More and more companies across industries are committing to improving their environmental footprint by not only changing the business models but also creating environmentally conscious workplaces.
In fact, there is an inextricable connection between organizational attitude towards environmental sustainability and profitability as consumers are becoming more conscious about who they are buying from. Moreover, they are getting keener eyes to differentiate greenwashing brands from those that are not.
Developing a truly eco-conscious organization also requires an internal branding effort that aligns your employees with your organizational vision towards sustainability. The successful image of your company comes from consistent employee engagement in the workplace designed to promote sustainability. There are various ways to reduce the carbon footprint, engage your employees, and increase their productivity by installing sustainability in your workplace.
This blog will introduce you to several campaigns you can implement to promote an environmentally conscious workplace.
Create green space
Does your office have enough greens?
Often room plants are just seen as decorations or a part of interior designs. However, installing more greens in your workplace has a significant effect on your employee’s performance and also nature by itself. Having plants in your workplace brings a host of benefits to your business. It reduces attention fatigues and boosts concentration, which drives more productivity among your employees.
Moreover, some room plants purify the air in your office space, which also connects to both the physical and mental wellbeing of your employees that are crucial to the faster growth of your business.
Additionally, you can help nature by planting plants that are friendly to pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Whether it’s your terrace space, balcony, or even rooftop and a window seal, you can make the most out of the spaces available to support a sustainable ecosystem.Accordingly, creating more greeneries in your office space nurtures employee’s eco-consciousness mindset through daily interaction with nature. Go check out some plants that might become a new part of your sustainable office environment.
Remove disposable items
Everyone loves coffees and teas to brighten up their work day, but are you drinking them more sustainably?
Each year we consume 16 billion paper cups for drinking teas, coffees, and other beverages, which constantly puts more pressure on the environment and exacerbates resource exhaustion of the planet.
By removing disposables items such as paper cups and plastic cutleries and making reusable items a part of workplace habits, you can encourage your employees to engage in sustainable practice and contribute to the reduction of carbon footprint in your office.
Furthermore, eco-conscious replacement in your workplace drives down office expenses since you would purchase fewer office supplies less frequently.
Would you give your employees glass flasks or tumblers with your brand logo? Or would you provide your employees reusable lunch boxes with cutleries? You can start with the smallest changes you can make to promote an environmentally conscious mindset in your workplace.
Encourage green commuting
How do your employees commute to your company? Do they have healthy and sustainable commutes?
With potential road rage, traffic jams, rush hour, and car trouble, your employees could undergo various stresses and risks when driving to the workplace. In addition. Because of these potential risks, car commute drains their energies even before starting their days at work and generates more carbon footprint.
You can solve this issue by encouraging green commuting among your employees. For example, your employees can take advantage of carpooling and commute together in the same car. This would make daily commuting less dull and less stressful.
Also, if the employees start commuting by bike or foot more frequently, it helps them and the planet stay healthier and more sustainable.
Think about what would be the most ideal and sustainable way for your employees to commute to their workplaces every day.
Host workshops and trainings
Becoming eco-conscious is easier said but more difficult to be done. You may encounter a less successful outcome of your sustainable campaign in your office while you’re implementing all the possible practices to reduce your carbon footprint in your workplace.
Why does this happen?
This happens because you’re probably not effectively sharing the value of an environmentally conscious workplace with your employees. Not everyone is as concerned and knowledgeable as you’re with environmental issues and eco-friendly practices and forcing your ideas on your employees only turns their interest away.
By hosting workshops and trainings to help them learn how to be more sustainable, you can align your employees with your value and maximize the impact created by your environmentally conscious workplace. Interested in booking a zero waste workshop with us ? Click the button below:
Share outcomes achieved by your employee’s engagement!
This is the most important roadblock in building an environmentally conscious workplace. Don’t be silent about what’s achieved and what could be improved in the current sustainable practice.
By sharing information or auditing the progress together with your employees, you can create a shared vision between you and your employees toward the sustainable goal in your workplace.
Moreover, don’t make it too serious or too boring otherwise your employees would see it as a part of tasks or just an extra burden they would have to put up with. You could avoid causing this situation by, for instance, gamifying the campaign where employees earn certain awards or prizes every time the team hits a certain cornerstone during the campaign.
The more motivational your campaign is, the more likely it will be to instigate your employees to invest themselves in the campaign.
Don’t miss engaging and entertaining factors of the campaign whenever you’re rolling out one in your workplace!
Conclusion
Creating an environmentally conscious workplace is a crucial step to building an authentic profile of a sustainable business, but it cannot be achieved without your employee’s engagement.
However, successful promotion of sustainability in your workplace doesn’t only come with a sustainable image of your business, but also healthier and more productive employees who will lead your business to further growth.
Start brainstorming how you can nurture an environmentally conscious mindset in your workplace. You can even include some of your team members or employees to already share your vision and goals with them from the early stage of your sustainable business adventure!
