Photo courtesy of, freepik for illustration purposes only
In the
previous article, we talked about why a company culture is important in the
overall ESG agenda. Now, let’s talk a little bit more specific. What is the
role of the workforce on the current ESG buzzword i.e. climate and net zero.
Companies
need to understand that Human Resources (HR) play a key function to ensure a
successful business transition towards net zero.
The race
towards net zero and the greening of the economy has started and will continue
to have significant impact on the on employment and the required skillsets.
Just like other capitals, investments in human capital in building a talent
pool of green skills is important towards enabling a company to transition
towards low-carbon, resource efficient and green operations.
Green
skills do not sit within a specific sector. It covers a broader spectrum where
it applies to a wider set of current functions and management levels.
Currently, the industry is witnessing a ‘green enrichment’ job descriptions
where skillsets and knowledge related to ‘green’, net zero, low-carbon, green
products, renewables and many more, are becoming a common requirement.
On top of
that, the industry is also seeing new emerging jobs catered for green skillsets
especially in the area of renewable energy and energy efficiency and green
technology.
Green
skills should also be supplemented with generic skillsets such as stakeholder
engagement, adaptability, risk management and problem solving as these
skillsets required by a green talent.
The demand
for green talent is on the rise and the competition is stiff. According to
multiple studies, the scarcity of green talent is across all industries and
sectors. For instance, a recent survey from Funds Europe highlighted that more 70%
of financial services firms viewed that they are facing ESG skills shortage,
and only a small minority of firms (13.5%) are providing training on the risks
resulting from climate change, which exacerbates the challenge.
Without a
doubt, HR must up their game towards building the required skillsets and
capabilities of green talents as this will ensure sustainable succession
planning to meet companies’ green transition.
Some of the
practical steps to be taken as guidance are as follows:
Green Talent Competency Assessment
HR needs to
have a clear definition of the requirement criteria for green skills and
knowledge in order to conduct a strategic and purposeful green skills
competency assessment. There are a few frameworks out there such as the one
developed by Bursa,
that could guide HR to develop the sets of criteria specifically for green (and
overall Sustainability) talents, but HR needs to further refine based on the
company’s business model and its green ambitions and goals.
Green Talent Roadmap
HR should
craft a structured resourcing plan including talent up-skilling pathways for
identified employees critical for moving the green agenda of the company. This
resourcing plan should be approached from within the company (internal) and
from outside of the company (external) e.g. identify key employee groups,
retain and attract green talent with green skillsets.
Green Talent Capability Building
Employee
development should be an on-going process by leveraging on vocational
education, training modules, learning programmes, green certifications, as well
as on-the-job training to develop and strong talent pool with green talents and
succession planning. This should be across different levels i.e. awareness,
fundamentals, intermediate and advanced.
Monitor and Respond
The
initiatives to up-skill the green talents need to be monitored in terms of its
effectiveness. Are they meeting the requirements for a specific function? How
is the participants’ feedback? Is it enough? Is it too basic? Are there any
other new programmes that need to be rolled out? Does the overall plan need to
be revamped? These are some of the questions HR needs to monitor and to
eventually respond in order to address any gaps and improvement plans to ensure
successful execution of develop green skillsets.
All views and opinions expressed on this site are by the author and do not represent any particular entity or organisation
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