Toward corporate sustainability through human resources development: Contributions from Brazilian companies

Abstract

Many companies have already experienced the benefits sustainability may bring in terms of positive impacts on society, the environment, and its market value. Despite this, most of them do not know how Human Resource Development (HRD) could effectively promote employees' commitment to results and facilitate organizational change. The main objective of this paper is to propose guidelines for the development of human resources that contributes toward sustainability in organizations. The drivers of sustainability and HRD identified in the literature supported the analyses of 19 GRI G4 sustainability reports from Brazilian companies included in the BM&F Bovespa Corporate Sustainability Index (2016). The analyses allowed the characterization of the companies' sustainability and HRD initiatives, as well as the elaboration of ten HRD guidelines to foster corporate sustainability. This work contributes to the articulation on how the concepts of HRD and sustainability are related, promoting the discussion about the drivers of the HRD that can support managers in the journey toward sustainable development.