Conducting staff audit

Reporting staff views on a company's or organization's performance.

For the fruitful development of workplace environment and health promotion management, it is important to recognize the central role of the empowerment of employees, in terms of competency and level of autonomy; to ensure an appropriate balance between the processes of rationalization and the capacities of the workforce; to include a comprehensive understanding of health in company policies and in all procedures involved in a continuous improvement process; to ensure the establishment of an enterprise-wide participatory infrastructure; and to enable all levels of employee to share their interests and expertise with the key players.

The environmental benefits of increased worker participation include greater efficiency in the use of natural resources, and a growing number of enterprises that manage environmental issues in compliance with legal requirements, using the principles and methods of such strategies as cleaner production, eco-efficiency, green productivity and pollution prevention. The social and wellbeing benefits comprise better quality of working life and life in general for employees, improved self-esteem and motivation, increased professional skills and ability to cope with the demands of working life, and increased social capital. The economic benefits comprise increased productivity and economic efficiency, greater competitiveness and likelihood of economic returns on investments, a better image for the enterprise, a decrease in social insurance premiums, and lower health care costs.

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities.

One company gave as the scope of its staff audit for 1994 the issues of fair wages, equality of opportunity (religion, gender, ethnic minorities, disabled), staff development, spirituality, environmental issues (travel to work, comfort and energy consumption at work, health and safety at work), and ethical and social performance of the company.