How to effectively communicate your ESG strategy.
ESG is increasingly high on the agenda for all businesses as they look to demonstrate more socially minded and ethical practices.
The long-term success of a company is now far more intrinsically linked with strong ESG practice than ever before; however, this framework needs to be implemented and rooted across the whole organisation to reap the full benefits.
All industries are recognising that implementing ESG strategy is essential; employees, clients, and other stakeholders expect ESG to be a priority. Increasing awareness and regulation are key driving factors for this shift in focus to more responsible practice. However, developing a strong ESG framework is an exciting business opportunity, and poses many benefits for those wishing to demonstrate a commitment to ESG.
The Importance of organisation-wide uptake
It’s all very well having the decision-makers commit to a robust ESG framework, but what good is it when it is not utilised across the whole organisation. A well-executed strategy must allow for all individuals at the organisation to understand their role, and also encourage them to support the organisation-wide ESG ambitions. This is where effective and clear internal communications are vital, without this many will be lost in the dark and the ESG framework will, unfortunately, be just a meaningless statement. Alignment is vital to most successful business strategies; this is no different when executing an ESG strategy. The organisation as a whole must be empowered to work towards the same ESG goals.
How to communicate ESG strategy
The process required to integrate the ESG framework needs both a top-down and bottom-up strategy. The influence of leaders and decision-makers to demonstrate the importance of complying is significant to empower all team members must be empowered to follow suit by championing the strategy. However, all must take their own responsibility and must adhere to any directions given.
Achieving this desired alignment throughout the organisation is when things get a bit trickier, and is why some fail to execute a proper organisation-wide ESG framework. Internal communication is the most effective way to create the necessary alignment, but this relies on your organisation having a system capable of effectively directing all those relevant and articulating a clear vision. Your organisation must be able to reach all relevant teams directly in regards to ESG goals, and in a clear manner, otherwise, your ESG strategy may be blurred or lost down the chain of decision-makers.
The ESG policy must be supported by consistent internal communication across the whole organisation. As part of this, you must ensure that the ESG policy is integrated into the organisation's values, purpose, and goals. This ESG direction can be communicated and executed through KPIs, training, measuring, and reporting on the uptake, incentive-based compliance, and updates on results. The more extensive the ESG communication is, the better the uptake will be. Intranet pages are a very effective way to communicate all of the above parameters, and more generally the ESG strategy and any changes which may occur. Having all ESG based communication in one place streamlines the whole process, making it far easier to align the organisation. This also makes monitoring far easier.
Ultimately, no policy, whether it is ESG related or not, can succeed without organisational alignment and comprehensive communication. If you are looking to implement an ESG strategy, or to gain more substance on your current strategy, your internal communication must also be up to the task. NDP has developed a one-stop shop for all ESG communication and content, making this new age of ESG prominence that much easier for you to take advantage of
