Get your staff engaged in your carbon reduction plan

Create a shared culture of responsibility to help your employees to play their part.

Involving your team in sustainability initiatives could benefit your business by:

• reducing energy costs and increasing profitability
• inspiring your workforce to be part of carbon reduction
• getting you recognised as a progressive and responsible organisation in your community
• increasing staff retention and recruitment of employees who want to work for an eco-friendly organisation

Work out what to do
Explain your plan
Set up an action plan
Put your plan into action
Embed your plan in your workplace

Work out what to do

Calculate your current usage and set realistic targets for the next six months. Setting targets to reduce the elements you are measuring will ensure you are making progress on your journey.

Reduce the impact of energy costs with smart meters and management systems.

Explain your plan

1) Involve your team in the process from the beginning

You can increase the chance of real change if your employees understand why you are trying to save energy. It can also reduce the need for continuous input from leadership.

2) Decide when and how to state your case

Explain the benefits of energy saving in an informal meeting at an appropriate time. Benefits include:

a healthier environment – more natural light and better air quality will enhance physical and mental wellbeing
a new dynamic teamwork – a chance to influence and inspire others to step up to net zero
professional development opportunities

3) Promote your goals in realistic, relatable, and manageable terms

Highlight what your business is already doing well in terms of sustainability. Avoid preaching or criticism.

Set up an action plan

Decide how you will talk about progress and updates.

Develop an action plan by:

setting up meetings where everyone can come up with ideas – some employees might be able to share their good energy saving practices
asking staff to review their own workstation or practices
appointing a green champion – an enthusiastic employee to motivate your team
setting up surveys, competitions or team projects, such as setting targets to reduce energy consumption
setting up a working group to share responsibility for setting goals and reporting back

Put your plan into action

Use simple cost-saving actions, including the following:

1) Switching off equipment

This will save you money and increase its lifetime as you won’t need to replace it as often. You could:

set up an employee rota for the last to leave to check equipment is switched off, including printers, copiers, vending machines and coffee machines and any equipment
turn off computer monitors off if they are away from their desks for more than 10 minutes
turn off both PCs and monitors at the plug at the end of the day
make sure that infrequently used printers and photocopiers are turned on only when required
set computers and other devices to sleep when not in use – short energy breaks can cut energy use by up to 70%

2) Heating and cooling

Encourage your staff to help reduce your business’s energy bills by:

set heat lower – you can lower your monthly heating bill up to 8% for every 1°C you reduce
set your air conditioning to the highest comfortable temperature – every degree of extra cooling may cost you 5-10% more
encourage staff to layer up or dress cool in warmer weather
keep doors and windows closed when the air-conditioning is on

3) Lighting

Take steps to optimise your natural light and reduce energy from lighting systems. You could:

maximise the use of daylight and hold off switching on lights until absolutely necessary
position your furniture, so it makes the most of natural light
optimise the brightness of their monitors; the brighter they are the more energy they use and this can cause eye strain

Find out more ways to save on lighting by changing behaviour and equipment.

4) Recycling

Set up an office waste management and recycling system and back it up with a policy you share with your employees. Hold a meeting to make sure staff are on board with reducing waste.

To help reduce waste and recycle more, you could:

label bins so employees are clear on what goes into the recycling bin and what goes into general rubbish
establish a food waste bin
go single-use plastic free in the office
bring reusable food and drink containers
go paperless or use recycled paper
print on both sides of paper
print as drafts
remove bins from under desks to encourage recycling
share office supplies

Find out about more ways to reduce waste and reycle more.

5) Reducing the impact of transport

Encourage your staff to switch their mode of transport, for example, by cycling or walking to work, car-pooling or using public transport.

Find out how to implement a cycle to work scheme.

Find out about more ways to reduce the impact of business travel.

Embed your plan in your workplace

Make sustainability part of your workplace culture. Steps you could take include:

drawing up an energy-saving checklist that puts sustainability at the forefront of operations and policy
giving regular updates on how your energy-saving strategy is going via email or another communication channel
rewarding employees who are demonstrating their commitment to sustainability
including energy saving responsibilities in job descriptions
making sustainability a key agenda item for the leadership team and part of every meeting.
creating marketing materials such as reminders and promotional materials to raise awareness