Tomiloba Babarinde is a seasoned labour and employment lawyer with expertise in industrial relations, labour policy, and advocacy. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from Osun State University and a B.L. from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus.
She currently serves as a Legal Officer at the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), the foremost umbrella business membership organisation in Nigeria, dedicated to creating a conducive environment for enterprises to thrive. At NECA, Tomiloba advises corporate clients across diverse sectors on labour law compliance, ensuring businesses operate within the evolving legal framework while fostering productive employer–employee relationships.
Recognising a knowledge gap in labour and industrial relations, she launched Labour Lens, a LinkedIn series that simplifies judicial cases, legal provisions, and emerging labour trends to educate employees, employers, and practitioners. She is also actively engaged in labour migration discussions through her participation in International Labour Organization (ILO) programmes. In addition, she is expanding her expertise into Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and sustainability, with a focus on how labour and human capital issues shape responsible and future-ready business practices. Passionate about advancing employer interests, Tomiloba remains committed to promoting decent work, sustainable business practices, and stronger workplaces where people and enterprises can thrive.
In this interview with Anchor News Online, Tomiloba Babarinde shares insights on the HR landscape in Nigeria, how there is no ESG without HR, and why embedding ESG principles is crucial for building fair, productive, and sustainable workplaces.
What exactly is ESG, why is it important, and how are HR professionals connected to it?
First, it is important to break down the meaning of ESG, for the purpose of those who are not familiar with the term. ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It is a framework used to assess how organisations operate responsibly beyond financial performance. It is a set of standards used to measure an organisation’s environmental and social impact.
The environmental pillar examines how a company impacts the planet, the social pillar focuses on how it treats people — employees, customers, and communities — while governance deals with ethics, accountability, and decision-making structures.
Its importance lies in the fact that investors, regulators, employees, and even consumers now assess organisations not only by their profit but also by their values and impact. Strong ESG performance reduces risks, attracts investment, strengthens reputation, and builds resilience for the long term.
HR is right at the centre of this framework, particularly around the “S” and “G” pillars. Through fair wages, diversity and inclusion policies, employee well-being programmes, ethical workplace practices, and transparent systems for recruitment, promotions, and discipline, HR brings ESG principles to life. Even on the environmental side, HR influences behaviour by engaging employees in sustainable practices.
So, while ESG may sound broad, its success often depends on HR, because it is HR that translates ESG commitments into daily workplace culture and employee experience. In short, HR is the bridge between ESG principles and the daily realities of the workforce. Without HR embedding these standards into people practices, ESG goals remain theoretical.
Fair wages, health and safety, and inclusion fall under the “S” pillar. How can HR professionals in Nigeria begin to measure and show progress in these areas?
That is an excellent question. The “S” pillar is often the most directly influenced by HR, and measurement is key to demonstrating progress.
On fair wages, HR can begin with pay equity audits to identify gaps across gender, roles, or levels. Benchmarking salaries against industry standards is also important. Progress can then be shown through documented reductions in pay disparities and transparent communication of compensation policies.
For health and safety, the approach should be data-driven. HR can track workplace incidents, near misses, absenteeism due to occupational illness, and compliance with safety training. Over time, reduced incident rates and increased employee participation in wellness programmes demonstrate tangible improvement.
When it comes to inclusion, HR should look beyond headcount to real representation and participation. Metrics such as diversity ratios in recruitment, promotion rates, and employee satisfaction surveys give insight. Inclusion also requires qualitative feedback, so employee engagement surveys and focus groups can highlight whether diverse employees feel heard and valued.
Importantly, Nigerian HR professionals must align these efforts with local labour law requirements while also borrowing global best practices. By publishing progress in sustainability reports or internal dashboards, HR makes the “S” pillar visible and credible, showing that ESG is not just an aspiration but a lived reality in the workplace.
Many still see governance as a board-level issue. In practice, how can HR shape governance within everyday workplace structures and decisions?
That is very true. Governance is often viewed as something reserved for the boardroom. But in reality, governance comes alive through the day-to-day decisions made across the workforce, and HR is central to that process.
HR embeds governance through policies and systems that ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability. Recruitment processes, performance appraisals, promotions, and disciplinary procedures must all be structured in a way that is objective and consistent. This prevents arbitrariness and builds employee trust in workplace decisions.
From an ESG perspective, HR also ensures compliance and ethical conduct. This includes aligning with labour laws and internal policies. Whistleblowing mechanisms, ethics training, and employee handbooks are also HR-driven governance tools that empower employees to act with integrity.
So, while the board sets the tone at the top, HR ensures that governance is lived out daily. By doing so, HR not only strengthens internal accountability but also contributes directly to the “G” in ESG, making governance part of the culture rather than just a policy on paper.
Young professionals are choosing values over just pay. How should HR leaders respond to this shift when designing workplace policies and culture?
This is one of the most defining shifts in today’s workforce. Younger professionals are looking for workplaces that align with their values. Salary still matters, but it is no longer the sole driver of engagement and retention. HR leaders must therefore design policies and culture that go beyond compensation.
That means embedding transparency, inclusion, and accountability into the employee experience. For example, offering flexible work arrangements, prioritising mental health and well-being, promoting diversity in leadership, and ensuring that the organisation’s ESG commitments are not just statements but visible practices.
