Key Impact Points:

• 80% of CEOs feel pressured by stakeholders to improve human sustainability.
• 88% of executives support linking pay to human sustainability metrics.
• Significant gaps exist between executive perceptions and worker experiences.

Deloitte’s latest report, in collaboration with Workplace Intelligence, highlights increasing demands on CEOs to prioritize human sustainability. This concept involves creating value for employees, enhancing their health, skills, employability, and overall well-being.

Key Findings:

• Pressure from Stakeholders: Around 8 out of 10 CEOs report feeling pressure from employees (82%), customers (78%), investors (78%), partners (77%), and board members (77%) to commit to human sustainability.
• Executive Support for Change: 88% of leaders want their compensation tied to human sustainability metrics. Additionally, 71% believe leadership should change if progress isn’t made in this area.
• Perception Gaps: While 82% of executives think their companies are advancing human sustainability, only 56% of workers agree. Notably, 90% of executives feel their companies positively impact employee well-being, yet only 60% of workers share this view.

“Embracing human sustainability can benefit both businesses and people,” said Paul Silverglate, U.S. Executive Accelerators leader and Deloitte’s US Technology Sector vice chair. “Today’s C-suite has an opportunity to ensure it is prioritized at the highest levels, creating more rewarding and productive workplaces.”

Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Workplace Intelligence, emphasized, “The disconnects uncovered in our research should be a call to action for leaders as they aim to create greater value for all stakeholders.”

Gaps in Worker Well-being: Only about one-third of workers reported improvements in their physical (34%), mental (32%), financial (35%), and social (31%) well-being last year, contrasting with the perceptions of over 70% of executives.

Jen Fisher, a retired managing director at Deloitte US, stated, “Leaders should move away from a legacy mindset that centers on extracting value from people and instead embrace human sustainability, supporting the long-term well-being of individuals, organizations, and society.”

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Call for Transparency: 82% of executives believe companies should publicly report their human sustainability metrics, though 81% admit their organizations aren’t doing enough in this regard. Interestingly, 61% of the C-suite would accept a pay cut to work for a company advancing human sustainability.