Areas of Operation: Human Resources
Alongside organisational and administrative tasks, this department is involved in strategic activities increasing individual employee's work satisfaction and performance. A further connection to corporate biodiversity management can be found in health and work safety issues. For example, by reducing the amount of hazardous materials in a workplace, the danger of their release is also minimised.
The most important instruments for this area of operation revolve around trainings and further education possibilities in biodiversity. Corporate volunteering and corresponding employee suggestion systems can also play a key role in the corporate biodiversity management in this field.
Fields of action
Fields of action in can be identified and set by analysing where a company’s activities have a either direct or indirect influence on biodiversity. The spatial relation to biological diversity is intuitively connected to the sites and facilities field of action. Corporate activities influence biodiversity in other ways though as well.
Sites and Facilities
Approaches:
Employee identification with location
Goals:
Increase employee motivation through design of buildings and premises Elimination of allergy causing alien species (for example, ragweed)
Product Design
Approaches:
Employee identification with product
Goals:
Greater employee motivation through employee identification with production
Personnel
Approaches:
Development of employee incentive systems
Goals:
Enhanced reputation and motivation through employee volunteering
Best Practice Examples: UPM-Kymmene – Biodiversity training
In order to conserve and increase biological diversity in the company’s own forests, this Finnish forestry company has developed a global biodiversity programme. This programme involves training for all woodcutters and forest managers, focusing on what makes a habitat valuable, how it can be protected and how this can take place as part of a sustainable forestry management programme.
Best Practice Examples: TUI – Environment-related training for tourism managers
A continual education topic at TUI is the “Environment”. With a permanent employee training program, the TUI tourism managers receive training about environmental and species protection activities at the company.
Supply chains, commodities and materials
Approaches:
Avoidance of allergy-causing materials
Goals:
Reduction of accident risks through the minimisation of hazardous materials
Additional information about Supply chains, commodities and materials
Production and manufacturing processes
Approaches:
Health and safety in the workplace
Goals:
Sensitising employees for reducing material use
Additional information about Production and manufacturing processes
Transport and Logistics
Approaches:
Health and safety in the workplace
Goals:
Lowering personnel costs and brain drain through better employee involvement
