How can employee engagement with sustainability benefit your business?

1. It can give your business a competitive edge

Being aware of the direct link between the economy and our environment, and then acting on it leads to better outcomes, as Kate Raworth demonstrates in her 2017 book ‘Doughnut Economics’. She explains how business has a direct impact on the world around us. You can use this to give your business a competitive edge where sustainability is embedded into your working culture through your employees. Their involvement allows them to adapt to the needs of the environment. They can help to actively reduce your corporate energy bills, carbon taxes and transport costs through their individual contributions.

2. Thinking long-term

Encouraging your employees to have a long-term vision and mindset towards energy efficiency can have a direct impact on capital expenditure in the future. You can encourage this through promoting energy-efficient behaviour on a regular basis. For example, encouraging employees to switch off lights before leaving a room, switching off their computers at the end of the work day, or holding sustainability workshops for them to get involved in.

3. Integrating sustainability into your business operations

Communicating your environmental policy with your employees is a key requirement of ISO 14001. This ensures that all employees understand your organisation’s environmental objectives, targets, and policies, and their role in supporting and achieving those goals.

Employee engagement in your environmental policy ensures compliance and active participation in embedding environmental considerations in every stage of a business process or transaction. This could be from choosing a supplier, to negotiating a deal, or communicating with a client. Over time, this mindset becomes part of your company values and culture, contributing to your business operations becoming more sustainable.

4. Fostering employee buy-in

In order to reach your net zero goals and comply with sustainability legislation, you need buy-in from every member of staff.

To get staff on board with your energy efficiency strategy, you could give them a sense of ownership over it. For example, by inviting employees to share their feedback which you can then use to iterate your plans.

This creates a feeling of empowerment for your employees, when they can see that their knowledge and contributions can shape the world around them. When you have employee buy-in, they are more likely to make changes that will help support your business’ goals.

5. Building a sustainable culture within your business

Energy-efficient workplaces do not just benefit cost-cutting. They contribute to a positive organisational culture. By facilitating a sense of innovation where employees know their efforts contribute to sustainability and a shared sense of purpose, you build your reputation as a progressive and modern organisation that people want to be a part of.

6. Improving employee wellbeing

Engaging employees in your energy efficiency plans can play an important part in boosting their morale. When the positive impact they can make is highlighted, employees can find a sense of purpose and meaning in their work.

Staff who have high levels of morale have better mental and physical health, are less likely to experience work-related stress, and take fewer sick days, CIPD’s 2023 health and wellbeing at work report (PDF).

7. Increasing productivity and performance

Engaged employees are happier employees. They are more productive too, which can have a knock-on effect on your wider business. When staff are connected to the business through a shared goal, this can result in genuine motivation, enhanced job satisfaction, and increased overall performance.

8. Attracting and retaining the best talent

Job seekers are increasingly looking at a company’s sustainability credentials when deciding whether to apply for a role or not. In competitive recruitment markets, prioritising employee engagement with sustainability can help your business stand out. Engaging your colleagues in topics like the climate emergency can speak to their personal values. You can offer them a way to channel those values through their work.

In addition, workplaces with high levels of employee engagement keep talent which can result in better performance, as well as the need for costly frequent recruitment.

9. Boost your brand image

Greenwashing is a hot topic with businesses and consumers. Therefore, there is increasing importance in being genuine and transparent when it comes to sustainability commitments as a business.

If your employees embed behaviours that align with your business’ sustainability goals into their work and personal lives, this automatically feeds into the company’s image.

So, if you want your business to be seen as sustainable by consumers, start by engaging your staff.

10. Building brand loyalty

Consumers increasingly look for brands and businesses that align with their personal values. Employees act as ambassadors for your business. When they are engaged, this can increase customer loyalty and retention by appealing to those values. In the context of the climate emergency, promoting sustainable behaviour is already important and will be even more so in the future.

How to engage employees with sustainability

Employee training, when integrated with your business’ wider sustainability strategy, can encourage employee engagement on your sustainability journey.

You can find out more on how to engage employees with sustainability by visiting Energy Saving Trust’s e-learning materials.