Social Sustainability Indicators from Employees’ Perspective: A Qualitative Study on Whether Social Sustainability in Businesses Is Perceived as a Necessity, Preference, or Dream

Abstract

Contrary to the economic and environmental perspectives of sustainability, its social dimension seems to be overshadowed by the lack of research. The objective of this study is to identify social sustainability indicators in businesses from the perspective of employees. The study sheds light on the meaning and practices of social sustainability, and aims to understand how employees perceive and define social sustainability in the context of businesses. In this direction, data were collected from eight high-level employees working in different units in different sectors, with thematic analysis from qualitative research designs and in-depth interviews. The MAXQDA 2020 Program was used in the analysis of the data. As a result, in accordance with the designed model, three basic categories as “socially beneficial applications”, “anthropocentrism in job design”, and “value-creating relationships system” and twenty-six subcategories were defined. Based on the perspective of employees, it has been revealed that there is still a lack of complete awareness regarding social sustainability practices in businesses. However, it is believed that these practices are essential for protecting the future, creating a secure and unified environment, and promoting accountability and transparency towards stakeholders. Furthermore, efforts to enhance employee competence are considered important in the context of social sustainability practices in businesses. This study fills an important gap in the literature in terms of determining social criteria in terms of interpreting the performances of businesses and measuring their success.