What is Sustainable Employment and Why it Matters?

There are many different definitions for sustainable employment, but at its core, sustainable employment is best defined as the extent to which workers are both able and willing to remain working now and into the future. Or, as one person put it, sustainable employment means keeping employees healthy, engaged, and committed at all stages of employment.

How to Create a Sustainable Employment Environment

Here are three great ways employers are building sustainable employment environments and shaping workers who are able and willing to remain working now and into the future.

1. Investing in Holistic Health Programs

Working is not easy. From long hours to high stress, the demands placed on the modern workforce can take a significant toll on one’s physical, emotional, and mental health.

Savvy employers are taking notice of these issues and providing benefit programs to help alleviate stress and improve morale. Some of these benefit programs range from on-site counseling and rest areas to lifestyle saving accounts that make it easier and more affordable for employees to engage in activities they love.

2. Promoting Flexible Work Hours

Employees are sick of the Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 grind.  Modern employees crave flexibility not only in where they work, but also when they work.  Some want to start earlier in the day so they can spend time with their kids in the evenings. Others are willing to work longer hours to have an extra day off each week.

Basically, flexible work environments allow employees to adjust their hours so they have time to spend on what matters most to them.

3. Supporting Continued Education

Remember, truly sustainable employment creates a workforce that is both able and willing to remain working.

The modern economy is changing. Emerging technologies and industries require new skills.  If older employees unfamiliar with such technologies have any hope of remaining relevant, they will need to learn and adapt.

To accomplish this, employers are providing in-office classes and tuition reimbursement so that their workers can become familiar with these new trends and implement them at work.

Why Sustainable Employment Matters

It should not be too hard to imagine why sustainable employment matters, but here are two major issues that can arise when employees are unhealthy, unengaged, or uncommitted to their work.

1. Employee Turnover 

One of the biggest consequences of unsustainable employment is high employee turnover.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual turnover rate is 57 percent across all industries.  And it is estimated that losing an employee can cost a company 1.5 to 2 times the employee’s salary.  If a company’s employees are burnt out or unhappy in their current work environment, they will leave. We have seen lately how employees are not afraid to resign and leave a workplace that is not offering them what they need.

2. Decreased Productivity

Burnt-out employees sometimes do not quit but engage in what is called quiet quitting, which is when employees do the bare minimum at work.

Unsustainable employment leads to unproductive employees. And unproductive employees are a significant detriment to a company’s ability to remain profitable and grow.