Wellbeing Trends: Resources & Environment

WHAT EVIDENCE DO WE HAVE THAT THIS TREND EXISTS?

Evidence, drawn together and highlighted in the earlier Engage for Success (EFS) reports indicates the importance of the environment in our day-to-day lives and how this can have a significant effect on organisational and individual health, wellbeing and performance.

The scientific community is in no doubt that world weather is changing. Temperatures and sea levels are rising. Summers are getting hotter; winters wetter. Globally and locally the climate of the future will have changed.

What’s also clear is that population and GDP will grow to record levels and that the demand for raw materials and natural resources to feed this growth will outstrip supply. Resource bottlenecks and shortages will become the new norm if businesses persist with current methods of production, choice of materials and methods of supply.

The direction of travel has momentum and is leading organisations to adapt in order to survive. The growing global economy and advancements in technology will be key drivers of change and any such changes will need to be environmentally sustainable.

Change is not a new phenomenon. Longevity and corporate well-being remain central to every organisation’s strategy for success.  That strategy will need to take account of identified environmental and resource concerns, such as physical presence, the sourcing, management and use of natural resources.

looking ahead

The environmental and resource choices an organisation makes will determine its future. They impact, either positively or negatively, upon both employees and the local community. When making these choices, organisations should give due regard to the wellbeing and engagement of their employees.

It is only by adopting a different approach, one that will safeguard the availability of scarce resources and protect the local environment, that business will be able not only to continue to trade, but also to have a positive impact on the wellbeing of individuals and society.

Two areas where the trends and organisational responses to the environment and resources can affect levels of employee engagement and wellbeing. These are: