Sustainability - a winning factor in IT recruitment?

Sustainability has long become more than a niche and plays a role in companies of all sizes. Not just customers, investors, and policymakers, but also candidates are placing more value on sustainability. Sustainability related roles in non-‘sustainability’ functions are also increasing.

Foxway is one of the frontrunners and influencers of a sustainable IT industry.

We caught up with Foxway Recommerce IT Director Janno Järv and HR Director Kaie Kasemets-Remmel to discuss the demand for green jobs in IT.

Is sustainability trending in recruitment?

Kaie:

Yes. Sustainability and recruitment go hand in hand. Sustainable employers are more attractive. We see more and more talented people who take the leap from companies that don’t prioritize sustainable practices for the sake of the environment.

What is the key about sustainability that attracts Foxway candidates?

Kaie:

We sense an increasing interest in jobs in which the future topics of digitization and sustainability are combined. Sustainability is not just limited to the ecological effects on the environment. It also includes economic and social aspects. From an economic perspective, it’s our development of efficient and future-proof products, business models or services. From a social perspective, these are topics such as data protection, inclusion or the ethical use of technology. These all speak to our candidates.

How IT roles contribute to the company’s sustainability goals?

Kaie:

The trends and changes that sustainability awareness and companies’ ambitions affect all systems. And IT specialists are the link between them.

IT is the connector between all departments involved, such as the product department, sales and marketing, compliance, sourcing and procurement, and legal aspects. New ways must be found to do justice to profitability, sustainability and compliance. For all that, accountable systems, but also creativity and ingenuity are required.

What is the link between sustainability and data analysis at Foxway Recommerce?

Janno:

We work towards basing our sustainability efforts more and more on detailed data and we contribute to the emergence of new sustainability data technologies.

The challenge is that we have insufficient data to measure impacts at a more detailed level.

Manufacturers do not always provide or want to disclose the CO2 data. It is still hard to get access to it. There is also a lack of transparency about resource consumption, the materials used, compliance with regulations and standards, but also the working conditions along the supply chain.

This transparency can be easily achieved with digital tools and there are many interesting opportunities opening up, but things may be slow until the data becomes more accessible.

IT cannot solve this challenge alone – just like sustainability, data quality must become a business priority. Only then can IT and the supply chains solve it collaboratively.

If we achieve the data accuracy, what value does it create?

Janno:

I see it as a very important question worthy of interdisciplinary debate.

The IT sector has great potential to reduce its own footprint and to contribute to solutions to other sustainability challenges – for example by screening non-transparent supply chains using blockchain technology.

If hardware data were accurate, then the used devices, that are traded in, could be tokenized and brought to the NFT marketplace.

In that case, one would have a choice between credit for a new thing or tokens that one can sell on the stock exchange to companies that need carbon offsetting.

What motivates IT people at Foxway?

Janno:

Often, it is our mission. The fact that they can help our customers and partners around the world reduce their environmental impact.

What skills and mindset are needed to fit into Foxway’s IT team?

Janno:

We are looking for people who want to build solutions for tomorrow that are meaningful, add value and increase the quality of life.

Foxway developers are passionate about their work. They constantly update and deepen their skills, many like to experiment in their free time. Some of them like to meet each other even after work, to discuss some more programming.

Kaie:

It is important to know how to work in a structured manner, but curiosity and creativity makes the work easier. Sometimes a dose of courage may top off the programming skills. At Foxway, we let people focus on what they do best.