Undeniably, businesses today continue to have a huge impact on the environment. For instance, many companies use fossil fuels and earth minerals to power their energy-intensive operations daily. Yet another example is the clearing of forest land to give way to more and more industries. And then there are the spillover effects of air, water, and soil pollution, which wreak havoc on humans and wildlife. Therefore, sustainability efforts must be increased if we are to protect the earth and its inhabitants. More than ever, it’s become critical for enterprises, from SMEs to large corporations, to incorporate sustainability in their strategy today. This article will share several effective ways to engage your employees in creating a sustainable business.
Encouraging employees toward sustainability at work
1. Provide opportunities for education in sustainability.
One crucial element to making sustainability efforts successful is information. Your employees may desire to contribute to a more eco-friendly environment in the office, but without eco-consciousness, their efforts will fall flat. Keeping them informed about the whys and how-tos of “going green” will enable them to walk the sustainability talk. For example, you can hold seminars about sustainable practices. By keeping them short and sweet, you can help ensure they won’t eat up their work schedules. Yet another example is hanging up signs around the office sharing earth trivia and practical tips they can do to protect Mother. Some gentle reminders can read “Turn me off when you’re not using me” (to encourage switching off of lights) or “Ditch me if it’s just a floor up or down” (to motivate the use of stairs inside of elevators).
2. Incentivize ecological initiatives within the company.
If your budget can accommodate it, you may run sustainability challenges with incentives. And even if you’re a bit tight financially, you can still be creative about handing out rewards to the challenge winners, such as a longer lunch break or an extra day off! A potentially doable challenge is incentivizing staff who bring their own reusable coffee mugs and utensils to the office, especially for those who bring their own lunch boxes. You can also reward those who are into slow fashion (that is, they dare to go minimalist or frequently wear the same outfits to work!). The first few employees who submit their entries (pictures of themselves practicing sustainability) win the challenge!
3. Lead by example.
Actions speak more loudly than words. And because business leaders and other top executives are highly influential, employees follow not just what they say but their every move as well. So when they see their boss being wasteful, then they are likely to follow suit. For example, they may notice their favorite executive constantly replacing their functional electronic gadgets with the latest ones as soon as they come out on the market. Consequently, their “office fans” may also aspire to replace their perfectly working units. Let’s face it; we usually don’t need the latest cutting-edge phones and laptops to perform excellently at work.
A more indirect way business executives may promote wasteful habits is by disregarding—unintentionally or otherwise—repeated requests to have broken toilets fixed. It may seem mundane, but this type of inaction can signal that it’s okay to misuse or abuse natural resources like water. By showing that they themselves practice sustainable habits, company leaders can motivate their employees to do the same.
4. Keep your meetings to a productive minimum.
Another instance of being wasteful is calling for a meeting and then coming unprepared. Every minute spent unproductively in such meetings eats into the individual work time that’s essential for efficiency and creativity. Get yourself out of the meeting madness by keeping it to a maximum of one hour—the shorter, the better. If you or your team haven’t done the necessary pre-work, you may want to reschedule the meeting to a more opportune time. By being well-prepared for each appointment, you’re communicating that it is important to use time, talent, and energy efficiently, which is how successful people stay productive.
5. Turn your employees into sustainability champions.
The buying power of the Gen Zs, those born from 1997 to 2012 (aged 10 to 25 today), continues to grow. Among the qualities of this generation is the importance it places on crucial issues of society, such as racial discrimination, inequality, and the environment. So, to stay relevant with this group, it’s essential to include sustainability in your company’s strategies. Why not tap your very own personnel to heighten community awareness about your sustainability efforts? For instance, you can conduct company-sponsored conservation projects where your employees can volunteer. You can then post pics of them on your corporate website and official social media accounts with a pro-environment hashtag that includes your brand name.
6. Implement visible “green” initiatives inside the company.
Little environmental efforts in the office like using indoor plants as decor, setting up a paperless way to approve recommendations and contracts, and doing away with single-use plastic in the coffee areas or pantries can add up and significantly make your business more sustainable. For more high-tech endeavors, you may also look into office sensors that automatically detect occupancy to switch lights or turn taps on or off. Not only can these modern contraptions bring your company into the 21st century, but they can also substantially lower its operating expenses.
Wrap up
There are plenty of ways to encourage employees to create a sustainable business, be it leveraging technology, creativity, or even social media. The key is helping them to understand the importance of doing things ecologically and providing doable opportunities that can get them motivated and on board. For more hacks to improve your business practices, check out the Lead, Grow, and Develop blog today.