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Learning to be a sustainable leader

Natalie Kelly has completed Skillnet’s Sustainable Leaders programme and worked with her company’s management team and employees to embed goals

Natalie Kelly, partner with Crowleys DFK, maintains that sustainability has long been a part of her firm’s business.

“We have made significant progress over the years integrating change into our business practices: from environmental initiatives, employee health and wellbeing initiatives to creating an inclusive work environment. However, we knew that we had lots more to do,” she says.

This year Crowleys DFK’s Sustainability Charter was signed off by the board of directors.

“This Charter outlines our commitment to working towards the six Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that we believe resonate most with our firm values and make the most impact. The Charter showcases what we as a firm are already doing well, and provides a roadmap for the development, implementation and progress of our future corporate sustainability goals.”

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Examples of projects include efforts to address what the United Nations identifies as SDG 3 - Good Health and Wellbeing. Crowleys DFK have implemented health and safety, employee health and wellbeing policies that facilitate hybrid working, flexible working hours, the right to disconnect and safeguarding policies and supports. Annual programmes now include wellbeing events such as sports and social activities.

In pursuit of the education aims covered by SDG 4, Crowleys DFK launched a fresh competency and career paths development framework, a learning and development programme and mandatory employee sustainability training.

In its eagerness to ensure Decent Work and Economic Growth - the remit of SDG 8 -, Crowleys DFK has completed a full review of all processes, procedures, and technology within the firm to find efficiencies, eliminate waste and identify best practice. The result is greater use of the latest technologies, implementation of standard work practices, retraining staff and provision for continuous monitoring to make sure that processes remain in control.

Other projects included a hybrid working policy and an Early Finish Friday initiative, the development of new specialist and subject matter experts and inclusive work environment policies.

Crowleys DFK is working with Skillsnet Ireland to achieve the Bronze Investors in Diversity – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Mark awarded by the Irish Centre for Diversity. As part of the accreditation, two members of the Leadership Team and a representative from the human resources team are currently completing a 4-week Diversity and Inclusion training programme run by the Irish Centre for Diversity.

“Earlier this year I completed the ‘Sustainable Leaders Programme’ – a training programme developed as part of Skillnet Ireland’s ‘Climate Ready Academy’,” says Kelly.

“I took what I learned in becoming a sustainable leader and worked with the Crowleys DFK management team and employees to develop our Sustainability Charter and further embed our sustainability goals into our corporate strategy and culture.

“The Sustainable Leaders Programme gave us access to knowledge and information that allowed us as a business to see what we could achieve. It gave us the tools to develop our Charter, bringing all that we have been doing and plan to do together into one place. The programme is intense with good delivery of a vast quantity of insights and tools to allow any business to get started on their journey,” she says.

“Most importantly, it’s a journey not a race. We believe that the Charter should have achievable short- and long-term goals to be the most effective.”

Jillian Godsil

Jillian Godsil is a contributor to The Irish Times