Telephone: +44 (0)1269 871 944
Mobile: +44 (0)7794 043 282
Email: info@youtree.uk
Schedule Appointment: Book
Why ESG scores are better for business than risk management
10th June 2021 , in Business, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethics, Society, Sustainability
How can ESG help you become and do better business?
Being successful in business is more than just about identifying and managing risk; it’s about the value a business creates. The definition of value in this sense is not simply how good your product or service is for your customer; instead, we mean how valuable your whole process is when bringing your product or service to market.
We’re talking suppliers, working practices, design procedures, retailers and financial investments to name but a few. Over the last few years, there is growing evidence that shows in order to do well, a business has to do good – which is why sustainable practices and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) management can be viewed as far more beneficial to a company’s standing than simply managing risk to the business itself.
What is ESG?
Every business is connected in some way to ESG concerns, but what are they?
- Environmental – every company uses energy and resources meaning every company is both directly affected by the environment and affects the environment directly through consumption, waste and emissions.
- Social – every business needs to build relationships in order to trade. Social aspects include your suppliers and retailers, working practices for employees as well as diversity and inclusion.
- Governance – every business has an internal set of practices and procedures it uses to govern itself. It will have people in set positions who make decisions to comply with rules and regulations set both internally and externally to ensure stakeholders’ needs are met.
For a company to be successful then, it needs to be seen as good and doing the right thing, particularly now that consumers are demanding high standards of sustainability and quality of employment. Investors are also more likely to favour companies that implement ESG practices and goals as these companies are ones tipped for growth and longevity through the demonstration of their flexibility.
Be proactive, not reactive
At its core, risk management looks at the threat to an organisation’s capital and earnings such as financial uncertainty, strategic management errors and accidents. However, setting an ESG framework might reduce the likelihood of some of those risks altogether. Therefore, here are a few ESG goals that you could set yourself that are going to create value and reduce potential risks to your business:
Energy & Utilities
- Consider how your energy is generated and the level of control within your organisation. Establish a data baseline and KPIs that are representative for your industry. eg miles driven, productivity, head count per KWh. A lot of businesses use Christmas Day to baseline their lowest energy usage and challenge themselves to improve on that.
- Are you monitoring on cost or usage? Energy spend fluctuates, but (KWh) is your actual usage.
- Check water use regularly. Many unseen underground leaks have been detected before costly structural damage can occur.
Logistics
- Consider flexible home working options supported by hot desking and hybrid work patterns. Smaller office space, less parking requirements and greater flexibility for your staff and your business.
- In a lot of areas public transport is improving. Reduce pressure on your parking availability by promoting and publishing up to date timetables and routes into work. Set up a car share. Just ask Peter Kay how popular this can be!
- Route planning and tracking of vehicles gives you actual usage figures to help calculate carbon usage to establish and challenge KPIs.
Pollution prevention
- Maintain checks on air conditioning and consider fire and flood prevention.
- Check that you or your subcontractors that handle or store wastes or who conduct services that require them to remove items are following the required waste legislation. For example if a carpenter replaces your windows and takes the old frames away, then they will need a Waste Carriers Licence. You are responsible for your wastes until point of disposal, even if you are not handling those wastes yourself. This is your Duty of Care. Check www.gov.uk for more information.
CO2 Reduction
- Include holistic appraisals of projects incorporated CO2 modelling
- Consider CO2 offsetting actions
- Look for low carbon options where possible. Consider supply chain distances too as these affect the carbon footprint of your goods and services.
Waste Management
- Review your processes to eliminate wastes and identify where you can reuse items.
- Where possible, remove, reduce, reuse, recycle and recover in order of preference.
Purchasing
- Use local, Fairtrade or sustainably sourced products containing recycled content or support local suppliers
- Ensure fair and working practices are implemented throughout your supply chain and even your supply chain’s supply chain.
- Know what you are buying and its provenance. Your customers want to know this. If you are sourcing locally and sustainably, then tell them about it.
