CSR Employee Engagement
“Employee engagement as a strategy for a carbon neutral/green company”
A programme to make visible the effect of sustainable behaviour on the workplace
Background An increasing number of organizations undertake to design a solid sustainability policy, inspired by an understanding of their responsibility to contribute to a more sustainable development. It can take the form of eco-efficiency measures - to save energy and cut back on CO2 emissions. Many companies shift to renewable energy and compensate the CO2 emissions of their air miles by planting trees. Furthermore the Cradle-to-Cradle philosophy is an inspiration for many companies to strive for a positive footprint, so to transform to an eco-effective operation.
All this needs to take into account the contribution that employees can make. At the end of the day it is the people that make an organization, and a drive for sustainability can only be successful in the longer term if it becomes a personal thing for every employee, where he or she can make a difference by showing how sustainability can work in day-to-day operations.
Engaging employees in the sustainability objectives offers a double gain to businesses: apart from an increase in sustainable behaviour in the workplace, they will find that the potential of technical appliances is utilized better (people start to read user manuals and find out about the right way to operate e.g. climate control appliances). The same applies for the structure in place to promote sustainability (people start to understand e.g. the ISO guidelines better and see them more as a useful tool rather than a mere source of extra work.
Triple P: Positive results in sustainability performance through behavioural change campaigns have been achieved by a number of large corporations so far. Results that can be translated to the triple bottom line of people (employee satisfaction/ inspiration), planet (reduced environmental impact) and profit (financial savings).
How? The behavioural change campaigns are based on the assumption that behaviour will change the moment employees are offered practical tips for action that have a direct bearing on their daily work. Hence, campaigns address the themes energy, paper, mobility, waste, water and use of materials.
Generally, organizations start by executing a pilot or a condensed group of people covering a number of physical locations which serves to gear the campaign to the organization’s culture. When the success by such a specific group of people has become manifest (through monitoring of hard savings and soft factors), the method can be scaled up. In rolling out the campaign, it is important to step it up in stages. In each stage of the campaign, a new theme builds on to the basement of sustainable behaviour and makes it more robust. After a period of about one year, employees will have internalized the actions – e.g. ‘switching off the light’ and ‘making double-sided copies’ have now become automatic to them. Besides, employees will have gained a deeper consciousness of the bigger picture of sustainability and will have developed an in-house network ready for new sustainability initiatives.
The success of the behavioural change campaigns is based on the fact that they depart from a vision that virtually each office employee can embrace and translate to personal meaning (including those that do not have contact with customers and do not represent the company’s CSR effort). It is important to invest any (or a percentage of) cost savings (e.g. from energy saving) in new initiatives that will contribute to the vision of e.g. a carbon neutral operation or a green office. Behavioural change campaigns are quick wins: low investment can lead to considerable efficiency gains, rendering a good return on investment. In addition, they generate ideas and support from employees for more far-reaching eco-efficiency measures (mostly technical and/or organisational).
Results: The results that can be achieved, as shown by various business cases, are:
Savings on energy use, paper use and transport can be estimated as follows (actual savings depend on the company’s performance at start):
• Energy: 10-30% cut in energy use;
• Paper: 30-50% cut in paper use;
• Transport: 5-10% cut in fuel use.
A contribution to the organization’s sustainability reputation towards its employees. Previous evaluations show that participants in the campaign:
• feel proud to be part of the organization;
• feel good about making a contribution to sustainability during their daily work;
• develop a greater awareness of what they can contribute to sustainability on a personal level (outside the field of the themes discussed);
• develop an increased awareness of what the company could do to boost its sustainability performance (ideas as well as constructive criticism vis-à-vis the organization).
A contribution to employees’ overall well-being. Evaluations show that employees experience an improvement in the following fields:
• feeling part of a team;
• a more spirited team;
• an opportunity to take responsibility together with colleagues;
• the feeling of being personally involved in the sustainability issue/the environment.
The formation of an in-house network of people used to work together on concrete results which in the future can be utilized for other issues which can lead to an even more sustainable organization.
Sustainability becomes an inherent part of the organization’s identity, enabling the company to communicate its efforts. Our market survey shows that ‘authenticity’ is of vital importance, as consumers are quick to spot a false show if producers of sustainable products and services do not work on the basis of a true identity.
The methodology which is at the basis of such behavioural change campaigns was developed by the Global Action Plan for the Earth Foundation and has been shown to actually effect a long-term behavioural change. In the example of ABN AMRO Bank, electricity use was down 17% compared to performance in a reference department even six months after the energy campaign. In relation to its household programme, Global Action Plan showed that the behavioural change even internalizes. The University of Leiden’s longitudinal research about this programme shows that the method used is more effective than other behavioural change methods, and that ex-participants in an EcoTeam (which is about how to take on a more sustainable lifestyle) will take on further sustainable behaviour as time goes by.
Phasing: Developing and implementing behavioural change always requires customization, as each organization has its own culture. If campaigns are to be successful, their design has to be adjusted to this culture. The first group serves to do just that, so to gain sufficient knowledge and experience to design an effective campaign for the company as a whole.
Design: The development of a campaign model starts with a session ‘design session’. During this session, the points of departure are identified with a team of key representatives. It generally takes half a day, although sometimes more sessions are required.
Core Team: the core team is formed by representatives of employees, facilities management / ICT (monitoring and technical know-how), procurement, Human Resource Management, internal communication, CSR department and a member of the company management team. This team will work with their colleagues during the pilot phase as change agents. They will lead the behavioural change in the workplaces. Facilities management and ICT will provide the technical infrastructure to support employees in their environmentally friendly actions, as well as provide the measuring system to monitor the effects during and after the campaign (energy use, paper use, etc.).
Behavioural Scan: A standard behavioural scan will be executed to map the present situation in environmental behaviour among staff. An additional advantage of the scan is that in filling it out, employees start to become more aware of the environment. It can be seen as an educational and a monitoring tool in one. The results of the scan will show where the greatest gains can be made. This information will be the basis for the next step.
Workshop: After the behavioural scan a workshop will be held for all employees. The workshop will be held several times, until all will have been able to participate. The length of this workshop is one hour maximum.
Workplace: From then on, the change agents supported by a group of internal ambassadors take on their leading role in behavioural change. They will be supported by means of a periodical ‘change agents’ lunch meeting’ (e.g. once every month), where they can present cases they come across in practice and receive coaching. In addition, results will be discussed and specific actions will be initiated here (e.g. the ‘clean your files day’ as part of the Paper theme).
Monitoring: It is important to have or to install a monitoring device to make the campaign’s results manifest. Employees participating in the campaign will be inspired to continue in the next stage, or they will even be prepared to step up their effort when they see to what results they are contributing. The feedback is communicated through the ambassadors. This is an important part in a behavioural change campaign, requiring ongoing attention.
Evaluation: When the campaign is over, an evaluation scan (questionnaire) is organised and a personal evaluation is held with the people that played a key role in it. This session will take approx. 2 hours. On the basis of this evaluation, an evaluation report will be drawn up, outlining things learned and recommendations for the further process.
Executives: Work on Progress BV has worked on developing and implementing sustainable behaviour programmes in a corporate environment for more than 10 years. Work on Progress is part of an international network of behavioural change professionals: Global Action Plan, which in the Netherlands takes the form of a foundation. Ellen van den Adel of Work on Progress is in the foundation’s board. It is her responsibility to guide large Dutch corporations that have the aspiration to involve employees in creating a sustainable workplace and culture.