MANILA, Philippines — Employees across Asia Pacific want greater representation in their companies’ sustainability initiatives, with the majority feeling disengaged from their employers’ environmental and social agenda, results of a study by real estate advisory firm JLL showed.
According to JLL, 65 percent are not aware of their companies’ carbon reduction goals and 60 percent said their companies do not involve them in green initiatives. In addition, 50 percent of employees expressed a desire to contribute to sustainability agendas to meet future carbon reduction targets, identifying real estate as a major catalyst for carbon reduction.
The findings were published in the JLL Asia Pacific “Sustainability in the built environment: An employee perspective” report, which surveyed 1,200 employees, aged between 21 and 45, across the region.
JLL analysis found that employees believe the built environment will be instrumental in supporting employee and employer sustainability expectations and goals across Asia Pacific. Approximately 70 percent of employees believe that offices can be highly impactful in reducing carbon emissions and 90 percent see residential buildings as a catalyst to enhance urban greenery.
“In their pursuit of sustainability, businesses in Asia Pacific must ensure that their corporate goals are closely aligned with the goals of their employees. What we’ve learned is that a gap exists between the expectations of employees and the actions of employers on sustainable initiatives across Asia Pacific. At JLL, our commitment to shaping the future of real estate for a better world aligns with our ability to use this actionable data and research to more effectively advise our clients on meeting the growing sustainability demands of employees,” said Anthony Couse, JLL CEO for Asia Pacific.
According to the report, seven in 10 employees believe that sustainability initiatives are a must for businesses today and 75 percent expect their companies to follow sustainable business practices, creating implications for talent attraction and retention. These expectations are a determining factor when choosing which company to work for – especially among younger employees. Half of those polled would choose a sustainability leader as their future employer when weighing up career opportunities. But 78 percent of employees aged 21 to 30 want to work for a company that actively involves employees in sustainability efforts, while 64 percent of respondents aged 31 to 40 share this view.
“Sustainability has always been at the forefront of our business agenda in the Philippines. Our journey towards a work set up that combines freedom and flexibility started ahead of the curve, and we have long acknowledged that our efforts need to be centered on engagement, emotional well-being, and mental health,” said Christophe Vicic, country head of JLL Philippines.
He adds, “From achieving WELL pre-certification for our Manila office this year to proactively offering sustainability solutions to our clients, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing a work environment that promotes productivity through hybrid work.”
With employees passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute, businesses can boost engagement by involving workers in their sustainability agenda, JLL said. Six in 10 employees believe that sustainability is a key factor for engaging the workforce – which means that business leaders must create opportunities for employees to participate in corporate sustainability efforts.