Construction of seawalls, warehouse relocations, and supply chain improvements to resist climate shocks are expanding as companies address climate change. Many companies ignore employee health issues. Climate change harms worker health with wildfires, heatwaves, hurricanes, flooding, and new diseases. Given that climate-related health hazards affect four in ten elderly workers, this error is serious. Extreme heat waves, wildfire smoke, and eco-anxiety have killed people and reduced workforce involvement. Climate change affects employee health, costing the U.S. over $800 billion annually. This threat increases healthcare expenses, productivity, and workforce shortages, hurting business budgets. Extreme heat has cost about 2.5 billion U.S. dollars and 490 billion global labor hours per year.
Many preventative measures can help companies overcome these issues. First, a thorough climate change and health audit is necessary. Geographic and industry-specific vulnerabilities should be identified in this examination of physical assets and personnel wellness. To monitor threats and employee well-being, companies should use climate-risk analytics and heat mapping. Citigroup uses heat maps to assess climatic impacts on operations and employee productivity. Expert advice or customized third-party solutions may assist smaller firms.
Creating and deploying early-warning systems is critical. Avoiding climate-related health concerns requires timely information. Google’s Global Security and Resilience Services (GSRS) system warns employees about health and climate hazards, including safety tips and work-from-home cautions during bad air quality. Companies might reuse pandemic response frameworks and integrate them with security, HR, and communications teams. Transparency and security are needed to solve employee geolocation and health data privacy issues.
Private enterprises addressing climate-related health issues can learn from the public sector. Corporate usage of public sector frameworks like the CDC’s BRACE model helps estimate climate consequences and conduct actions. Learn from proven public sector programs like Texas’ Heat Stress Awareness Program and Colorado’s sun protection initiatives to establish effective employee health solutions. UPS’s engagement with heat-safety professionals to solve high heat concerns shows how public sector collaboration can improve corporate efforts.
Mental health must also be addressed. Climate change causes stress and worry for many employees. Climate-related weather disasters promote sadness, anxiety, and PTSD, according to the American Psychological Association. Company climate response should include mental health strategies to combat eco-anxiety through focused activities and support networks. Public sector playbooks and organizations like the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety can help manage climate-related psychological consequences.
Communicating climate threats and remedies to employees requires transparency. Leaders should explain climate-related health hazards and the company’s mitigation efforts. Empathic communication should not emphasize socioeconomic distinctions. Companies should incorporate climate health and safety into onboarding and engage employees through different channels. Sustainability reports that disclose climate and workforce health threats can attract consumers and investors that value employee well-being and sustainability. European rules like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will require more detailed reporting on these concerns.
Overall, corporate leaders can benefit from tackling climate change’s health implications. Companies may protect their staff, decrease public health pressure, and boost profits by taking preemptive actions, learning from the public sector, and communicating openly. This method helps employees and boosts corporate and social goals.
