Contrary to popular belief, while a company is seen as its own entity, it is the sum of its talents. It is made up of men and women who actively contribute to shaping and concretising a common vision. It is therefore essential to reconsider the notion of “talent”. This means looking beyond mere technical skills to find individuals with a strong ethical conscience and sense of responsibility, thus attracting change-makers.
Rallying around a shared vision
The success of a sustainable company depends on its ability to rally people around a shared vision. It is lived out through its employees, guiding the company's decisions and creating a strong employer brand. Through its Meaningful Change philosophy, Rogers posits its intention to drive significant positive change. This guiding principle lies at the core of the group's corporate policy, with the goal of shaping a better future.
The role of sustainable development
Sustainability is one of the major challenges companies face. It gives them an opportunity to rethink longterm objectives and focus on enabling the company’s sustainable growth and, with it, the growth of its talents and the community. According to Head of People Experience at Rogers, Martine Tseung, employee engagement begins with understanding the importance of moving forward together. “Communication should focus on the ‘why’ of our vision and the impact of our actions on our surroundings, colleagues, family, neighbours, as well as our country and the planet,” she explains.
Soft skills, the new recruitment benchmark
For companies, the sustainability era implies redefining talent and, rather than limiting it to technical skills, broadening its scope to encompass ethical conscience and responsibility. The challenge is twofold: the company must maintain smooth-running activities while transitioning to a new, more sustainable growth model. In this endeavour, management and human resources are key in raising awareness, training, and attracting employees aligned with the company's vision and values. To find the perfect fit, the most valued behavioural skills are adaptability, open-mindedness, a willingness to learn, teamwork, and autonomy.
Expectations are also evolving from the employees’ perspective. Today, they want to work for a company with a positive impact and take pride in undertaking meaningful missions while operating in a pleasant environment. A company's reputation is no longer measured solely by its financial performance but also by its environmental and social impacts and good governance. This commitment actively contributes to a company's success and is reflected in a sense of belonging and a desire to take action.
Sustainable commitment driven by the ability to act daily
Engagement gives way to strong involvement in the company, talent retention, and knowledge. Turning each employee into an agent of change requires providing them with the opportunity and the desire to act. Several ideas can be explored to this end:
• Training Raise awareness and train your teams to ensure that they embrace the company's vision and turn it into action. Allow them to develop their understanding and skills to identify opportunities and take action.
• Bringing value Offer a work environment that leaves room for personal development and encourages speaking up, innovation, and taking initiative. Create an environment where involvement is recognised. “At Rogers, we train People Managers to listen to their teams and guide them throughout their journey. We encourage employees to submit new ideas and become active change-makers,” Martine Tseung shares.
• Collaborating Create a collaborative work environment with a common goal. Enable each employee to trust their own abilities and those of others. Encourage mutual support and build bridges between the various talents and skills among departments.
• Measuring and communicating Set clear objectives with defined steps. Provide precise guidelines and allocate responsibilities and leeway for each person. Conduct regular assessments, measure actions, and communicate efficiently. Since 2020, Rogers has made its sustainability report accessible to all.
Sustainability and engagement: two closely linked concepts
Sustainability and engagement are now complementary in business development strategies, and what appeared to be constraining in the short term is turning out to be a source of value creation: rethinking operational modes, promoting a circular economy and sustainable growth, investing in human capital, empowering community well-being, and managing socio-environmental risks.
