8 tips for employee engagement and climate engagement in 2023

Last week we hosted industry experts from the energy, sustainability, B Corp and startup industries for a conversation about climate change, employee engagement and business survival in 2023 and beyond.

While we worked hard to plan an engaging conversation, we cannot take credit for the insightful and engaging contributions made by our panellists Julia Chalmers , Paul Lewis , Nicky Browning and our founder Hermione Taylor . We also owe a massive thank you to our brilliant host Flo Parker , as well as the lively participation of our attendees.?

Here are the top tips from our panellists on developing a climate employee engagement strategy that also helps deliver on your sustainability goals.

8 tips for climate employee engagement in 2023

From Hermione Taylor - Founder and CEO at Do Nation:

1. Start now: ?Perfection is the enemy of progress, and climate change isn’t waiting for anyone. Take the first step, however small, in steering your organisation to be more sustainable in its corporate strategy and individual climate employee engagement.??
2. You’re not alone : If conversations about sustainability goals are not yet normalised in your organisation, it can feel daunting to start them. We don’t always? realise that there will be others who share our convictions about taking environmental action at work. Your little spark might be the nudge they need to lend their support.?
3. Assume the best: Data shows an increasing appetite for people in the UK to do more for the environment 1. Most people only need a nudge to help bridge the gap between intention and action. In proposing any environmental awareness initiatives, it's helpful to assume that most people want to protect? the environment. Climate employee engagement results often positively surprise our clients.?

From Julia Chalmers - Head of Employee Engagement, HR Data Security and Compliance, SSE

4. Listen and take action: Organisations need to authentically listen and respond to their employees to avoid talent attrition, which is very costly. Be transparent? in your engagement initiatives with your employees about your sustainability goals and how they may impact them, and listen to their feedback on it. You also need to demonstrate you take their feedback seriously by acting upon it.?

5. Use data wisely: If you’re making a case to management for sustainability initiatives, do it with data. Use internal data from employees as well as credible external sources to make and contextualise a solid business case for a climate employment strataegy.?

From Nicky Browning - Talent Lead and B Corp Manager, Graze

6. Accessibility and inclusivity is key: Include everyone. Consider all forms of physical, mental and personality adjustments you can make to ensure everyone can contribute in the way that’s most comfortable for them. It could be as simple as setting up breakout rooms for people who may not like contributing in big meetings, or giving options for one-on-one or email based contributions. Similar accommodations can be made for colleagues who are earlier on in their careers, and less climate confident. This is especially effective as it means your climate employee engagement initiatives won’t be preaching to the already converted.?

From Paul Lewis, Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer, Seismic

7. Draw on internal knowledge: From decades of experience helping organisations to build ESG strategies, as well as the capabilities to deliver on them, shows organisations often underestimate the internal knowledge they already have. When they start to engage employees on ESG strategies they’re surprised by the wealth of ideas and information already available within the community.?

8. Create the space and mandate to take action: Climate education is important, but?people also need the space and a clear justification for why they should take action, and how it benefits them as employees, as well as the organisation. This is an effective way to empower and encourage those within your organisation who are already knowledgeable and passionate about these issues to step forward and champion them internally.?

Further reading

?? A recap of the full discussion, as well answers to leftover questions from the audience is available on our blog.?

?? Download your copy of the Greenprint report, which collates the data points that underpin the discussion, and contains further tips and?case studies.

Calling all B Corps! New employee resources for B Corp month 2023

If you are a B Corp ready to engage your employees in environmental action, we have a time-limited, bespoke offer for B Corp month 2023, with templates and other support resources. Read more.