Sustainable Human

''From an investor's perspective, it's hard to identify intangible benefits from the financial statements. So, when we talk about human sustainability, we need to be clear, because investors pay more attention to actual numbers than whatever term we put those numbers under. The key challenge for evaluation is that we sometimes have to rely on economic theories to turn intangible benefits (such as a more productive human brain, or overall satisfaction of employees), into a dollar amount so that investor communities can easily understand''.

In this 11th episode of the Sustainable Human Podcast, our host Linda Jarnhamn talks to Minjia Yang,  the Vice President & Head of Sustainable Finance at the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). Together they will explore questions around:

1. What's top of mind for investors with regards to human sustainability?
2. Are sustainability regulations key drivers of investor behaviour?
3. Green bonds, social bonds and is there a market also for human bonds?

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''Air quality is periodically horrible. Periodically, when needed to be good, it's horrible. When the office is empty, it's pretty good. When you put people in a meeting room, close the door and ask them to start thinking about problems and investments, that's when air quality starts getting really bad. That's when it starts affecting their cognitive skills. So, the air quality, when it needs to be good, it's bad''

In this tenth episode of the Sustainable Human Podcast, our host Linda Jarnhamn talks to Mazen Jamal,  an expert on indoor and outdoor air quality for corporate performance. 

Together they will explore questions around:

1. The business case for measuring air quality
2. Why the air in the office tends to be of poor quality when we need it the most
3. CO₂ as a key indicator of cognitive performance potential

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''You need to realize that if you're 40 years old and if you want to live to be 80, thinking, you know, I'll eat healthy when I turn 60, 70, let me live my life now. It doesn't work like that. One of the biggest risk factors for developing dementia later in life is how you lived your life in your midlife. So we have to realize that actually we have to make those changes right now.''

In this ninth episode of the Sustainable Human Podcast, our host Linda Jarnhamn talks to Burcin Ikiz,   a neuroscientist who focuses on how environmental and lifestyle factors can affect brain health. Together they will explore questions around:

1. Human behaviour, the environment and human health - how it's all connected
2. What happens to the brain and our cognition when exposed to air pollution 
3. How our brains are wired towards a focus on the ''now'', avoiding the future

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''Businesses that take a people first approach, do better when it comes to attracting and retaining talent. They perform better financially. They're more resilient. They bounce back faster. Their people are healthier... So I think many executives that I speak to intuitively understand this, but I also think that they are completely disoriented. That's almost generous to say that. I think that they are mystified by how to measure their performance when it comes to social sustainability''.

In this eighth episode of the Sustainable Human Podcast, our host Linda Jarnhamn talks to Rachel Hodgdon, from the International Well Building Institute about human sustainability from the perspective of the built environment, exploring questions around:

1. Could your office be limiting your full potential?
2.  Are current regulations enough to drive meaningful change?
3. How can changes in our physical workspaces positively influence corporate culture?

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''As a leader, you have the ability to write your company's brain story for the first time. That's your job as a leader. You need to have a compelling vision that makes sense to as many of your employees as possible. So write your brain story for your company. Talk about mental health, talk about neurodiversity, talk about dementia issues, to boosting creativity... and develop a framework - because you can do that now''.

To find out how, listen to this seventh episode of the Sustainable Human Podcast, where our host Linda Jarnhamn talks to Harris Eyre, from the Brain Capital Alliance and the Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy  to build on the previous episode's topic of brain health and brain capital:

1. Why brain capital should be top of mind for business leaders
2. How to solve the ''big brain challenges'' we're currently not getting a handle on
3. Environmental determinants and their impact on brain health

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''I do think that right now, the way that the balance sheet works, humans are seen as an expense and not an asset, technically. Until that changes, and there is a movement to change that, that's what it will be seen as: an investment in a human is an expense, not an asset. There's got to be a mind shift''

In this sixth episode of the Sustainable Human Podcast, our host Linda Jarnhamn and Kelly O'Brien, Lead for The Business Collaborative for Brain Health and Vice President of Prevention at USAgainstAlzheimer's, go wide and deep when they explore the topic of brain health and dig into aspects such as:

1. The difference between mental health and brain health
2. Why brain health should be top of mind on the business agenda
3. How to use brain capital as an economic imperative

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"There is a huge gap in knowledge. If you work as an HR Director or a Sustainability Director, you need to know what it is. You need to understand Social Sustainability. And not only understand. I have never met a Sustainability Director that doesn't care about the planet. But I have met a lot of people working in important roles in companies that actually don't understand, or care about humans. Many don't know what we need to feel good, to be well. We're lacking a lot of knowledge about humans..."

In this fifth episode of the Sustainable Human Podcast, our host Linda Jarnhamn and Tina Lindh, Founder of Equity Places will dig deep into the topic of diversity & inclusion and its role in social, human sustainability, and innovation.

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''Are we capturing the correct metrics? Are we even capturing metrics that matter? How are we leveraging those metrics? How are we interpreting those metrics and are we having honest conversations around what those metrics might show - even though it can be awkward and tough? And then how do we use that to make a difference? Both for the employees and for the organisation''?

In this third episode of the Sustainable Human Podcast, our host Linda Jarnhamn and Justin Buckthorp from 360 Health & Performance dig deep into the topic of autonomic balance and HRV as a measure of human sustainability and explore topics and questions such as: 
- The mental health ''20/80'' or ''above and below the neck'' rule 
- Employee engagement vs autonomic balance
- HRV as a measure of employee risk and potential

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''We need to be really clear about how an organisation measures human capital and assesses the capabilities overall. As investors become more and more demanding about seeing a more comprehensive overview of ESG, organisations will need to look across HR, ESG, finance and investor relations to take a more integrated approach''.
 
In this second episode of the Sustainable Human Podcast, our host Linda Jarnhamn and Kathleen McGrail, the Managing Director of WSP’s Advisory Services in the Middle East take a broad view, reflect on implications for markets with less regulation and explore topics and questions such as: 

1. Is Human Sustainability getting the right focus and attention?
2. Will the new reporting regulations lead to more transparent and meaningful data? 
3. Talk vs practice. Where are companies on their ESG transformation journeys?
4.  The new war for ESG talent: are companies ready with the right skills and competencies?

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''Human sustainability takes on a lot of different layers… it’s about making sure that the human element of us has a positive impact on the world, that what we do, doesn’t take away from future generations''
 
In this first episode of the Sustainable Human Podcast, our host Linda Jarnhamn and Tauni Lanier, Director of the BDO ESG Hub in the UK take a broad view of the topic of  human sustainability and start exploring the Human Side of ESG covering topics such as  
- What's the difference between Human vs Social Capital?
- Where are companies on the disclosure vs transformation journey?
- Do we need a ''Net Zero for Human Sustainability''?

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