ROOT
Employees and employers are misaligned on sustainability agenda
Employees have a lot to offer the sustainability and other ESG agendas of businesses, if only employers could see it.
Employees and employers are misaligned on sustainability agenda
Employees have a lot to offer the sustainability and other ESG agendas of businesses, if only employers could see it.
As the conversation around ESG within businesses grows louder, researchers have suggested that worker buy-in may be the missing piece of the puzzle.
New research by JLL Asia Pacific has suggested that half of surveyed employees were willing to contribute to their businesses sustainability agenda, but that a majority of employees in the APAC region were unaware of their employer’s carbon reduction goals.
According to the research, “workers care about climate change not only at a personal level, but they want to feel that their employers are aligned with their own values and are driven by purpose”.
Even if they’re typically uninvolved, employees are keeping score on the ESG commitments of their current or prospective employers.
Despite this, JLL Asia Pacific found that employers across the Asia-Pacific region struggled to align their ESG commitments with their workforce.
Sixty-five per cent of surveyed employees stated that they were unaware of their companies’ carbon reduction goals, while 60 per cent said that they weren’t involved at all.
The report framed this as a missed opportunity, noting that “being part of a company’s sustainability efforts can be a source of pride for individuals and it can provide an opportunity for alignment between both the values held by the corporates and those of their staff.”
Although it admitted that involving workers in sustainability initiatives in a meaningful way is easier said than done, the report argued that doing so is crucial for businesses that want to take their sustainability strategies to the next level.
In terms of implementing this, JLL Asia Pacific emphasised the importance of three things: making it easy for employees to engage in sustainability activities, providing time and funding for employee-led initiatives, and working to re-engage employees over the long term.
“Ensuring regular and ongoing interactions, idea sharing and reinforcing their value in the company’s sustainability journey will keep employee engagement intact,” the report argued.
JLL Asia Pacific recommended businesses with an ESG agenda consider the interdependent relationship between human capital and sustainability.
“Engaging employees in greening your business by showing them how they can make a contribution, and giving them the tools to make sustainability a part of their own lives will turn them into more satisfied workers and great ambassadors,” the report concluded.
RELATED ARTICLES
About the author
About the author
Earn
Unlocking success: How tiny habits can make or break your career trajectory
Career plateaus rarely begin with a market shock; they start with tiny, repeated choices—avoiding change, outsourcing the hard calls, neglecting pipeline hygiene. In a market where distribution, data ...Read more
Earn
Unlock your potential by transforming hidden habits into success
Self-sabotage isn’t a character flaw — it’s an operating model failure. As pressure, complexity and AI-driven change intensify, the cost of avoidable behaviours (avoidance, over-delegation, context ...Read more
Earn
Australian labour market shows signs of strain amid global economic shifts
In the latest economic data release, Australia's labour market is exhibiting signs of strain, despite maintaining a relatively low unemployment rate. According to Krishna Bhimavarapu, APAC Economist ...Read more
Earn
Australia’s entrepreneur boom: August 2025 breaks records with over 100,000 new ABNs
Australia is witnessing an unprecedented surge in entrepreneurship, with the latest figures revealing a record-breaking number of new business registrations in August 2025. According to the newly ...Read more
Earn
Beyond the cash rate: How affordability reshaped Australia’s property playbook in 2025
Australian buyers are less fixated on interest rates and more constrained by affordability, a pivot that is quietly rewriting strategies for banks, developers and institutional investorsRead more
Earn
Australia’s rate cut revealed: What it means for property, profits and the months ahead
The RBA’s 25-basis-point cut to 3.6% extends the easing cycle and resets the calculus for households, lenders and property operators. Expect a faster spring selling season and a sharper rate war, but ...Read more
Earn
Beyond the sticker price: decoding a property’s real value in a volatile market
As prices in several Australian cities keep defying slower growth and higher rates, the question isn’t what a property costs—it’s what it’s truly worth. Value today is a stack: cash flows, replacement ...Read more
Earn
Cohorts, credits and competition: decoding Australia’s retirement reform consultation
Can a $3.9 trillion super system finally crack the ‘last mile’ of retirement? Canberra’s consultation on cohort-based retirement solutions aims to move beyond accumulation-era thinking, with ...Read more
Earn
Unlocking success: How tiny habits can make or break your career trajectory
Career plateaus rarely begin with a market shock; they start with tiny, repeated choices—avoiding change, outsourcing the hard calls, neglecting pipeline hygiene. In a market where distribution, data ...Read more
Earn
Unlock your potential by transforming hidden habits into success
Self-sabotage isn’t a character flaw — it’s an operating model failure. As pressure, complexity and AI-driven change intensify, the cost of avoidable behaviours (avoidance, over-delegation, context ...Read more
Earn
Australian labour market shows signs of strain amid global economic shifts
In the latest economic data release, Australia's labour market is exhibiting signs of strain, despite maintaining a relatively low unemployment rate. According to Krishna Bhimavarapu, APAC Economist ...Read more
Earn
Australia’s entrepreneur boom: August 2025 breaks records with over 100,000 new ABNs
Australia is witnessing an unprecedented surge in entrepreneurship, with the latest figures revealing a record-breaking number of new business registrations in August 2025. According to the newly ...Read more
Earn
Beyond the cash rate: How affordability reshaped Australia’s property playbook in 2025
Australian buyers are less fixated on interest rates and more constrained by affordability, a pivot that is quietly rewriting strategies for banks, developers and institutional investorsRead more
Earn
Australia’s rate cut revealed: What it means for property, profits and the months ahead
The RBA’s 25-basis-point cut to 3.6% extends the easing cycle and resets the calculus for households, lenders and property operators. Expect a faster spring selling season and a sharper rate war, but ...Read more
Earn
Beyond the sticker price: decoding a property’s real value in a volatile market
As prices in several Australian cities keep defying slower growth and higher rates, the question isn’t what a property costs—it’s what it’s truly worth. Value today is a stack: cash flows, replacement ...Read more
Earn
Cohorts, credits and competition: decoding Australia’s retirement reform consultation
Can a $3.9 trillion super system finally crack the ‘last mile’ of retirement? Canberra’s consultation on cohort-based retirement solutions aims to move beyond accumulation-era thinking, with ...Read more
