Gen Z in ESG: how many follow-up emails are too many?
I recently started my career in sustainability reporting, and one thing I didn't expect was that collecting the data would be far more challenging than the reporting itself.
A large part of my role involves reaching out to different departments to request data, and I often find myself following up multiple times just to get a response. I worry that the repeated reminders and emails become frustrating for colleagues, yet deadlines keep approaching and the data is still missing.
Even when the information arrives, it is often different from what was requested. I might ask for monthly figures and receive annual totals instead, or request a detailed breakdown and receive aggregated numbers that cannot be used for reporting purposes. Sometimes different teams interpret the same request in completely different ways, which creates even more work and delays.
What has surprised me most is that sustainability reporting seems to be as much about communication, relationship management, and data governance as it is about sustainability itself.
As someone at the beginning of their career, and as part of Gen Z working with colleagues from older generations, I sometimes wonder whether others have gone through the same experience and how they managed to improve collaboration, response times, and data quality over time.
I'd love to hear how others in sustainability or ESG roles have navigated this challenge.