The role of your team in driving sustainability is not to be underestimated. As more companies recognise the value of environmental, social, and governance practices (ESG) as strategic priorities with significant business potential, your team’s contributions become even more apparent.
With an increased demand for transparency on ESG matters, whilst visionary leadership is vital, the commitment and active involvement of every team member is equally important for organisational success.
In this article, we explore some impactful ways businesses can implement and motivate their teams to create a sustainability-focused culture.
Implementing practical strategies
At the Tudor Group, we believe the team is the beating heart of everything we do. Our team play an essential role in delivering the service on the ground; without them, we couldn’t do what we do. People are more aware than ever of our impact on the planet and the critical role that following sustainable practices can play in safeguarding our planet’s precious natural resources. When considering sustainability for a business, we believe it is fundamental to focus on the people to support the overall ESG strategy of the company.
By placing employees at the core of an organisation’s ESG strategy, businesses can leverage the initiatives that team members may already be undertaking. If a team member volunteers in the local community, it’s worth considering how, as a business, you can support them on this. For instance, they can finish early on the day they volunteer. This empowers the employees to take the initiative and makes them feel supported by the business. Such initiatives can be pivotal in inspiring a culture shift within the team.
Starting with social
The ’social’ aspect of ESG is vital to delivering the overall strategy and is one of the fundamental pillars on which our business has been built. Empowering teams to take ownership of social impacts and ensuring the policies and pledges are relevant and engaging can help address environmental issues.
Businesses should ensure that policies and pledges are relevant and engaging to take ownership of social impacts; this instils a sense of responsibility for environmental impact among their staff. Conducting training and making active recommendations can support these efforts and cultural change. In addition, selecting someone within the team who spearheads communication of events and activities can help motivate and rally the team.
We conduct regular Employee Engagement Surveys at the Tudor Group to enable an engaged and fully informed workforce. Management is encouraged to demonstrate an ‘open door policy’ whereby employees can provide feedback through performance reviews.
Listen, understand, take action
Creating an open-door policy for your staff is a good starting point for developing sustainable practices. Frequently asking questions to understand what they are already doing that is contributing towards sustainability within the local community, or what initiative they might be interested in, such as cycle-to-work schemes, can provide a business with valuable insight into what is important to a team
Businesses can incentivise and support their efforts by asking, for example, if employees already dedicate many hours to volunteering, companies can provide additional time to facilitate such activities, effectively contributing to them. You could also implement initiatives like a match funding pot, in which businesses match a portion of employees’ charitable donations. When implementing these initiatives, it’s worth noting that they should be appropriately documented and available to staff.
A steady, progressive change
As with any strategy, it is essential to recognise that adjustments relating to sustainability are a gradual change and not something that can simply be achieved overnight. Organisations can gradually embed sustainability into their operations by developing a robust program. Small, achievable changes, as a part of a more comprehensive plan, go some way to establishing a business as a responsible employer. When employees observe the benefits of change and are passionate about making it work, they take ownership of implementing practical, sustainable strategies.
A ‘people first’ approach could lead to many benefits, such as improved morale, a more engaged team, and improved staff retention.
Fabien Caqueret, Managing Director at Tudor Group, comments:
“We have adopted a robust ESG strategy and continue to seek ways in which we can continue to seek ways to improve our roadmap to a sustainable future. We strongly emphasise a people-first culture, and we can see the benefits it brings in terms of staff retention and satisfaction.
“The cleaning and facilities management sector brings many ESG challenges, but we continue to strive to provide sustainable services combined with strong environmental, social, and governance performance.”
If you’d like to know more about our ESG strategy, please click here. If you would like to know more about how our cleaning and FM service can support your strategies and wider goals, please get in touch.
