Rebecca Chedd, one of our expert environmental business advisors, summarises how businesses can effectively engage their staff to instil a resource efficient culture in the workforce.
When we think about ways to improve the environmental performance of a business, it can be easy to jump into the trap of thinking it requires lots of capital investment in green technologies like solar panels or electric vehicles.
Actually, some of the most effective ways to drive down your consumption of energy and resources are achievable simply through instilling an environmental culture and harnessing the motivations of staff.
Below are some of the key takeaway points from our webinar workshop, Creating an Environmentally Aware Workforce.
The business case for culture change
So why put effort into creating an environmentally aware workforce? Here are a few of the benefits:
- Staff will feel more involved in the business
- You can achieve some quick and easy cost savings with little to no investment
- It can help you demonstrate green credentials to customers and stakeholders
- There can be knock-on benefits to other areas of your business such as your quality policy or social value commitments
- It can provide your employees with tips for saving energy and resources they can use at home.
As long as there is continuous reinforcement to embed real long-term culture change, the potential cost savings can be surprising. Typically, businesses can achieve between 5-20 per cent savings on their bottom line through relatively straightforward actions.
For many businesses, it can be as simple as reminders to switch equipment off, introducing a first in/last out procedure, using recycling bins correctly or encouraging video conferencing rather than business travel.
For manufacturers, additional measures such as training staff to maximise the utilisation of plant or implement good production scheduling can deliver sizeable savings. Combining these ‘people-focused’ solutions with low cost technologies like sensors and controls will maximise the benefits. You can find some good starter ideas for energy efficiency here.
Consult with the team
In any engagement exercise, listening to and consulting with your staff is far more effective than giving orders. Employees should be given ample opportunities for input, for example through formal consultations or surveys, suggestion boxes, team meetings or an ‘open door’ policy with senior management.
A great example I like to point to is one of my clients in Bolton, Clean Air Ltd. The company has done a fantastic job of engaging staff in its mission to become carbon neutral through setting up an in-house ‘environmental committee’. The committee is made up of representatives from all levels of the business and meets every three months to monitor progress and discuss new ideas. It’s been a huge success.
Bringing everyone with you: In conversation with Clean Air Ltd
