Globalisation, demographic changes in the workforce, environmental and social issues all form part of the challenging context organisations are forced to operate in today. Navigating a way through can prove difficult.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has produced a collection of thought pieces: Responsibility and Sustainable Business: HR leading the way, which explore the business case for adopting a responsible and sustainable approach to business. The thought pieces expose five key themes through a mix of viewpoints from a variety of experts at leading organisations such as Unipart Group, NYSE Euronext, Plymouth University, and Toyota (GB) Plc, among others. The themes look at the role of HR in driving and embedding corporate responsibility (CR) values and behaviours throughout the organisation, including: The global business case for responsible and sustainable business; Employer brand and changing values; Tailoring a responsible organisational strategy; HR’s role in embedding a responsible and sustainable culture and Sustainability: a challenge or an opportunity?

Catrin Ballinger, Research Associate, CIPD, says: “We believe HR has a pivotal role to play in embedding a responsible and sustainable mindset within the organisation, engaging employees at all levels so they understand the shift in thinking and how it affects what they do in their day-to-day jobs. HR’s skill set and overarching view of the organisation means they are well placed to identify and challenge any business decisions that go against the organisation’s values or will have a negative impact on its stakeholders, as well as the future health of the business.”