Bridging Global Sustainability through GSHRM: Aligning HR Practices with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

GSHRM - Greenville Society for Human Resource Management.

 

During a time when sustainability is seen as the most important issue, businesses all over the world are starting to acknowledge the relevance of human resource management (HRM) in promoting a future that is more ecologically mindful of the environment. The adoption of GSHRM requires HR practices and laws to be brought into alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations. Not only does this strategic merger move firms forward, but it also significantly makes a contribution to the global sustainability initiatives that are being made in a number of important industries.

 

Getting to Know the GSHRM and the SDGs

According to the Global Society for Human Resource Management (GSHRM), sustainability ought to be an essential component of both HR strategy and practice. Establishing human resource strategies within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) might be of assistance to firms in expanding their emphasis beyond the maximizing of profits and addressing broader social and environmental concerns. The United Nations has recognized a number of topics that require attention in its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including but not limited to development in the economy, equality between the sexes, responsible production and consumption, action on climate change, and decent employment.

 

Importance of GSHRM Alignment in Today's World

The alignment of human resource practices with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is one of the many expressions of organizational sustainability.

 

1. Ensuring Equitable Employment Opportunities and Fostering Economic Development

The goal of the Global Society for Human Resource Management (GSHRM) is to promote employee well-being, equal opportunity, and fair pay in its quest of just and equitable workplaces. Maintaining alignment with this objective, which promotes inclusive economic growth that places a priority on human dignity in the workplace, contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

 

The second focus is on promoting gender equality.

objective 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is the focal focus of the efforts that are being made by GSHRM; this objective fosters diversity and equality among employees. This congruence is being further strengthened by initiatives that aim to eliminate gender disparities in areas like as compensation, leadership roles, and anti-discrimination legislation from the workplace.

 

3. Providing an Environment That Promotes Responsible Production and Consumption

Through the incorporation of sustainability into HR processes, businesses have the opportunity to promote environmentally responsible consumption and production habits. Training that focuses on energy efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable practices can help to build a more sustainable culture within an organization. This is in compliance with Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

 

4. A Dedication to Alleviating the Effects of Climate Change

One of the most essential responsibilities of the Global Sustainable Human Resource Management (GSHRM) is to inspire climate action (SDG 13) within enterprises. Through this project, the goals of increasing climate awareness, reducing carbon footprints, and promoting activities that are environmentally beneficial in the workplace are intended to be accomplished.

 

Unilever's Efforts to Advance Gender Equality is the Second Goal of the Company

 

The achievement of gender equality is the fifth of the Sustainable Development Goals, and Unilever, a global corporation that specializes in consumer goods, has included this endeavor into its human resource initiatives. Among their many activities are the following:

 

In order to achieve gender parity in salary across all levels of a company, the establishment of equal pay policies is a step in the right direction that should be taken.

 

The formation of leadership development programs with the specific objective of recruiting, developing, and keeping female talent inside the business is the goal of these programs.

 

The provision of policies that are accommodating to families and flexible working arrangements contributes to the promotion of a healthy work-life balance for all employees, regardless of gender.

 

My experience

During the period that I spent working for a global organization, I had the opportunity to observe the GSHRM procedures in action. An organization's task force on sustainability was constituted by the department of human resources inside the organization. This task force was accountable for the following:

 

Criteria for sustainability have to be incorporated into performance evaluations in order to encourage workers to practice more environmental consciousness.

 

Providing incentives for employees to participate in activities that contribute to the preservation of the environment, including as recycling drives, tree-planting events, and contests to reduce energy use.

Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace may be accomplished through a number of different methods, including the implementation of techniques for targeted recruiting, the provision of training on unconscious bias, and the cultivation of an inclusive culture that celebrates and respects all workers.

 

Companies in a wide range of industries have utilized GSHRM programs to connect their human resource policies and procedures with particular Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which has resulted in a good local effect and a large global contribution to sustainability efforts.

Our suggested sustainable HR process model, which incorporates many bodies of knowledge on the HR process and sustainable HR, opens up new research avenues. The majority of research on sustainable HR is content-driven and emphasizes the scope of HR procedures rather than how workers see them. Leading researchers in HR processes have advanced the field of strategic HR management by revealing the hidden relationship between HR and performance and by concentrating on the underlying mechanisms of sustainable HR that have not yet been empirically explored.

However, the foundation of our new study approach is the explicit acknowledgment of the leadership style and function of line managers, which is consistent with the broad objectives of sustainable development. In order to help solve global obstacles to sustainable development, a link is made between sustainable HR practices and line managers' responsibilities in supporting desired sustainable employee behaviors. We expect that HR academics will keep following this line of thinking to improve knowledge of the process components and connections in the expanded HR process model. Researchers will have a "golden opportunity to make a real difference in the world" if they put more effort into studying a larger range of sustainability factors.

 

REF :

Yong, J.Y.; Yusliza, M.Y.; Fawehinmi, O.O. Green Human Resource Management: A Systematic Literature Review from 2007 to 2019. Benchmarking 2020, 27, 2005–2027

Elias A, Sanders K, Hu J. The Sustainable Human Resource Practices and Employee Outcomes Link: An HR Process Lens. Sustainability. 2023; 15(13):10124. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310124