From a narrow focus on leadership accountability and individual physiological data points, to broader metrics around livelihood, happiness and the introduction of a national brain capital index, here is what the first eight interviewees had to say:
1. Board remuneration linked to sustainability: It's crucial to establish clear metrics that tie a significant portion of board members' compensation and bonuses to achieving ESG and sustainability targets. This aligns top-level incentives with broader sustainability goals, ensuring that leadership prioritises these issues.
2. Livelihood and global support: Tracking the effectiveness of initiatives that support basic livelihoods globally is essential. This involves assessing how well companies and societies are upholding the economic stability and wellbeing of individuals across different regions.
3. Social cohesion as a central measure: Social cohesion is identified as a comprehensive indicator covering intergenerational connections, community bonds, and social capital. This measure extends to the workplace, where fostering communication, participation, engagement, and upskilling of managers is seen as vital. Social cohesion is portrayed as a pivotal factor in how societies function and succeed.
4. Physiological measures: Heart rate variability (HRV) and autonomic balance are suggested as indicators of individual wellness within an organisational context. These can reflect how stress and wellbeing are managed at an individual level, contributing to overall productivity.
5. Self-reported productivity: While not seen as the most reliable, self-reported assessments of productivity are still considered valuable. These measures can provide immediate insights into how employees perceive their own efficiency and wellbeing.
6. National brain capital index: There is a proposal to develop a national level index to measure and compare the brain capital of countries. This index would help guide and drive national investments in enhancing cognitive and mental capabilities, thus improving productivity and innovation.
7. Happiness as a key metric: Finally, happiness is highlighted as a crucial metric, as it directly influences creativity and performance. Monitoring happiness can offer deep insights into the overall health and sustainability of a workforce and society.
8. Air Quality Index: Being conscious of and understanding how you’re contributing towards air pollution (both indoor and outdoor) and how air pollution impacts your overall brain health and cognition is considered to be a yet to be fully appreciated key data point.
The recommended measures illustrate a shifting paradigm where sustainability and ESG transcends the conventional focus on environmental aspects (where the internal organisational human elements within the S are still relatively rare or narrow) to encompass also human-centered ones.
By aligning business operations with the wellbeing of individuals and the environment, companies can create a symbiotic relationship that fosters both economic success, organisational and societal health.
The implementation of these measures is not just a strategic move towards sustainable business practices, but also a commitment to the future of our planet and its people.
