Bringing your colleagues with you on your sustainability journey

Having set up systems to measure and manage an organisation’s environmental impacts, and put in place the policies and procedures, such as a robust energy management policy or travel plan, the next vital step is encouraging colleagues to adopt sustainable behaviours and embedding the concept that everyone’s role is a green role.

If the current trends in climate change and nature degradation are to be reversed, we need everyone to play their part.  UK workers spend, on average, 36 hours at work a week, meaning that how we all act at work can have a considerable impact on our planet. Good practice at work can also encourage greener behaviours at home too, which will lend greater support to the UK’s work to meet its net zero carbon and biodiversity protection targets.

Benefits and challenges

Staff wide engagement is a key part of the Investors in the Environment (iiE) programme and, when done well, can make a contribution to the wider community, meet CSR objectives and provide team building opportunities.  An organisation which demonstrates an authentic commitment to sustainability will also reap softer benefits of higher levels of staff satisfaction, better retention rates and will attract motivated prospective staff members: a survey undertaken by Censusworldwide in 2022 found that 73% of those workers surveyed wanted to work for a firm with a strong environmental commitment, and for 18-24s looking for a new job, this ranked it higher than home working and flexible working.

Many of those reading this article will have green behaviours embedded in their cores, but it is still surprising how many of our colleagues may be yet to fully understand how they can act to protect the planet and other people, or who are resistant to change. Whilst there is a growing understanding that change is essential, reasons such as social pressures, other work priorities, uncertainty around the actions, expense and time required and lack of clarity (or confusion around myths) can all play a role in discouraging people from changing the status quo.  However, there is some scientific evidence to suggest that once 25% of a group (so that could be staff of a company) adopt a particular behaviour, a tipping point is reached which triggers the rapid adoption of the behaviour by others in the group.

Encouraging Effective Change

When considering how to inspire behaviour change amongst colleagues, it is good to plan, test and evaluate how to persuade colleagues to do the ‘green’ thing and reflect on how ‘acting sustainably’ ranks for them.  Giki, the B Corp certified behaviour change platform, believes that people fall into one of four groups:

• Super Greens – these are the people who read the warning signs about climate change and the need for environmental protection a long time ago; they are willing to do more, share more (knowledge as well as possessions), will accept more ‘hassle’ to take a greener path and will be willing to pay more. They represent about 10% of the UK population; a figure which is not changing quickly.
• Busy But Aware – this group is ready to act but not too sure exactly what they should do. They are keen to act collectively, participating with others to reduce their impact. This is a group which is rapidly growing in number, which bodes well when the challenge facing us is considered.
• Pragmatists – this group comprises of those who will make sustainable choices when it is convenient for them to do so and the price is right. They don’t want any hassle, won’t consider spending more though they will happily accept the savings which can be derived from the efficiencies achieved through environmental action, and this, and related climate tech, is a good way to engage them..
• Sustainability Sceptics – this group are hard to engage – some believe it is too late to take action, feeling that individual action is useless unless the global community are all doing the same. Our best hope for engaging with them is when sustainable behaviours are embraced by the community around them; once the tipping point has been reached, they should embrace behaviour change.

Getting everyone ‘on board’ in the first instance will be almost impossible, particularly as studies report that behaviour change campaigns are more effective when people are told what they can do, rather than what they should do, and so campaigns need to be based more on offering carrots rather than using sticks. Therefore, considering how to appeal to at least a quarter of colleagues, who may draw from across some of the groups mentioned above is the best way to ensure that impacts are maximised and efforts aren’t wasted.

The following tips offer some suggestions about elements to incorporate into a campaign to change company culture and colleagues’ behaviour:

• Start with the basics: Before diving in and making changes, it’s crucial to understand where the organisation currently stands. Take a moment to identify existing behaviours and figure out what needs improvement. Observe colleagues and their habits or send out a survey to get feedback and establish where the baseline lies. Get their ideas about what they think the organisation could do or what they could do in their role to be greener; they are more likely to engage if they see their ideas being considered.
• Use defaults to your advantage: Defaults, or preset options, play a big role in shaping behaviour. This can include options such having as secure cycle parking at the front of workplace, the first option on the cafeteria menu being vegetarian or vegan option, setting the photocopier to double-sided, or signposting staff to the manually opened, rather than electric entrance door, or to the stairs rather than the lifts. By making eco-friendly options the norm, positive habits are encouraged.
• Enable change: System development and capacity building will support change by removing barriers to ‘good’ behaviours and building understanding. When they arise, maximise the use of change points (such as office moves, the introduction of new tech or software, leadership change or new staff recruitment) to instigate and embed systemic change.
• Encourage good behaviours – provide incentives and rewards to encourage your employees such as annual leave or bonuses. Some organisations have a sustainability statement in their job descriptions or include a simple-to-achieve sustainability related KPI or objective in their appraisal process which can help to encourage staff to step outside their existing behaviour patterns. Ensuring that senior staff lead by example is also important – they often have much more influence over the staff body than they might think.
• Personalise the journey: Find out what is important to the team and encourage them to connect with sustainability personally. Highlight the wider benefits gained from sustainable actions, aligning with their values – for example, active travel is a healthier, cheaper commuting option or lift sharing will also save money; making greener dietary choices can support wider environmental and ethical initiatives. Making it personal not only feels good but also boosts the impact of workplace initiatives.
• Run short, intensive campaigns or challenges: linking in with national campaigns (such as those listed here) can provide energy and a focus of activity. Make it enjoyable.  Encouraging interaction and gentle competition can also increase engagement.
• Questions and insights: Engage with your team to address concerns and share additional information; a suggestions box, communication channels, lunch & learn programmes, engaging posters, team building activities are all examples of initiatives iiE members have found useful in the past.
• Embed to last: Creating a sustainable workplace involves ongoing learning and adaptation. Stay connected with the team, address any barriers or resistance that arises (and ask why it’s happening!), and embrace their ideas. Communicate the results of the collective effort to drive positive and lasting change. Connecting with peers in other organisations can also help to bring fresh ideas to the fore.

iiE has run several webinars on how to run a successful behaviour change campaign which can be viewed on its YouTube Channel or there are number available on the wider web.  It is a trial-and-error process, so much like any management system, should be planned, acted upon, measured reviewed and adjusted before repeating the cycle. It is a really important aspect of any sustainability programme; good luck and go for it.