Sustainability in Human Resources
Below is the Human Resources section of the 2021 Ohio University Sustainability & Climate Action Plan.
Comments and responses from public forums on the Sustainability & Climate Action Plan Human Resources section:
| Do the goals, metrics and targets in the this category of the draft 2021 OHIO Sustainability & Climate Action Plan seem appropriate to you? | Response |
| These metrics seem ill-suited for the goals outlined here, and the goals themselves appear unrealistic. I'm unsure how one would ever effectively measure such intentions with quantitative metrics, as human resources is by nature a more qualitative category included in this plan. Therefore, it demands qualitative measures, none of which are mentioned here. The goals are also too general to implement because they're trying to champion too many causes (i.e., they lack focus). | Excellent points, thank you. We agree this is a difficult category to track, especially qualitatively, and the broad/general approach taken in the plan is to link sustainability goals to overall HR goals and to track them through the quantitative metrics proposed. We appreciate this feedback and will share feedback with HR stakeholders. |
| Do the costs and benefits in this category of the draft 2021 OHIO Sustainability & Climate Action Plan seem appropriate for the goals? Please note that these cost/benefit criteria will be used to decide which strategies to pursue. | Response |
| Like the goals, the costs/benefits are too vague and need further defined/expanded. For example, couldn't human health be a benefit of goal 1 as well? What qualifies as "human health"? | Thanks for your comments. The costs/benefits are difficult to determine and are intentionally general as we continue to develop our analysis tools. Human health (wellbeing) is the focus of goal 2 and included in the benefits, goal 1 takes a hiring/professional development/retention angle for HR. |
| If you have additional comments on this category, please provide below. | Response |
| The main issue I have with this category's poster is its unsuccessful attempt to cover far too much material at once. If Human Resources wants to increase sustainability across the board, measuring the number of programs or percentage of eligible participants does not represent factors—such as diversity and inclusion—being met or unmet. These goals/metrics go beyond numbers, and the poster should be reassessed as to how to best reflect the humanity of this category. | This is valid criticism, thank you. You are correct that the humanity of this category is difficult to reflect in the metrics, but by tracking the programs/policies in these areas we will have data that will help us to see concrete developments towards reaching the diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing progress that will make OHIO more sustainable/socially equitable for employees. Unfortunately, as with many measures of social issues, there are few metrics to monitor progress as the change often happens at an individual level and is not well-documented. We will continue to work with HR and D&I staff to determine better ways, if they exist, to measure positive change in these important areas. |
At Ohio University, our most valuable resources are our human resources. To be a sustainable university, we must sustain our human resources through health & wellness initiatives (such as the WellWorks programs, Employee Assistance Program, Personal Medical Guidance), diversity and inclusion initiatives (such as the Core Training programs and the Visible initiative), and professional development opportunities.
The goals of the Office of Sustainability for sustainable Human Resources align closely with the goals of WellWorks, University Human Resources and Diversity & Inclusion. Please visit their webpages for more information about the services they provide.