HR leads by example with the 平特五不中 Sustainable Workplace Certification program
Department-wide sustainability objective encourages accessible, equitable, and environmentally conscious decision making.
平特五不中 Human Resources (HR) is walking the walk, reaffirming their commitment to sustainability with the Sustainable Workplace Certification program.
The seven Centres of Expertise that make up 平特五不中鈥檚聽central HR聽鈥� the Office of the Associate Vice-Principal, Organizational Development, Total Compensation, Pensions and Benefits, Labour and Employee Relations, Staffing, and HR Information Services 鈥� have all achieved Bronze-level Sustainable Workplace Certification, becoming 平特五不中鈥檚 first unit to achieve department-wide certification.
鈥溒教匚宀恢� as an institution and a community strongly values and invests in sustainability. We are an organization oriented towards the future, by nature through the University鈥檚 research and teaching mission, and by choice and intention as an employer,鈥� says Associate Vice-Principal, Human Resources, Diana Dutton.
鈥淚t is important to me and to my colleagues here in central HR to apply those positive values throughout what we do, in concrete ways,鈥� Dutton says. Building on this momentum, all seven teams are now working toward Silver-level certification.
Pichara Chhe, Sustainable Workplace Ambassador for the Total Compensation team, says that 鈥渟ince the process was done by units across the department, it was great to connect with other teams and see what initiatives they were working on.鈥�
鈥淚t was also nice to have a common goal that was outside of the usual scope of HR. And since each unit was responsible for their certification, a little bit of friendly competition was nice,鈥� she says.
Labour Relations鈥� Sustainable Workplace Ambassador, Melanie MacArthur, echoes the sentiment. 鈥淥ur team wanted to do our part to contribute to the greater good,鈥� she says. 鈥淪mall daily ecological gestures can have a large impact.鈥�
Taking it step by step
罢丑别听Sustainable Workplace Certification, which has certified 52 teams across the University since its creation in 2017, encourages participating teams to start small as they work to embed sustainable habits into their daily lives. For most, it makes one thing clear: they鈥檝e already started on their sustainability journey without realizing it.
鈥淥ur team was already practicing most of the actions [in the Bronze-level checklist], and working remotely has helped us be more sustainable,鈥� says Pina Iannazzo, Ambassador for Shared Services (HR Information Services). She cited 鈥渓ess printing, reusing dishes and cutlery, [and] taking care of our health during the pandemic鈥� as examples.
聽and Genevi猫ve Leroux, of the Pensions and Benefits Centre of Expertise, agree. 鈥淢ost of our work has now moved to being completely paperless and even being back in person, we will never go back to the old way of doing things,鈥� they say.
Other ways that HR colleagues said they鈥檝e incorporated more sustainable habits into their daily lives include聽聽to plant trees with each search, purchasing refillable whiteboard markers, bringing items to聽, and completing the聽.
Growing the movement
The impacts of sustainable habits adopted through the certification don鈥檛 stop at the Roddick Gates.
As a result of seeking certification, Staffing鈥檚 Sustainable Workplace Ambassador Alessandra Cunzo says her teammates 鈥渇eel great that they are making a difference, however big or small.鈥�
Ambassador Christine Khatchadourian says the HR Information Services team is 鈥渟upportive about the changes we鈥檝e implemented as a result of the certification.鈥�
As teams work their way through the varying levels of certification, they are encouraged to move beyond personal actions and think about what influence they have on the systems around them to inspire greater change. Examples of such actions include embedding sustainability-related objectives into Performance Dialogues, including sustainability in the onboarding process, and ensuring succession planning for the Sustainability Workplace Certification.
鈥淲e found that as individuals it can be overwhelming to reflect on what impact we can have to address the climate crisis,鈥� says Organizational Development鈥檚 Ross McDonald. 鈥淭he framework that was provided by 平特五不中鈥檚 Office of Sustainability for the Sustainable Workplace Certification was helpful because it broke it down into manageable steps and helped us to understand how our changes were part of a larger systematic change at the University and beyond.鈥�
鈥淕oing for the Bronze-level Sustainable Workplace Certification has been a rewarding project that has allowed our team the opportunity to affirm our commitment to sustainability at 平特五不中 and at home,鈥� says AVP HR Ambassador Sima Dantzigian. 鈥淲e have demonstrated how easy it can be to choose sustainable options, practice self-care and promote health and wellbeing even during the most challenging times.鈥�
To learn more about the Sustainable Workplace Certification program and get started,聽visit the Sustainable Workplace Certification website.
Photo caption:聽The Sustainable Workplace Ambassadors for HR include (top row, from left) Christine Khatchadourian, Alessandra Cunzo, and Pichara Chhe, as well as (bottom, from left) Genevieve Leroux, Ross McDonald, Sima Dantzigian, and Melanie MacArthur. Photo by聽Yannick Rouleau.
