HR could be on the verge of becoming part of the “green elite” but it must act now if it is to avoid being “greenwashed” by marketing propaganda and lack of understanding.
Over the past 18 months the HR community has increasingly shown an interest in green issues and People Management (UK HR magazine) announced “HR Goes Green - an initiative to encourage HR and development practitioners to promote environmentally friendly practices at work.”
I'm not anti green but I am worried that it is increasingly becoming difficult to tell the difference between a genuinely green initiative and a product or service branded as green which is nothing of the sort.
Writing in BusinessWeek, Sue Rich claimed that:
“those brands that aggressively present an "eco" image as a way to capitalise on the green consumer movement without matching their practices to their pretence” were guilty of "Greenwashing"In HR’s role as the “corporate consciousness” I believe that HR has a duty not to simply bend to the green agenda but to make sure that CEOs are not greenwashed by political and public pressure where there is no science or reason behind them doing them so.
The toolkit is already exists in recruitment and selection, corporate communications, induction, flexible working, and reward and recognition practices. The green agenda is an important one, and HR initiatives can clearly be a force for good in helping organisations become part of the “Green Elite”.
3 comments:
Muellerian Mimicry...that's the biological term when two organisms exhibit similar patterns even though one is unrelated...I think that's what's happened with the Green movement...there are genuine Greens, people who care about the environment, and the Muellerian Greens, who care about appearances.
I've been in contact with Colin Bevan, No Impact Man. He's got it going on. Very cool stuff he's doing. And I think there's a place for more Green work...but as I said to him, it's a Yoda moment: Think not, do.
Cheers,
Frank Roche
http://www.knowhr.com/blog/
Hi McArthur, I'm with you that this should not go overboard. I had the privilege of working on a project with an engineer who helps fit buildings to meet green standards. The air in these buildings does seem much more fresh and having worked in a building at one point that literally made me feel weak and headachy by the end of the day, some of these changes are for the better - the legitimate ones, that is. Great post! Thanks for pointing me to it.
Hi Scott - interesting stuff. It's why I think in this area, as in many others, there needs to be good clear analysis of the issues. In the case of green thinking this is essential if government and business are to make the best decisions. It is certainly a complex area with, at least, a
mix of hard science in areas which are very difficult to model, commitment from activists and marketing/reputational issues for business.
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