Strategic Emergence™ from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Part Four – Sustainability
This is the fourth installment of Orion’s Strategic Emergence series. The previous installment was Part Three – Technology.
The COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for all aspects of life as we know it. It caused a humanity crisis and an economic crisis. It also made us very aware of how fragile life is, the importance of community, and the value of essential workers. The biggest lesson we should all learn from COVID-19 is that we can’t survive without sustainability.
Sustainability is a loaded word. Investopedia defines it as focusing “on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The concept of sustainability is composed of three pillars: economic, environmental, and social—also known informally as profits, planet, and people.” Let’s formalize it – people, planet, and profits – in that order.
Without people and planet, there aren’t any profits. However, without profits, businesses won’t be able to sustain paychecks to people or investments for the future of the planet. It’s time for business leaders to embrace all aspects of “sustainability” as organizations start to reopen.
People, Process, Technology, Sustainability
From the first day in business, Orion Global Solutions has structured all our services around people, process, technology, and sustainability (for both business and the planet). It is the backbone of how we do business and its relevance could not be more important than it is today.
Strategic Emergence™ requires strategic thinking and sustainability hangs in the balance of leaders making good decisions now! The benefactor of people, process, and technology, sustainability enables economic stability and a healthier planet for all the people on it.
The new focus on employee wellbeing touches all aspects of sustainability. Healthy and safe employees are also productive. Many people are eager to return to work and appreciate the new processes that ensure a safe workplace. Smart organizations are also implementing processes and procedures that help with global sustainability, incorporating “green” products at work and increasing awareness of their carbon footprint.
Sustainability Needs Support
As was formalized above, to achieve sustainability, businesses must first focus is people, specifically employee and community wellness. Organizations need help as they need to manage health information for the first time.
One of the best options for managing this information is Work.com. Built on the Salesforce Platform, Work.com modules include employee wellness, shift management, contact tracing, and workforce reskilling and are all connected to the workplace command center.
The next step is for businesses to focus on the planet. There are many ways to accomplish this including small and big steps from using products made from recycled materials to carbon emissions accounting. When an organization truly embraces sustainability of the planet as part of the strategy to do good and create profits, it’s important they also embrace the right platform to support their decision.
Salesforce’s Sustainability Cloud enables businesses to quickly track, analyze and report reliable environmental data to help them reduce their carbon emissions. This information enables organizations to understand the impact their business practices have on the environment and allows business leaders to create action plans to become carbon neutral or have a net zero carbon footprint.
One option is to continue to encourage employees to work from home, for those companies and employees who can. The reduction of carbon emissions from fewer commuters has substantially reduced carbon emissions globally. Other options include using products in the workplace that are made from recycled materials or materials that don’t cause more damage to the planet such as paper made from bamboo instead of trees.
Sustainability is the last piece in the reopen puzzle. The ability to keep employees healthy and the doors open directly relates to the ability to take care of their people and the planet. When organizations focus on these crucial elements of sustainability, profits will follow.
Orion is a proud Salesforce Implementation Partner. We are also one of the first Salesforce Sustainability Cloud customers and one of the few Salesforce Sustainability Cloud and Work.com implementors on the East Coast.
Learn more about Sustainability at Orion’s Sustainability website!