Human Sustainability: How Leaders can Make a Positive Impact
The Deloitte 2024 Workplace Well-being report emphasizes the importance of human sustainability in organizations, identifying key areas where leaders can drive progress. The research, involving over 3,000 C-suite executives, managers, and workers across four countries, highlights significant gaps between leadership perceptions and worker realities regarding well-being, engagement, and human sustainability efforts.
The report’s results were analyzed by a high class team of Deloitte’s experts. For more details and figures, read the full article.
Here’s a shortlist on their key findings and recommendations for action:
- Need for Human Sustainability: 82% of executives believe that prioritizing human impact enhances talent attraction, customer appeal, and profitability.
- Current Trends: Only 43% of workers feel better off since joining their organizations. Trends like gig work may improve work/life balance but lack financial benefits, e.g. insurance or paid time off.
- Workforce Well-being: 56% of workers rate their well-being as "excellent" or "good", unchanged since 2022. High levels of exhaustion and stress persist, with many willing to switch jobs for better support.
- Engagement and Trust: Engaged workers who trust their leaders are over 2.5 times more likely to perceive their company as advancing human sustainability. Improvements in commitment could boost engagement, productivity, and retention.
- Perception Gap: A significant disconnect exists between leaders' and workers' views on organizational progress in human sustainability. 90% of executives believe their company positively impacts well-being, versus 60% of workers.
- Accountability and Metrics: Companies should implement metrics to measure human outcomes, including skills development, well-being, purpose, and diversity. Public commitments and tying compensation to these metrics can enhance accountability.
- Empowering Workers: Organizations must address worker challenges, including fair pay and reducing mundane tasks. Training programs and clear metrics can empower workers at all levels to contribute to human sustainability goals.
Recommendations for Leaders:
- Implement the Right Metrics: Focus on metrics that measure human outcomes.
- Make Public Commitments: Set and transparently track goals around human outcomes.
- Align Compensation: Tie executive and worker compensation to human sustainability metrics.
- Address Worker Issues: Prioritize fair pay and meaningful work to improve well-being.
- Empower Employees: Provide training and clear metrics to support human sustainability efforts.