas. The office environment is one of the major contributors to waste. When people throw items away, they are creating waste that cannot be reused. In addition, water used to clean floors and other surfaces use up natural resources and energy. Ask your team how your office can adopt sustainability practices. These practices include using paper and plastic containers instead of aluminium cans, using sustainable cleaning products, and reusing or recycling materials when possible.

It’s not enough to simply talk about sustainability, though - you have to implement sustainable practices and start conversations with employees. Workers will want to see sustainable switches being made.

Why your company should switch to using sustainable suppliers with social stories

Why should working places use sustainable suppliers? There are many reasons to choose a sustainable supplier. The first is that it’s good for the environment. Sustainable suppliers can be environmentally or socially sustainable. For example, they could use natural resources and minimise environmental impacts by not using damaging chemicals or energy-intensive production methods. Or they could help fund education projects for girls in underdeveloped farming communities.

Why should working places use sustainable suppliers? There are many reasons to choose a sustainable supplier. The first is that it’s good for the environment. Sustainable suppliers can be environmentally or socially sustainable. For example, they could use natural resources and minimise environmental impacts by not using damaging chemicals or energy-intensive production methods. Or they could help fund education projects for girls in underdeveloped farming communities.

If you switch sustainable suppliers to include products that your team can hold in their hands such as social enterprise drinks and stationery you can share the stories behind the social impact created. If the drinks are made from wonky fruits that were destined for landfill, this is a great conversation starter.

/pages/about-usAnother perfect way to put a spotlight on sustainability is during the Christmas period. When you purchase a Christmas gift for your team choose a sustainable gifting supplier such as Social Stories Club. A sustainable Christmas gift will demonstrate your values to staff in a time of high team morale. The great thing about Social Stories Club’s Christmas gifts is that every product inside one of their sustainable Christmas hampers for corporates has a fascinating social story of impacting the world positively. An example is teas that educate girls in tea-growing regions, and teas chocolates supporting refugees.

Why gifting is a great HR strategy and how this can be combined with sustainability through corporate gifting this Christmas

Staff members are your most important assets. Creating effective working relationships with your team is key to success. Maintaining a positive work environment and fostering camaraderie are essential for productivity and morale. But it’s not always easy to know what to give staff members for the holidays.

Here are three reasons why you should give Christmas gifts to your staff this year:

• You can make them feel appreciated. One way that you can show your gratitude to your employees is by giving them gifts. This will go a long way in showing them that you care about their well-being and that you value their contributions to the organisation.
• It’s an opportunity to build relationships with your staff. Another benefit of giving Christmas gifts to your employees is that it allows you to build relationships with them. By investing in these relationships, you can strengthen the bonds between you and your team members, which can lead to higher levels of engagement and productivity in the long run.
• It can help foster a healthy work culture. Finally, by giving Christmas gifts to your employees, you can create a healthy work culture where everyone feels valued and appreciated, which can ultimately lead to greater employee satisfaction and loyalty in the long run.

Whatever you decide to do, remember that the most important thing is for everyone to feel valued and appreciated during this time of year.

The impact of corporate gifts is not limited to the individuals receiving them. Sustainability-minded employees will be more likely to take an interest in and care about the company’s broader sustainability efforts. Corporate sustainability does not have to be an uphill climb. Start by focusing on the positive impact your gift can have on both the giver and recipient. As you build momentum, consider making sustainability a core part of your corporate culture.

Why are Social Stories Club’s corporate Christmas hampers so special?

Social Stories Club is a UK-based social enterprise gifting company. We hire individuals with barriers to employment and we work with social enterprises and social businesses from around the UK and include their items in our sustainable gift hampers. We are committed to bringing the highest quality items to all of our hampers. We look for a variety of items as well as a variety of social stories so your corporate Christmas hampers will support education projects, environmental projects, humanitarian projects, and more. We also seek diversity in our suppliers, with 59% being woman-led businesses and 23% being family-run businesses. We like to have a variety of goods and stories.

Social Stories Club’s corporate Christmas hampers are a great way to reward your staff for their hard work and a fantastic way to foster team spirit. They are great as an incentive for the team, too, as it shows them how much they are appreciated. Everyone loves a good Christmas hamper! To make the most of your corporate Christmas hampers, you can tailor them to suit your individual needs by choosing from our build your own corporate Christmas hamper range. Reach out to us and book a 1:2:1 and we will do all the hard work for you. 

If you are interested in pre-curated gifts, our Sustainable Foodie hamper is suitable for all occasions. This hamper is ideal for anyone looking to spoil their colleagues with something extra special and tasty.

The Ultra Impact Gift Hamper is perfect for any occasion. These snacks are sure to go down well at any social event or workplace celebration or can be taken home and enjoyed by the family.

Conclusion

Sustainability is now a great HR strategy. It can help organisations retain good quality employees who want to make a difference, while at the same time contributing to a better world. While sustainability may seem like an overwhelming task, you can start by building a small team that will help you implement the right actions and policies to make a difference in your company’s sustainability efforts. Your company will be better for it.

Sustainability is a great way for businesses to show their commitment to social and environmental issues. And it's a great way for HR teams to show that they are invested in building a sustainable business. From a human perspective, it makes sense that we work in an environment that has fewer negative impacts on our well-being and the world around us. And if you are a business owner, you must take the necessary steps to ensure that your employees feel the same way - and that they will contribute positively to the process.

Sustainability is challenging to define. That is why it's important to talk about it and make sure everyone in your company knows how to act sustainably. A wide range of people will have a stake in making sure that your company is sustainable - from the CEO through to the janitor.

You probably already have sustainability goals in place, whether you are a startup or a Fortune 500 company. When you share those goals with your team, it enables them to set their targets. And by celebrating the small wins along the way to those targets, you can help everyone in your team have a better experience at work.

Learn from the experiences of other companies and organisations in your industry. They are likely trying out different ways to address sustainability issues. You might be able to learn a thing or two from them.

Do not forget to include sustainability in your HR strategy. It's important to realise that sustainability is more than just a social mission. On one hand, it's important to reduce your impact on the environment so that resources are not depleted. But on the other hand, there is also a social dimension to work that should be taken into account.

Social Stories Club’s corporate Christmas hampers are great for staff who have been working hard this year and deserve a special treat, or for those who have helped out in difficult circumstances. It is also common to give Christmas hampers to clients as well as employees. If you would like branded corporate gift hampers, bespoke corporate gifts, or pre-curated gifts, reach out to us and we can help create the perfect corporate gift hassle free.