Quarry Southern Africa July 2018 | Page 39

ENVIRONMENT IN FOCUS structural roles defining their contribution to the ultimate implementation of EMPs. Mark Westbury, principal social development consultant at AECOM, stressed that, for projects seeking loans or investment from global financing organisations, there is added scrutiny as to whether the project has been planned and developed adequately, particularly in terms of stakeholder engagement. This is a core requirement of projects conducted to international finance corporation standards and is particularly important for projects in societies in transition, where limited access to information, and the ability of stakeholders to raise issues and concerns, create a barrier to achieving environmental justice. Projects often do not have robust records of stakeholder engagement. In the absence of robust record-keeping, financing organisations cannot verify whether stakeholder engagement has been effective. Thus, the associated risks in terms of compliance and/or reputational impacts cannot be determined easily. The net result can be delays, as additional stakeholder engagement needs to be carried out, or even a potential risk to the completion of the financing itself. In his poster presentation, Westbury outlined a model for recording stakeholder engagement in a way that helps to demonstrate alignment with international standards. ■ Who do you really work for? By Cluett Consulting In this fourth article in our Environment in Focus series, we have chosen a topic that, although not strictly environmental, has applications to the work and lives of us all. Who do you work for? A successful day in our company is one in which we feel that we have assisted the people we work with in their development and motivation; we have assisted in developing actions that enhance environmental management and improve environmental performance; and we have taken time to acknowledge and express our gratitude. This is not unique to us. As humans, we crave meaning, impact, and a sense of purpose, and we constantly seek ways to motivate and improve ourselves. The field T he answer to this question can identify who you really work for and lead to increased environmental stewardship and performance. During our introductions in our daily lives, the question that is often asked is, “Who do you work for?” This is generally answered with the name of a company or organisation, which is colloquially accepted and commonplace, but we feel this is inaccurate. Our answer to this question is, “I work for myself, for my family, and for the greater good of society. I’m employed by xxx.” It may seem like a silly difference, but we believe it is an important one; one which can change our mindset, inform our work, and improve all facets of our lives. Our primary motivations are to maintain a comfortable and satisfying lifestyle for our company members, to improve society’s impacts on the environment, and to assist our society in its growth and development. Alan Cluett Colleen Cluett QUARRY SA | JULY/AUGUST 2018 _ 37