Ten years ago I launched myself into the world of sustainability, and it’s been an amazing roller coaster journey.

In 2006 there were some things I already knew—for example, that sustainability is good for people, profit and planet—but over the years, I’ve learnt many things, just 10 of which are below.

These highlight aspects of my personal story and the wider narrative as I, and sustainability, have developed.

I had a conversation with Tim Haywood, Group Finance Director and Head of Sustainability at Interserve. The topic was ‘inspiring sustainability’ and I certainly left the conversation feeling stimulated and motivated. If you want to hear the full interview, look at the Podcast page.
 
Interserve is a worldwide construction and support service business of 80,000 people in the FTSE250. After a career in finance, Tim joined the company six years ago as FD, and five years ago, took on the sustainability portfolio. Outside of work, he has a passion for gardening, is a competitive rower and loves his family.

You are unique, your organisation is unique. Any empowerment campaign is about your journey to generate positive and sustainable change for your organisation

If you want to empower your colleagues, the first person that must be empowered is yourself! Your colleagues will unconsciously look to you as a model and the unconscious is very powerful at feeling things the conscious brain doesn’t see. Therefore if you start an empowerment campaign without ensuring you are in a good place, then your colleagues will sense the incongruence.

On an average day in the Western world, people see between 250 and 270 pieces of advertising.  Globally, approximately $600 billion was spent on advertising in 2015, with the UK spending nearly 1% of its GDP on marketing. The power and reach of marketing and advertising in our society is unquestionable.   
 
Dentsu Aegis Network is one of the largest agencies in the world. They have recognised they can harness this power as a force for good by utilising the skills of their employees to support community-based charities.  Over the past five years, the agency has helped more than 2,500 small charities increase their communications capabilities. The company’s commitment has been particularly evident in its work with GlobalGiving UK, in an innovative approach to sourcing marketing skills through the Route to Good programme, and also with the GlobalGivingTIME programme, one of the first online volunteering communities. 

Employee engagement is a buzzword that has been around for a long time, but what does it actually mean, and what are the benefits to organisations? There are many ways an organisation can engage its employees.  This article explores both the theory and practice, especially in relation to the social side of sustainability. I’ll highlight two best practice examples from this vast galaxy of programs, initiatives, and missions, one from either side of the Atlantic, one a niche NGO and the other a high profile brand.

Whilst there are hundreds of definitions of this field, a particularly well- rounded one comes from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).  Engagement is: “being positively present during the performance of work by willingly contributing intellectual effort, experiencing positive emotions and meaningful connections to other”.  They make a useful distinction between emotional engagement (driven by a desire to do more for an organisation) and transactional engagement (drive to earn a living and progress).