Yes! Engage your employees in a more sustainable living

In this post, we explain why you should engage your employees in a more sustainable lifestyle and share three different ways you can get?started.

Why should a company engage in the?lifestyle of its employees? Seems a strange thing to do? Well, yes, talking about a more sustainable living for your employees gets you thinking about surveillance systems and not being allowed to eat what you want.

The horror! But that would take a very authoritarian view of what a company can ask of an employee…??

In reality, companies already heavily influence the lifestyles of their employees in everything from when we get out of bed in the morning to how stressed we are. And how we use our bodies and what money we have for?consumption and savings.?

Instead, it turns out that bringing sustainability into the conversation at work is actually a positive experience, says 85% of survey participants. In fact, staff expects their employers to take action on climate, and 65% state they want to be active in that work.??

Opening up for a conversation about sustainability for individuals, the workplace, and the planet as a whole creates a very engaging and positive experience for your employees. But there are more!

Why engage your employees in sustainable living?

1. Foster green innovation within?the?company

The world is moving fast, and the green transition will only speed up in the coming years. For your company to stay on top, rethink your business model, cater to changing consumer behaviors and demands, reorganize sales and distribution, etc.

So you will need your team to really understand what is happening here. And there is no stronger way to understand something than to connect it to your reality and lifestyle.

There are a few stepstones to make this happen in a non-intrusive way while creating room for innovation:?

• Create internal awareness of your sustainability work to date. Many projects are already in progress, and your employees need to know about them to contribute.?
• Educate personnel in understanding the complexity of the question and how individuals, communities,?companies, and government policy all fit into this.??
• Emphasize that you are doing this together. Talking about the consequences of climate change can be?overwhelming and create a lot of anxiety. Showing your company takes this seriously and works for a better tomorrow will give a sense of belonging and purpose.??
• Invite your team to participate in identifying ideas on how to improve and speed up. The people close to the problem can often provide simple, accessible insights and solutions.?

2. Improve?sustainability?performance?and?activate new customers

Every sector of the global economy needs to transform and?radically decarbonize?in just over two business cycles. And there’s an increase in consumer demand for sustainable products and services.??

This means creating space for more innovation and a better understanding of customers’ needs for your company. With your team keeping a prime focus on this, you will develop better products and services suited for the future.

The fast-changing landscape requires more collaborative work, and a shared understanding within the whole of your company of the problems and opportunities. And who knows, if you’re fast enough, you may gain a competitive advantage!?

Your customers will be equally appreciative as your personnel for taking action, so spread the word of your progress. You will be a role model for your industry, activating a larger community of existing and potential customers.?

3. Engage?and?retain?your?personnel

Okay, now your team is well-informed and ready to innovate and improve your sustainability performance. But do they like it? Yes, creating a shared understanding around sustainability seems to generate loyalty and trust among the employees.

Our customer surveys show that 85% of the participants are happy that their employer is engaging them in sustainability.

Companies today are struggling to keep key personnel and recruit new talents. When working from home becomes the norm, we need renewed efforts to engage our employees in the challenges and opportunities the company faces.

It’s fun to try out new stuff, to feel part of a solution, a community, and to contribute! And it’s fun to do something great for the climate! So do good stuff and celebrate it—in return, your employees will stay with you and create a stronger company.

So how do you get started in engaging your employees in sustainability?

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