Equally important is authentic communication. Young employees want to see the link between the organisation’s values and their own daily work. HR should facilitate that by making sustainability goals, community engagement, and ethical practices part of the culture, not just external reporting.
In short, HR leaders must recognise that for today’s talent, values are part of the reward package. Organisations that embed those values into their policies and culture will not only attract but also retain the best of the next-generation workforce.
From your experience as a labour and employment lawyer, what are the biggest risks organisations face if they fail to integrate ESG into HR policies?
The risks are both legal and reputational. From a legal perspective, failing to embed ESG into HR policies can expose organisations to labour disputes, regulatory sanctions, and litigation — for instance, over unfair treatment, unsafe working conditions, or discriminatory practices. These are not only costly but also disruptive to operations.
From a reputational standpoint, today’s workforce and investors are highly attuned to ESG standards. Organisations that neglect fair wages, inclusion, or ethical governance risk being seen as out of touch. This can make it harder to attract and retain top talent and may even limit access to financing, as many investors now assess ESG performance before committing funds.
Finally, there is a broader business continuity risk. If employees feel the workplace is unsafe, unfair, or not aligned with their values, engagement drops, turnover rises, and productivity suffers. In essence, ignoring ESG in HR is not just a compliance issue — it is a strategic risk that can undermine long-term sustainability.
For HR managers who feel ESG is abstract, what simple steps can they take to start embedding ESG into their work today?
First, conduct a quick people audit: look at pay equity, diversity levels, and workplace health and safety compliance. These are simple indicators that tie directly to the “S” and “G” pillars of ESG.
Second, embed sustainability into everyday HR processes. For example, digitising payslips and records to cut paper use, encouraging hybrid work to reduce commuting emissions, and introducing employee volunteering programmes linked to community impact.
Third, make values visible. This means updating policies and employee handbooks to reflect commitments to fairness, inclusion, and ethical conduct, and then communicating these consistently. Even small actions like transparent promotion criteria or regular town halls make ESG real to employees.
So, ESG does not have to feel abstract. By starting with audits, integrating sustainability into processes, and making values visible, HR managers can begin embedding ESG into daily practice immediately.
Are there existing Nigerian labour laws or compliance standards that already tie into ESG goals, even if not labelled that way?
Yes! Several Nigerian labour laws and compliance standards already support ESG goals, even though they are not branded as “ESG” laws.
From the perspective of labour and employment law, the Labour Act is foundational. It provides for fair wages, working hours, and conditions of employment, while also prohibiting child labour. These provisions speak directly to the “Social” pillar of ESG by safeguarding decent work and fair treatment of employees.
Similarly, the Employee Compensation Act ensures that workers are protected in cases of workplace injury, disability, or death. It enshrines the right to compensation and reinforces the obligation of employers to prioritise health, safety, and welfare in the workplace. Closely aligned is the Factories Act, which mandates occupational health and safety standards, reflecting the importance of safe working conditions under the “S” pillar.
The Pension Reform Act also deserves mention, as it secures employees’ long-term welfare through mandatory retirement savings contributions by both employers and employees. This not only strengthens social sustainability but also aligns with international standards on decent work.
More recently, the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 has introduced strong governance elements by protecting employees’ and consumers’ personal data. This is a clear example of how the “Governance” pillar is becoming embedded in day-to-day corporate compliance.
Beyond labour-specific laws, broader governance and environmental regulations also link directly to ESG. The Nigerian Code of Corporate Governance (2018) promotes accountability, ethical leadership, transparency, and diversity in board structures, which is central to the “G” pillar.
On the environmental side, the NESREA Act requires organisations to comply with national environmental standards, which shows Nigeria’s legal commitment to responsible resource use and environmental protection.
In essence, while Nigeria does not yet have a single, unified “ESG law,” its existing labour, governance, and environmental statutes already create a strong foundation. They require organisations to respect the rights and welfare of employees, to act with integrity and transparency in governance, and to reduce harmful impacts on the environment.
For HR professionals and corporate leaders, recognising this alignment is crucial. It shows that ESG is not an abstract foreign concept but a practical extension of compliance with the laws and standards that already exist in Nigeria.
Finally, what is your one piece of advice to HR professionals who want to move from being administrators to becoming real drivers of ESG in their organisations?
If I had to give one piece of advice to HR professionals who want to move from being administrators to becoming true drivers of ESG, it would be this: embrace your role as a shaper of culture, not just a keeper of policies.
Too often, HR is confined to paperwork, compliance, and routine administration. But ESG requires more than processes. It requires people to live out values like fairness, inclusion, accountability, and sustainability in their daily work. And that is where HR has unmatched influence.
Every decision HR makes, from how people are hired and promoted, to how performance is managed, to how employee voices are heard, either reinforces or undermines an organisation’s ESG commitments. By embedding ESG principles into those touchpoints, HR professionals stop acting as passive enforcers and start leading change.
In short, the transformation comes from mindset: don’t just manage policies, use them to build a workplace culture that reflects ESG values. That is how HR shifts from the back office to the strategy room, becoming a true driver of sustainable business impact.