- Include flexible payment terms for smaller contractors. 60 or 90 days end of month could be a deal breaker for many, and may leave you in the lurch.
Staff Engagement
- Increase enthusiasm of the staff in general for embracing charitable and volunteering opportunities
- Create a symbiotic relationship between current KPI performance and keep them informed. Explain where you are heading and regularly report on the progress. Remember to celebrate your wins!
Community & Biodiversity
- Sponsor community events or local charities
- Provide work experience opportunities. There are funded placements available for 16-24 year olds through the Kickstart scheme.
- Manage green areas to encourage biodiversity of species by mowing less or sowing wildflower seeds.
- Put up bird boxes and feeding stations.
When integrated into an organisation’s DNA, sustainability and ESG management becomes the glue behind the power and cohesiveness of a modern and resilient business. More importantly, doing good can really be the catalyst to doing well.
As an interactive, online platform, YouTree tailors its courses and workshops to ensure businesses implement sustainable, ESG strategies. We provides packages to help staff understand where ESG fits into the larger risk management portfolio.
YouTree can helps businesses of all shapes and sizes change the mindset of their staff and help them feel connected as part of something bigger, where they can make a visible difference.
For more about my professional and personal coaching packages, get in touch today and book your no obligation, 15-minute coffee and connect session!
Can the moon light the way to business productivity?
10th May 2021 , in Business, Society
The moon has played a huge part in our ancient culture, from tracking tides, predicting agricultural rhythms and even explaining human emotions and actions. However, as society has progressed with a steady series of industrial and digital revolutions, we have forgotten ancient practices and no longer look to the moon for guidance; most of us certainly don’t make plans according to lunar cycles. While we, as human beings, have not changed since the days of looking to the celestial skies, the way we work and plan our businesses have drastically changed because our needs and desires have altered so much. But, whether in business or just in our day-to-day lives, could a fusion of ancestral beliefs and modern working practices actually hold the key to success?
While aligning our businesses and the way we work might take practice, looking at a lunar calendar to see what phase the month is in, is a great place to begin. This is because our energy levels rise and fall with the phases of the moon meaning there really are optimum times for planning, organising, writing proposals, de-cluttering spaces and closing deals.
So, if you run your own business then here is a brief guide as to what you might want to do for your business dependant on the moon.
New Moon
All about fresh starts and new beginnings, the new moon is a great time to set goals and research new projects. It might be a great time to plan with your team and brainstorm ideas for your business. Vision boards are a particularly creative and useful way to harness the potential of your business.
The Waxing Crescent Moon
Falling 3-4 days after the new moon, this is now the time to plan how you will act on the goals and intentions you had during the new moon phase. It’s also a great time to update your services and schedule meetings too.
The First Quarter Moon
Planning is over – now is the time to act! The moon is growing, and you can use this momentum to grow your intentions too. Your energy levels will also be higher meaning action is easier too. A good way to stay focused is to write down your intentions and journal how you are feeling about your plans!
The Waxing Gibbous Moon
With the moon now nearly full, you will start to feel a burst of extra energy just in time to finalise and deliver your projects. Plans will all start to fall into place and you will truly feel energised and engaged with what you are doing.
The Full Moon
This happens when the moon and the sun are at opposite ends of the earth and the entire moon is illuminated. This is the best time to reap the benefits and harvest the fruits of your labour. If you haven’t yet completed your goal, then the full moon is a good time to re-evaluate what it is you want, fine tune plans and keep moving forwards.
The Waning Gibbous Moon
Now starting to recede, the waning gibbous moon is the best time to show gratitude for what you have achieved or hope to accomplish. This is also an optimum time to practice self-care and nourish yourself. After all, how can you run your business if you’re not performing at your best?
The Third-Quarter Moon
Now just half illuminated, it’s time to rest and recover. With reduced energy levels, this might be a good time to de-clutter and get rid of products or services you no longer need to offer or that don’t work for you any longer.
