Abstract
With the increasing debate about the sustainability of our actions and the importance of a people-centered development approach, the role of employees has become an emerging topic of high relevance. A study was conducted through interviews with stakeholders. The analyses of the six interviews identified four categories of themes, such as: I) Reasons for the extensive use of economic-financial metrics; II) Shift from the extensive use of economic-financial metrics to complementarity with other metrics; III) Position of companies regarding the measurement of well-being; and IV) Feasibility of applying well-being indices to the business environment. The extensive use of economic-financial metrics is related to knowledge, utility, composition, culture, and time. Shifting is possible with training/education, politics, investigation, entrepreneurship, society, and economic theory. The company's position depends on legislation, indicators, marketing, availability, and external pressure. Finally, standardization and composition are associated with the feasibility of applying well-being indices.
TopEmployee Sustainability
With the current challenges that our society lives and increased interest in sustainability, the idea of extending the focus from a purely economic one to include ecological and social responsibility gained traction (Kainzbauer & Rungruang, 2019). The called “triple bottom line”, a term coined by John Elkington in 1994 as a challenge for business leaders to rethink capitalism (Elkington, 2018), introduced a broader perspective on how firms create value and how they can simultaneously deliver positive results for the people, planet, and profit. This perspective was accompanied by a shift in focus from short-term profitability to longer-term success based on various indicators (Kainzbauer & Rungruang, 2019).
Key Terms in this Chapter
VUCA World: Big developments, instability and changes were characteristics of the world that led to the creation of the VUCA concept, defined as a world volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.
Multidimensional Approach: With the increasing complexity of emerging topics, it is important to use multidimensional indices instead of traditional metrics with single measures.
People-centered approach: The belief that people’s best interests should be at the center of decisions.
BANI world: A concept used to explain new world dynamics. In this case, a brittle, anxious, nonlinear, incomprehensible world, the successor to the VUCA world.
Sustainable citizenship: The role that citizens can play to help improve social justice, safeguard nature or any action that contributes to sustainable development and that make the world a better place to live.
Better Life Index: An interactive tool developed by OECD, one project of the OECD’s Better Life Initiative, that aims to involve citizens in well-being debate.
Triple Bottom Line: A term created with the aim of rethinking the traditional way of doing business, putting environmental and social issues on the same level as economic ones.