Workforce
As a business owner you have a unique role of positive influence over your employees. There are many different ways you, your business and your employees can have a positive effect on the climate.
Below are some ways you can involve your workforce in climate action:
Education
Help to develop your employee's educational knowledge on climate change, the needs and benefits of climate action, and the changes they could make to help improve the climate. Organisations such as the Carbon Literacy Project can provide resources for you to deliver training to your employees and provide an accreditation when the course is complete.
By developing your employee's educational knowledge on the climate it is likely to provide a space for new ideas of how your business can become more environmentally friendly. Educating your employees is mutually beneficial by providing professional development for your employees and creating a more informed workforce for your business.
Consider what role specific training you could provide to your employees depending on the remit of your organisation, examples could include:
By developing your employee's educational knowledge on the climate it is likely to provide a space for new ideas of how your business can become more environmentally friendly. Educating your employees is mutually beneficial by providing professional development for your employees and creating a more informed workforce for your business.
Consider what role specific training you could provide to your employees depending on the remit of your organisation, examples could include:
- Sustainable supply chains
- Engineering training on new green technologies
- Climate anxiety training- how to cope with it, how to help clients/employees with it
- Appropriate waste disposal
- How to appropriately discuss climate change with vulnerable groups- such as how teachers/care providers discuss climate change with young children
- How to ensure construction work complies with biodiversity targets
Celebrating national/international environmental days
There are a huge amount of national/international environmental days that you could celebrate within your workplace, a quick Google search will provide lists of these.
Examples could include:
Examples could include:
- Providing a larger variety of vegan food items in your canteen to encourage employees to take part in Veganuary.
- Celebrate World Volunteers Day by providing your employees an opportunity for them to volunteer at climate projects in their local communities.
- Participate in Second-Hand September by providing a swap shop for your employees where they bring in a second-hand item (such as clothes or books) and swap it for another item that someone else brought in.
Encouraging behaviour change
Encouraging employees to undertake small, no-energy behaviour changes whilst at work.
This could include:
This could include:
- Reducing printing
- Only having necessary devices plugged in and switched on
- Bringing a reusable coffee cup to work instead of buying a disposable one every day
- Encouraging proper recycling of waste
- Have a climate champion within the office - You could even offer incentives to your employees to make it a competition between teams/employees with a prize for the winner