Sustainable sourcing essential for sustainable enterprises

By Skandha Gunasekara

Sustainable sourcing practices and employee motivation are key factors in ensuring the sustainability of a business venture or enterprise, BASF South Asia Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Raman Ramachandran said yesterday.

Addressing the 2017 Symposium of the Employers’ Federation Ceylon, which kicked off yesterday at the Cinnamon Grand, as the keynote speaker, Ramachandran said: “At a time when resources are being fast depleted around the world, businesses must strive to find sustainable methods of sourcing their resources.”

This, he said would have a ripple effect where it would benefit both society and the environment.

“The youth of today are far more concerned about the environment and the impact humans have on it. These youth are and will be our consumers and we must adapt to meet the demands of the new generations.”

Ramachandran asserted that the Paris Agreement was crucial in combating global climate change and stressed that the private sector played a pivotal role in the transition to the use of renewable energy and reaching sustainable development goals. 

He then noted that the conventional thinking of expecting an employee to report to work from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. must be left behind.

“Today’s work environment is not that of the past 9 to 5 jobs and reporting to work every day is far less commonplace in today’s world. Around the world we now see that interviews are done over Skype and the internet and work is delegated via email or over the phone while the employee works from home,” he said, stressing that enterprises must learn to adapt to ensure higher productivity of employees. 

He went on to note that employee motivation was significant in ensuring a loyal and productive workforce.

“If an employee feels that the company he or she works for is providing a meaningful service that employee would be far more motivated to work. There is a similar effect when employees are shown that they are appreciated by their employer.” 

Skills Development and Vocational Training Minister Chandima Weerakkody, who was the Chief Guest at the event, said that the Government would be introducing an online testing mechanism for those who pass out of universities so that they could be ranked. 

“In this manner, when a youth has completed his university education, he can take the online test and be graded and ranked. Based on that grading the employer can select and hire the candidate they like while the employee has the opportunity to upgrade their ranking by retaking and faring better in the online test.”

Additionally, the Minister said that a universally acceptable Skills Passport would soon be issued to employees.

“This will give employees the benefit of finding employment anywhere in the world. In this way the employer is intimately aware of the employee’s qualifications and skills.”

The symposium, themed ‘Sustainable Enterprises –creating value’, which will end today at the Cinnamon Grand, seeks to address four main elements that sustainable enterprises have incorporated, namely Governance, Managing Talents, Green Initiatives and Supply Chain, and how enterprises could further improve on them.   

Pix by Indraratna Balasuriya