In just a few short months, Covid-19 reshaped the world. At this point, we don’t know how long Covid-19 will continue to affect the way we live.
But we do know that we can already see the impact it’s having on so many areas: the economy, our personal lives—and the environment.
Covid-19 is a global health crisis, but it’s also part of the ongoing environmental crisis our world is facing. And it’s showing just how closely linked our economy and lifestyles are to the overall health of the planet.
As we move through the pandemic and begin to think about recovery, business leaders can place a pretty secure bet on the fact that the expectation for the well-thought-out environmental strategy will be even stronger than it was before.
As my colleague Suzanne DiBianca, Salesforce’s chief impact officer, recently said, “We are facing numerous challenges now, but regardless of what else is happening in the world, the climate crisis is here, it’s real, and this is the decade where we need to act. As leaders, we need to be thinking about how we can continue to prioritize sustainability throughout this time and into the future. At Salesforce, the call for leadership and action in the environmental space—from our stakeholders, our communities and our employees—is clearer than ever amid the Covid-19 crisis.”
Leaders need to think proactively—starting now—about everything from normalizing remote work, to incentivizing green transportation, to investing in sustainable sourcing and supply chain practices, to funding environmental restoration efforts. If this seems like a stretch from the situation we’re all in now, it’s not. The health of the planet is inextricably linked to the health and well-being of people and businesses across the globe. Leaders who are preparing now to address both with strong strategies and decision making will set their businesses and their people up for success in the future.
Let’s dive into what there is to know.
By: Neal Myrick
Source: Forbes
CEOs are spending more time on making the business case for their environmental and social commitments, and they’re building more rigorous mechanisms for addressing thorny issues and mitigating PR risks. To avoid communications missteps, CEOs should ensure they have the organizational capabilities and tools in place to monitor and analyze emerging issues and to gauge the sentiment of key stakeholders.
The vast majority of business leaders responding to a recent survey said they’re concerned they can’t train employees quickly enough to keep up with AI and tech developments in the next three years. A similar amount said AI and other tech disruptions will require companies to rethink skills, resources and new ways of doing work.
If you were to ask a random person on the street what an HR professional does, their answer would probably be conflict resolution, or that HR folks deal with employee salaries and benefits. And while that is part of an HR professional’s responsibilities — to ensure employee safety, respect and accountability — that doesn’t even scratch the surface.
