Employee engagement and sustainability go hand-in-hand. Organizations that build authentic sustainability-focused workplace cultures add extra dimensions to their employees’ sense of purpose. This makes you more appealing to job-seekers while helping your chances of retaining your existing employees.
Business management professionals also know that engaged employees are more productive employees. In virtually any industry, there’s a strong business case to be made for building a sustainable workplace culture. Let’s take a look at some proven paths for achieving that.
Sustainable workplace culture starts at the top
Experts agree: efforts to establish or change workplace culture must engage leadership. If management-level personnel aren’t yet on board with sustainability, making the business case can encourage them to rethink things.
Take a long-term focus when building that case. Instead of fixating on near-term costs, consider what the business stands to lose over longer periods of time.
Consumers are increasingly choosing to offer their patronage to sustainable businesses. A lack of concern for sustainability can also damage a company’s reputation, and its ability to attract and retain employees. No business wants to put its customers, employees, or reputation at risk.
Engage every employee
Culture shift gives organizations the opportunity to nurture the important relationship between employee engagement and sustainability. To this end, employers should give every team member an opportunity to have their voice heard.
One excellent way to encourage dialogue between employees and management is to directly involve team members in designing your sustainability program. Harvest suggestions from employees. Ask them to identify actions the business could take—however small they might seem—to reduce waste and resource consumption.
From there, build structured supports available to employees on an ongoing basis, which they can use to suggest further sustainability improvements. When employees know their voices will be heard, they become more engaged and committed.
Lead by example
Organizational employee engagement and sustainability efforts have more authority and impact when leaders practice what they preach. For example, managers and executives can participate in company commuter programs themselves. This could mean:
- Using carpools
- Taking public transit or using employer-provided transportation to get to work
- Walking, jogging, or biking instead of driving
Leaders powerfully reinforce the messaging behind your employee engagement and sustainability efforts when they get directly involved themselves. The trickle-down effect can be transformative. People inherently want to feel like they’re a part of something bigger. This is precisely the dynamic organizational leaders can help to build through their own participation.
Additional business benefits of employee engagement and sustainability
Recruitment and retention are not the only aspects of your business that benefit from a culture of sustainability.
You can also reduce your organization’s carbon footprint, validate sustainability-focused organizational branding, and advance corporate social responsibility objectives.
Leading experts also identify multiple secondary benefits that can have big impacts on a company’s bottom line. A culture of sustainability can reduce operating costs, drive innovation, and generate higher levels of customer loyalty.
Power your sustainable commuting program with Pave Commute
Pave Commute helps employers launch, track, and analyze the effectiveness of commuter-focused sustainability programs. Recognized with major industry awards, Pave Commute helps team members end their daily dependence on driving by connecting them with greener, smarter alternatives.
Employers can use the Pave Commute platform to monitor the key performance indicators that signal program effectiveness. Businesses also benefit from Pave Commute’s user-friendly, turnkey model. You can launch a Pave Commute program in minutes, with just a few clicks.
Sign up your team & try it today
Try Pave Commute with your team free for 30 days. No credit card required.