The Waning Crescent Moon
We’ve nearly come full cycle and so it’s time to rest! After all, how would you be able to start the process all over again without a break? Therefore, it’s the perfect time to evaluate how things went and if you were happy with your plans over the previous weeks.
Being aware of the moon phases and working to them won’t transform your business overnight however, you can optimise your processes and projects, which will make success easier to achieve with less struggle and hopefully less overwhelm. Let’s create some natural momentum!
For more about my professional and personal coaching packages, feel free to get in touch today and book your no obligation, 15-minute coffee and connect session!
Shine a light on your sustainable changes
4th May 2021 , in Business, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethics, Sustainability
Sustainability is about making decisions that will meet your needs without compromising those of future generations. Those decisions can be personal, or business related and in the case of this blog, I’m going to be talking about business decisions and how you should not shy away from shouting about positive contributions you are making.
Areas of sustainability
As you might be aware of by now, there are three pillars of sustainability which we should be aware of to ensure we know how to make small but effective changes:
-
Planet (environmental)
-
People (social)
-
Profits (economic)
I’ve said, ‘small but effective changes’, as one of the most common phrases I hear when discussing sustainability with individuals, is, “but what difference can I possibly make, I’m just one person?”
To that, I say all revolutions and movements begin with a single thought or an ideal, often had by one person and then shared by many. So, imagine if more of us forgot the notion of being a single entity or just one small business, and remembered we were part of an entire species that can enact positive change if we choose.
How can my business make sustainable changes?
As human beings, and especially as business owners, we tend to follow best practice to enhance processes in our businesses and meet the needs of our team. We look at how we could invest our money ethically and ensure our supply chains are treating people fairly.
If you as a business owner saw something a rival company was doing that had a positive impact on the planet, on people or on profits, would you feel the need to do the same?
I would guess the answer is ‘yes’ and here’s why…
…to be good, it’s better to do good.
So, if your business has already made sustainable changes, no matter how small, then it’s time you shone a light on what exactly it is you are doing.
Lead by example and show your peers exactly how they could do better and therefore be better. It’s time to contribute sustainably to the world in which we all live and which one day, we will leave behind.
Make sure there is enough for everyone.
My business has made numerous changes already and I want to inspire others!
If your business, like many others out there has already made numerous sustainable changes, then you are leading the way. You must shine a light on what you are doing to allow other businesses to follow suit.
Here are some tips on how you can do that!
- Ensure you state on your website that you work to sustainable practices and even list what these are
- Put messages on your work vehicles if you use renewable energy or implement other sustainable and ethical practices. It’s free advertising and also helps paint a great picture of your company.
- Let people know on the bottom of your email what changes you have implemented. Who knows who you could inspire – you don’t always need to get your message in front of the CEO for other businesses to be inspired.
- Make sure your staff know what measures are in place – but no need to do this through a newsletter, posters or emails, simply create screen savers. That way they will be reminder every time they take a break and come back from lunch!
- Ensure you post on social media about the good you are doing, the charities you support or the people your business is helping. If no one knows you are doing ‘good’, how will they be inspired to follow your lead?
- If you are using less packaging, why not actually state this on your packaging and let customers know where it has come from or if it is recycled?
I want to do good but where else can I start?
Here are just a few ways you could improve sustainability in your business:
- Looking at ways your employees could work from home or on a rota basis so you can downsize into smaller offices – Flexibility is the key for happier staff too.
- Minimise waste – identify and eliminate sources of waste, promoting recycling or aftermarket and avoiding landfill, enabling circular economy.
- Sponsor local sports teams – help with their kit or equipment. Great advertising opportunity too!
- Sponsor a charity and don’t be afraid to shout about it! Having a social conscience is nothing to be quiet about.
- Encourage your staff to do volunteer hours in the community.
- Share environmental and sustainability policies with suppliers and customers
- Avoid plastic – evaluate use of materials and consider total environmental burden, sourcing portfolio redesign for minimum total impact.
