Opening
ESG frameworks are fluent in carbon and compliance, and strangely quiet on people. The S pillar gets a paragraph, while the daily experience of connection and belonging inside the organisation goes unmeasured.
What I brought to the conversation
I brought the case for treating social health as the substance of the S pillar. With Joshua I explored what the social in ESG actually covers, workplace connection solutions, and the universal need to belong. My contribution was to translate the pillar into something measurable, using friendship science and my research into how connection and belonging shape people's experience of work.
I also brought the story of my own path. Twenty years in Communications, a move to Vancouver Island, a Master's in progress, and a podcast, Rediscovering Connection, built on the conviction that authentic human connection is a skill organisations can build rather than a personality trait some people happen to have.
The question that opened it up
The question that opened the conversation, as far as the episode notes show, was what the S in ESG really demands of organisations. My answer was that it demands measuring how people experience connection at work, not just what policies exist.
What that conversation confirmed for me
It confirmed that audiences outside HR are hungry for this language. Legal and tech professionals connected immediately with the idea that the S pillar is about lived experience, not paperwork.
Three things to try this week
- Audit your S pillar this week. Ask whether it describes lived experience of connection or only policies and programmes.
- Ask three colleagues one question. Do you feel you belong here as your authentic self?
- Put one belonging question on the agenda of your next ESG review.
Listen and go deeper
https://pod.co/npp and Shelley's site https://www.thecommuniverse.com
A closing question for Joshua's listeners: what would your ESG report look like if the S measured lived experience of connection? If you would like Shelley to speak on social health for your organisation or event, visit https://www.thecommuniverse.com/speaking Which pillar in your framework is running on paperwork alone?