(English) Best Practices

Spring Associates is a firm offering consultancy to companies that would like to “deliver value at multiple levels – not only to their direct customers, employees and shareholders, but also to the natural environment and to society at large.” (source: https://www.spring-associates.com/).

This Dutch consultancy firm offers its employees training and development opportunities to help them stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and enhance their skills. By doing so, Spring Associates is able to promote sustainability within their workforce and ensure that their employees have the necessary skills and knowledge to adapt to changes in the industry.

The practice of offering training and development opportunities is sustainable because it promotes the long-term success of the company. By investing in their employees, Spring Associates is able to ensure that their workforce is equipped to handle the challenges of a rapidly changing industry. This helps to ensure the long-term success of the company by promoting innovation and adaptability.

Additionally, this practice promotes sustainability by improving employee retention rates. When employees feel valued and supported, they are more likely to stay with the company long-term. This reduces turnover rates and helps to maintain a stable workforce, which is essential for the long-term success of the company.

Moreover, by providing opportunities for employees to enhance their skills and knowledge, Spring Associates is able to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce. This not only promotes social sustainability but also helps to ensure that the company is able to attract and retain top talent from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.

Hence, this practice falls into the social “S” of ESG.

Employee relations; labour standards; employee development; inclusion and diversity at the workplace

• Enhancement of skills and employee performance
• Increased employee satisfaction
• Employees stay in the company long-term (employee retention)
• Enhanced resilience of the company

Building an employee training program and offering development opportunities need to be directly linked to the needs and interests of both the company and the employees. For this reason, it is essential to work on the development plans of each of the employees participating in training initiatives, as well as to conduct a needs assessment to better understand on what the employees should be trained.

Besides, it is extremely recommended to use non-formal methodologies for an enhanced and more experiential learning experience. It is also recommended to focus on lifelong training, offering the employees opportunities to be continuously learning, growing and improving themselves.

Finally, note that learning can happen in many different ways and settings:

• traditional training courses,
• experts’ visits,
• mentoring,
• peer-learning,
• open space technology,
• job shadowing, etc.

Spring Associates – Strategy consulting services. (n.d.). https://www.spring-associates.com/ (Accessed on 5^th of June 2023)

Spring Associates. (n.d.). LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/spring-associates/ (Accessed on 5^th of June 2023)