- Take the stairs, cycle to work or encourage car-pooling
- Switch to green energy where possible
- Buy in bulk – reduce the number of orders required by buying more to save in the future. If you are a small business, can you unite with another, similar business to help reduce waste?
- If your business invests, can you invest in ESG funds?
- Collaborate with other businesses – can you use their waste product or offer them yours? After all, one business’s waste is another’s raw material.
- Buy Fairtrade produce for the staffroom such as coffee, sugar, tea, milk and even biscuits!
- Hold a ‘Fruit Friday’ once a month where you treat your staff to healthy treats
- Source renewable energy
- Have an electric car charging point at work (government grants are available)
- Ask any cleaning staff you have to use natural products over disinfectants and reusable cloths
We are all personally responsible for taking steps towards sustainability. We shouldn’t be coerced or forced into it – after all, any positive changes we make now will positively impact and directly affect the lives of our children’s children.
Whether we see the impact or not, one positive change can make ripples far beyond what we imagine.
For more about my professional and personal coaching packages, feel free to get in touch today and book your no obligation, 15-minute coffee and connect session!
Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace
16th April 2021 , in Business, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethics, Society, Sustainability, YouTree
Healthy minds are just as important as healthy bodies
April marks Stress Awareness Month and there’s no denying that we’re getting better as a nation at discussing our mental health and wellbeing. However, we’ve still got a long way to go. In fact, according to the Mental Health Foundation, 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year, they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. This comes following nearly a year of working from home for many of us – so what will happen when we return to offices and places of work?
The fantastic news is that a new standard, the first of its kind, is currently being finalised to giving practical guidance on managing psychological health in the workplace.
What is ISO45003?
The ISO45003 builds upon ISO45001, which is the international standard for health and safety at work introduced in 2018. The ISO45001 was designed to prevent work-related injuries and provide healthier working environments at a more physical level.
However, the new ISO 45003, due to be published later this year, will provide help in identifying the conditions, circumstances and workplace demands that could potentially have a detrimental impact on employees’ psychological health and wellbeing. In fact, the new set of standards defines a psychologically healthy and safe workplace, as one that ‘promotes workers’ psychological wellbeing and actively works to prevent harm to psychological health.’
How can it help my business and my employees?
While of course the main concern and focus is employee health, particularly at a time when how we work is being increasingly viewed through a mental health lens, there are actually numerous benefits for the employer, should they choose to implement ISO45003. Measures they introduce should also benefit any employees working from home and not just those in the workplace.
It is universally acknowledged that happy and healthy staff not only perform better, but they will also help improve the performance of a business overall. Therefore, undertaking an ISO45003 audit when the standards are finalised in the coming months, could be of great importance and benefit to organisations up and down the country if mental health and wellbeing is high on their agendas.
However, to achieve accreditation, line managers do not need to have a degree in psychology. The ISO45003 is more about the preventative measures a company takes to help create a positive environment in which mental health and wellbeing is taken into account. This will ensure psychological issues or pressures such as stress and anxiety, do not arise in the first place.
The standards should also help reduce the stigma that still envelops the world of mental health; it’s time to break down those barriers and organisations who look to implement ISO45003 will do just that.
In fact, firms already undergoing implementation of ISO45001 only need to apply some elements of the new ISO45003 to achieve it. Good mental health, happy and content employees and teams who feel valued are all parts of the wider sustainability picture and one that all employers should aspire to.
What courses are available to help us now?
YouTree provides interactive e-learning packages, with targeted content for businesses wishing to improve sustainability and mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. YouTree particularly suits organisations who wish to build resilience and engage their staff in greater awareness of sustainability issues. It provides busy HSEQ/Sustainability/HR Managers with a cost-effective tool to support workforce resilience whilst empowering staff to create positive change through making choices and taking sustainability actions.
For more information about how YouTree can help your business, please learn more about the power of sustainability from our founder, Philippa Stanley.
If you would like to learn more about the professional and personal coaching package on offer, get in touch today and book your no obligation, 15-minute coffee and connect session!