Social sustainability is a broad concept. It is required that a company is socially sustainable on several different levels in order to be able to consider the company as socially sustainable. A socially sustainable company is about working for everything from equality and diversity to counteracting discrimination, complying with the Work Environment and Discrimination Act to ensuring that the activities you conduct have a socially sustainable purpose. The entire organization from business concept to personnel activities must focus on social sustainability.

It is possible to work for social sustainability in several different ways. A clear equality plan with goals, expected effects, activities, responsibilities, and follow-up is an important part. Ensure that the equality plan is based on all seven grounds of discrimination with a focus on 5–10 areas, including recruitment and working conditions. It is important that you have policies for, among other things, equality as well as abusive discrimination and sexual harassment, a whistleblower system, and codes of conduct.

Another important component in social sustainability work is how companies create offices that make it easy to connect. Many of us actually go to work to feel connected with others, and we therefore need offices that focus on the social interactions. We need an office that makes it easy to be creative, an office that makes it easy to laugh at job satisfaction and we need an office that makes it easy to ask for help. In short, the office is needed that makes it easy to include. With an open office climate, you can easily share ideas and thoughts, but you can also have fun and help each other, and in this way we include and take advantage of each other's differences.

Inclusion occurs when people see and listen to each other. We include when we make use of each other's differences and make each other involved, and all this is easier if the company has an office that is made for openness, both physically and socially. In order to achieve an equal organization and value competence and perspective, inclusion is required. An inclusive organization is needed to benefit from diversity, an inclusive organization is needed to combat discrimination and an inclusive organization is needed to create an open and creative climate. Diversity and inclusion increase the efficiency, problem-solving ability, productivity and willingness to cooperate in an organization. See the importance of community, the importance of inclusion and the importance of diversity permeating the organization, because where everyone thinks equally, not much is thought. Make sure you have an office that makes it easy to include.

In addition to the above reasoning, we want to share tips for becoming a more socially sustainable company.

1. Be the first to greet all your colleagues!
2. Assume that all genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, etc. is in a room, for example at a meeting. It can affect the way you talk.
3. Inclusion starts with ME. What do I do to include other people?
4. Think about whether there is always someone who talks the most at meetings, and does not let others speak?
5. Give more praise. If we are not to praise each other for doing what needs to be done, then in sports we should not praise each other for a good pass or a goal, because they only do what needs to be done.
6. Believe that people want to do a good job and look at ability instead of stereotypical ideas about how a person is.
7. Learn the grounds for discrimination.
8. Realize that we all have hidden prejudices, it is difficult to be included without that insight. There is less risk that your prejudices will negatively affect your behavior if you are aware of them.
9. Keep in mind that inclusion needs to permeate every decision made in an organization in order for the organization to be able to increase equality.
10. You do not have to wait for the whole organization - start with colleagues in your vicinity!

 

Do not forget: An organizational culture is not in the walls, it is in the people.

We at Götesson's Design Group are passionate about creative and ergonomic workplaces where well-being is in focus.
We hope this article has helped you contribute to a sustainable working day.

Want to know more about how to work with social sustainability issues?
Contact Caroline Hulander, caroline.hulander@gotessons.se