necessary to resign and join an employer with a more forward-thinking approach to green issues and energy use. Similarly, job seekers now scrutinise the green credentials of a prospective employer more than ever before and expect to see evidence of how something is put back into charities and the local community.

 

In the last year we have worked with two different organisations that adopted a number of positive initiatives towards the environment, but had not publicised this on their website, marketing material, recruitment advertisements or interview process. As a result their employer brand was not being enhanced.

 

SAVING MONEY

It sounds obvious but some organisations are wasting cash right now, for example:

• Turning off computers at night and at weekends saves £27 per year per PC;
• Fitting a timer on vending machines to turn them off at night and weekends saves £160 annually per machine;
• Being perceived as an environmentally-friendly organisation can also have commercial benefits. Many people like to buy ethical or environmentally friendly products, and some commentators use examples like the success of Ben & Jerry’s and the Body Shop to illustrate that ethical and green businesses are now in the mainstream.

PUTTING A STRATEGY IN PLACE
We propose the following approach:

1. Identify your organisation’s present current strategy;
2. Develop a comprehensive communications and change plan targeted at your employees;
3. Get your sponsor(s) to ‘walk the talk’ - ideally the Managing Partner or Chief Executive – this can be the single most powerful force for organizational change;
4. Create a compelling case for change to use in your communications plan - find a local hook such as the floods of 2007 in Doncaster and Hull for Yorkshire-based employers;
5. Get your employees involved - provide opportunities to learn such as measuring the carbon footprint of a trade show or arrange a visit from a local cycle shop;
6. Recognise and reinforce the right behaviours - through financial and non-financial methods;
7. Embed values as a way of doing business;
8. Measuring change and impact - we love measuring change and this is an area where measurement is really straightforward, such as energy bills and money earned from recycling;
9. Keep yourself up-to-date.

 

EMPLOYER BRANDING

• HR professionals can help to build trust for their organisations by identifying the important issues in the communities where they operate and then developing mutually beneficial actions. In addition, they should monitor environmental standards and practices to be sure their workplace conditions conform. When a company is successful with its employment branding strategy, more consumers will favour its products and more suppliers will want to work with it.

A favourable green employer brand will:

• Attract potential employees;
• Help to increase motivation and engagement through a shared set of values;
• Reduce labour turnover because the organisation is one in which people want to work;
• Improve the health of the workforce (for example, by encouraging cycling to work).

GREEN JOBS
Tempting as it may be during a recession to cut back on environmental initiatives, a growing trend is for organisations to hire ‘green champions’.  Reviewing the online job boards and specialist trade journals it is noticeable how many more climate change-related jobs have appeared in the last year and also how salaries have risen. We believe that in order to get buy-in from all the different stakeholders, it is better if it is the responsibility of someone in a senior position.

 

WHAT CAN BE DONE?
The list is growing all the time but here are some of the initiatives that we have come across:

• Consider video-conferencing as an alternative to travelling to interviews;
• Ensure that all bulbs are low-energy;
• Make sure furniture or equipment is not blocking any heating or windows;
• Find out if your workplace is properly insulated and draught-proofed;
• If you're the last to leave the office, make sure you turn everything off, such as lights, computer equipment, appliances, motors and machinery;
• Make it easy for people to make the changes: find a place to padlock bikes, label the bins clearly, label which printers are for best (and set for double sided), and which for draft (recycle used paper). Make sure this difference shows on their computer screen (in the printer name) so they can easily select the correct printer for their task;
• Show them what they need to do, and educate and motivate people about the initiative;
• Avoid using guilt as a motivator - tell people about the good they can do, not the harm they are doing;
• Measure what isn’t happening (due to their changed habits) as well as what is e.g. miles not driven, paper not used, energy not consumed – and publicise the difference made to the planet;
• Use visual feedback – graphs, pictures, videos - to show the cumulative difference the workforce is making;
• Capitalise on the existing interest and enthusiasm in the workforce for these initiatives. Find the staff members who know more about this than you do and involve them;
• Be clear about exactly what the behaviour is that you want. Create longer-term strategic plans to tackle the bigger changes: instigating supplier standards, reducing international travel;
• Recognise that change takes energy, time and attention, and allow for this. Accept that when people learn to do things differently it will seem harder than things they do habitually;
• Acknowledge that some things will be harder than others and will incur a cost of convenience, time, privacy etc.;
• Collectively create some memorable statements of intent: We choose the greener path. To leave the world a better place. A heavier boot, a lighter footprint;
• Publicise your achievements to the wider world: attract strategic, future minded recruits, go for awards, and create pride.
  

 

Do find the talent - There is a clear difference in outcomes if the leader focuses first on getting the right people in place before ploughing ahead with new strategies and plans. Effective leaders spend significant time reviewing the people already in the organisation and identifying talent.

Determine how much support will be provided and how much it is likely to cost Professional outplacement is typically £2,500 per person or £1,000 for a group for a less personalised service. Lower cost options would be to ask for input from local agencies...

Fluid
Registered Office: 2 Abbey Court, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 4SA Tel: 0113 258 7335 Fax: 0113 258 3119
Mobile: 07751 536043  Email: tim@fluidconsultinglimited.com  Web: www.fluidconsultinglimited.com