Engaging staff in sustainable initiatives can give them a greater sense of ownership in the organization and in meeting goals, which can help you recruit and more importantly, retain, your organization’s talented people.
Employees who say they have the opportunity to make a direct social and environmental impact report higher satisfaction than those who don’t – which can influence recruitment and retention of top talent.
Some examples of successful employee engagement strategies include:
- Engage staff in sustainability programs and in the celebrations of success
- Offer employees “green” employee benefits
- Incorporate activities that give employees the chance to contribute to sustainability initiatives
- Recognize staff for their environmental improvement efforts
- Add environmental stewardship goals to job descriptions.
- Educate staff in new and annual orientation on the benefits of healthier environments.
- Host fun events like bike-to-work events, cook-offs, and health fairs.
- Celebrate Earth Day in April, or any time of year, through education, activities and giving back.
Practice Greenhealth’s Employee engagement toolkit includes a set of templates and checklists for human resources professionals and sustainability coordinators to actively involve employees in organizational initiatives and offer employees opportunities to adopt sustainable practices in their personal lives as well.
