Eco-Friendly
Employers are becoming increasingly aware that there is a shift towards sustainability which must be met and equally employees are beginning to look for environmental credentials within organisations which they are a part of or even looking to join.
The signs point to new legislation coming and a lot of organisations are trying to get ahead with new policies and pledges. Is it worth looking at your sustainability and ways in which you can become an Eco-Friendly employer?
There is growing emphasis being placed on the environment and the need for companies and employers to become more sustainable. We can see this in recent surveys including the Corporate Crisis Climate Report where two-thirds of respondents stated that they want to see more transparency from their employers about the organisations sustainability plans and becoming more eco-friendly.
COP26 passed with much fanfare, where we saw world leaders attending, thousands of people marching in the street and negotiations running right up until the last minute. So, what does an Eco-Friendly employer look like in practice?
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Sustainability Considerations
Visible changes can signal that you are looking at sustainable ways of working – small initiatives such as recycling bins, avoiding single use plastic and having less waste can help to the make the case that you are engaged on this global issue.
Employees can help and assist in the journey to become an Eco-Friendly employer, starting with suggestion boxes, or setting up a sustainability committee which can enhance employee engagement and buy-in to the changes.
An advantage to becoming more Eco-Friendly can be seen in recruitment as recent studies suggest graduates are placing environmental choices at the top of their criteria when searching for their first jobs. In a recent survey 34% of UK workers said they would turn down a job from a company with poor sustainability credentials.
Environmental Initiatives
The good news is most organisations have already started becoming more environmentally friendly. We can see this as an outcomes from Covid-19 and increased remote working, which then leads to reduced carbon emissions from reduced commuting and less office space being used/developed. The signs all point to a continuation of hybrid working and this can lead to a greener environment for organisations. Advancing on from this when opening offices again is to introduce more eco-friendly ways of working and to engage with employees on these changes. Having a sustainability statement or policy will help to show that as a organisation you are moving in an eco-friendlier way.
It is unlikely you can become a net zero organisation by tomorrow, or next week or even next year and employees/customers/consumers understand this. However, implementing initiatives and thinking about changes which will help your organisation to grow in an Eco-Friendly way, can support you in becoming a leader in your field, retaining the top talent and/or recruiting the best candidate. If you can start by becoming environmentally conscious the rest will follow, and as it is likely to become more enforceable in the future it really is worth getting ahead of the game.
You can find more information here https://startups.co.uk/news/smes-cop26/
People Management Article – Three-quarters of workers want their employer to be more transparent on sustainability, research finds
The CIPD podcast https://www.cipd.co.uk/podcasts/environmental-sustainability
For more support on how to implement Eco-Friendly policies and initiatives in your organisation, please get in touch for a chat. We’d love to help. Letstalk@albanyhr.com, 0131 364 4186.
