4 ways environmental organizations can find and retain workers

The latest working group report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 to help stabilize the climate. But does a workforce exist with the dedication and diversity required to build effective responses? Some development leaders believe the present landscape has a hiring gap. There is “a clear matching problem” between university graduates and employers, said Aashna Aggarwal, the partnerships and development manager at Power for All, during the recent Solutions Summit. “There are people willing to hire, and there are highly qualified students looking for jobs. Yet there is this gap that prevails between the demand and the supply.” The digital event — put together by the green jobs initiative of the U.N. Environment Programme’s Youth and Education Alliance, the Green Growth Knowledge Platform’s Green Learning Network, and the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative — focused on how to solve this problem. Speakers shared four recommendations for environmental organizations looking to find and retain purpose-driven employees amid the climate crisis. Rethink traditional job requirements While academic performance will continue to be an important factor in hiring decisions, companies increasingly recognize that this is not the only measure of ability or potential. More organizations are screening candidates based on aptitude tests and recognizing softer skills, such as the ability to think flexibly and adapt to new situations. By broadening the scope of assessment to include a more diverse set of candidates, organizations can open up their talent pools and identify the best fit for each job. “You can't be what you can't see,” said Dana Compton, managing director and publisher at the American Society of Civil Engineers. “To attract girls and minority students into STEM, it's important that we intentionally create visibly inclusive environments so those who don't look like the majority feel they belong,” she added, referring to science, technology, engineering, and math. Greater representation in the workplace may also encourage more women and people from minority backgrounds to pursue higher education, simultaneously tackling the education gap. Know the value of an inclusive culture “[During] my first day on the job starting a renewable energies program at a community college, somebody said to me, ‘I don't think you can do this job because you are a girl,’” said Debra Rowe, the president of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development. Resignation rates have been high, and women have led the way. According to data from the payroll provider Gusto that represents U.S. workers across all sectors, the quit rate was at yearly high of 5% in August 2021. When broken down by gender, the rate was 5.5% among women and 4.4% for men. To push back against this disturbing trend, employers may need to think about what support services are available to their employees. “For some of these workers, they need help with transportation … emergency expenses … [and] child and family care, because oftentimes otherwise they're the ones who can't show up at work because they are taking care of the sick family member,” Rowe said. Create learning opportunities around climate It can be difficult for job seekers to know how to start their environmental careers and for educators to know how to best prepare students for these roles. Hosting events, such as digital forums or activities related to environmental campaigns, can provide valuable opportunities for them to ask questions and better understand what organizations are looking for. “Bring students, educators, employers, and hiring managers in the same room, and find ways to recognize these gaps,” Aggarwal said. Consider how diversity can breed innovation As the world faces increasingly complex environmental challenges, a diversity of both solutions and employees may be lacking. Embracing the idea that diversity breeds innovation may allow organizations to approach these issues in new and creative ways. “Communities are not one-size-fits-all, and so neither are the solutions to the challenges societies face,” Compton said. Companies could consider investing more in practices and technologies that promote diversity during the hiring process and at all levels of an organization.