Sustainability leaders-bring your whole company on the journey to net zero.
We already know that employee engagement contributes to improved customer satisfaction, better business performance and better workplace safety. But it also contributes to another outcome – one that is vital for the planet - your company’s journey to net zero
However many company’s neglect to properly engage employees on climate change so they fall over at the very first stage. To reduce carbon emissions and reach net zero, all aspects of business need to change, without exception. It’s better to have 500 employees thinking how to do things better than just two or three in the sustainability team: the best ideas often come from the people who do the job day-in-day-out.
Net zero
The language of climate change and net zero, with its acronyms, its reports and its science-based targets, can actually disengage many people. Despite this, it’s very likely that your employees are thinking, or even worrying about climate change - what does climate change mean for me, and for my children? Will rising sea levels affect my city? Will severe weather patterns affect my home or even my job?
An effective net zero strategy is going to mean big changes so you must involve your employees at every step. Indeed, the journey will be so much smoother if you do.
So how does a sustainability leader bring about company-wide engagement.
Here are the key steps!
Open up the conversation
Run a survey to gather up employee attitudes towards climate change, ask for suggestions on what the company can do to respond. To encourage participation in the survey, commit to making their feedback part of your Net Zero strategy.
Make it personal
Ask employees to think about something or someone they truly value and how climate change will impact them. Climate change often feels like a distant thing. Make the conversation personal, about them and not just the company.
Communication
Create a video for your employees (you can use David Attenborough’s amazing videos e.g. his speech at COP26 would help endorse your message), share your own thoughts about climate change, why climate action is important to you. Explain how you feel (inspired to change? excited? anxious? confused?). Be honest, it will set the tone.
Net zero week
Plan a company-wide conversation about climate change and Net Zero - your company could have a climate week. No hidden agenda. It’s simply to get people talking. In the week before launching the conversation, create a buzz by sharing ‘nuggets’ of information about the reality and impact of climate change (use your company ezine, social platforms, meetings, posters, even buy some eco swag to make the message lasting and memorable e.g. keep cups and water bottles).
Senior to mid-level mangers
Meet with your leaders and managers to plan how to start Net Zero conversations within their individual teams. The aim here is to discuss how climate change affects their team’s work – whether they’re in finance, IT, legal, production or HR.
Also ask your HR leader how you can make the net zero agenda part of their team objectives and even individual goals e.g. all employees have to take part of one Net Zero discussion in the next three months and set out their personal objectives and goals.
Keep up momentum
Create forums for employees to share their thoughts.
Green team & climate champions
Set up a company-wide green team with representation from all business functions, and recruit climate champions in every team. But ensure your green team work alongside the sustainability lead, and that they have a strategic mandate.
Transformation
Building out a Net Zero company strategy means reviewing products, processes and supply chains, looking for ways to make them more climate friendly. It most likely means re-thinking both short and long-term investment priorities. It may very well prompt debate about the company’s core purpose and even its proposition. Don’t underestimate the size of this change - it will be a complete business transformation
Training
Research into organisational change shows us that when employees have a sense of personal ownership and shared responsibility, they are more likely to support changes that affect them. If done incorrectly employees feel less motivated to change behaviours, and even resist. A key part of this is enabling your team through quality climate training. You need to get everyone up to speed quickly so they can contribute in a meaningful way.
OK so hopefully you’re convinced employee engagement is a key pillar in your net zero strategy, it cannot be an afterthought. And if net zero isn’t already a core part of your business strategy - It’s time to change that - this is the most important journey you will lead your company on.
Rewrite is an online climate education programme focussed on solutions and actions, and it’s based on hope, not fear. We believe that if we change how people feel about the issue of climate change, we can build responsiveness at every level.