A person trying to plant a tree

Sustainability and other initiatives are often deemed “nice to have” components of a company’s more highly prioritized business objectives. At MSP-focused workflow automation vendor ScalePad, those culture initiatives take center stage in driving business value forward, according to Chantelle Turton, the company’s chief people officer. Turton shared more about the company’s programs with Channel Insider.

How ScalePad addresses sustainability in product and company culture initiatives

ScalePad addresses environmental governance and sustainability objectives through internal and external-facing programs that provide employees and partners with opportunities to contribute to shared goals. 

The company is a founding member of the veritree Restorative Coalition, and ScalePad utilizes the partnership to plant trees worldwide. Partners can participate without taking any action outside of utilizing ScalePad’s MSP offerings. Purchases of solutions, such as infrastructure warranties, workstation assurance, and ITAD services, include one tree planted through veritree automatically.

Reforestation efforts are one of several ways corporations and individuals tackle carbon dioxide emissions and related environmental degradation, as trees are natural sequesters of CO2 and often overharvested to make way for urbanization, business development, and other goals.

Empowering employees through purpose-driven culture

Turton says the veritree program is one example of how ScalePad infuses its mission and values into every part of its business, including its products and technology, to provide opportunities for employees to give back to causes they wish to support.

For partners, this provides an opportunity to engage their employees in work beyond the traditional scope of technology.

“Living and working just four miles from Mammoth Mountain, we see firsthand the impact of environmental change. Integrating sustainability into our business through ScalePad’s Veritree program wasn’t just the right thing to do—it’s become a powerful part of who we are as a team,” said CFO Sarah Carmichael from Carmichael Business Technology (CBT), a ScalePad partner in California.

“Our staff, many of whom are avid outdoor enthusiasts, feel genuinely connected to the mission. That sense of purpose has strengthened our culture and noticeably improved engagement and productivity,” Carmichael continued. “It’s not just about planting trees—it’s about investing in the future of the place we call home.”

In just two years, ScalePad’s work with Veritree has removed enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to match taking 6,633 cars off the road for a full year.

Through this initiative, the company is also supporting reforestation efforts in areas affected by the California wildfires that devastated communities in the state earlier this year.

For employees, Turton says the company offers a variety of programs, including company-sponsored volunteer work and incentives for individual efforts beyond the work day, aimed at encouraging team members to bring their passions and identities to work at ScalePad.

“Something I’m really passionate about is that people need to find purpose in what they do,” Turton said. “The evolving work culture shows that as younger people enter the workforce, they are looking for companies they feel attached to. That’s a unique position for employers to be in.”

The business imperative behind doing the ‘right thing’

Turton emphasizes that ScalePad believes in its mission and various programs because it sees the intrinsic value in doing so, and also because the company has seen tangible business benefits as a result.

Information provided by a ScalePad spokesperson shows the impact the work is having on everything from talent acquisition and retention to employee net promoter scores:

  • 1 in 3 new hires now comes from a referral
  • Employee turnover is under 10%.
  • Belonging and ambassadorship scores are at an “all-time high,” over 40% above the industry benchmark.

Carmichael says CBT is also reaping the benefits in productivity and efficiency.

“As we embedded environmental and social responsibility into our core operations, we noticed an unexpected benefit: operational performance improved,” Carmichael said. “Our staff became more aligned, motivated, and efficient. Culture, when shaped around shared values, really became a productivity lever for us.”

At ScalePad, building a company culture that brings employees closer together around a shared mission is a key strategy for retaining talent within the company.

“At the end of the day, there are always going to be other companies and other job opportunities,” Turton said. “But are employees going to feel the same draw passion at those opportunities? People have a harder time leaving something they feel connected to.”

Sustainability is also a key area of focus for many data center operators this year. Catch up on how one expert thinks AI-fueled data demand can be more energy efficient.

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