What is Sustainable HRM?
Sustainable HRM is an approach in which HR policies and practices are aimed at creating value for multiple stakeholders at once: employees, the organization, and society. This means:
- For employees: Thriving, developing, and enjoying their work
- For the organization: Productivity, innovation, and the ability to attract and retain talent
- For society: Positive impact on social and ecological issues
What We're Researching in 2026
We aim to continue monitoring the gap between urgency and execution. Are organizations making progress toward 2026? What new challenges are emerging? And which initiatives are proving effective?
This research maps out:
- Which themes within sustainable HRM are a priority in 2026
- For which themes organizations do or do not have a strategy
- What the biggest challenges are in implementation
- Which initiatives have shown success
- How far organizations are with skills-based working and AI
Your participation helps the sector with concrete, independent data on what works—and what doesn’t.
Sustainable HRM in 2025
Our 2025 research revealed a concerning gap:
- 50% of Dutch organizations had no strategy for sustainable HRM
- Meanwhile, 90% listed talent acquisition as a top priority
- 42% paid insufficient attention to sustainable HRM
But there was also good news:
Organizations with a concrete sustainable HRM strategy were demonstrably more satisfied with their progress.
