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Can “Green HR” help to save the planet?

February 7, 2012 in Environment, Ethics, People, HR with Comments Off

Human resources (HR) has a role to play in building greener businesses. Its closeness to people across departments makes it arguably the best-placed business function to introduce and enforce greener working practices and change environmentally unfriendly behaviours. And while its scope may be limited to managing the behaviours of people – as opposed to directing wider strategic or operational policies – HR has a significant opportunity to contribute to the green movement. If being green is not reason enough, the motivation to get involved might be driven by the fact that, increasingly, people want to work for greener businesses.

HR is already involved in the development, training, retraining and behavioural management of people, with the overall objective of improving business performance. It also has a role in defining organisational policies, such as flexible working rules or codes of conduct. With these competencies in mind, it is apparent that managing certain green policies from within HR could be advantageous. Where an individual’s choice of behaviour could impact the environment, HR could play a role in defining policy. For example, HR could define instances where face-to-face offsite meetings are necessary, or where video or web conferencing could be used as a greener alternative.

A survey conducted in the US, which analysed responses from 93 organisations from a range of different industries, identified some commonly practised green-friendly HR initiatives, including encouraging online/tele-conferencing to reduce travel, and promoting the reduction of paper use. The survey commented that “employee involvement in green programs dramatically increases when organizations appoint an individual to lead the efforts”. Don Sanford, managing director of Buck’s Communication, the company behind the survey, concluded that “there is still much more that organisations can do”.

To go further HR leaders could pursue green initiatives on a number of levels. For example, HR could work with IT departments to define policies on the correct use of computer power management systems, or promote the importance of turning off computers, printers and lights when leaving the office. More widely, building green responsibilities directly into job descriptions could provide a two-fold benefit; first ensuring green policies are explicitly part of an employee’s responsibilities, and second, providing routes for employee feedback on ideas which could help to improve environmental efficiencies. Employees who are familiar with their own job roles may be best-placed to identify green opportunities and proactively suggest improvements.

Increasingly, potential new recruits are likely to consider the green credentials of employers. If HR has a vested interest in a company’s environmental practices, it could position the business as a more attractive proposition to new talent. In this respect, being green could be strategically valuable to tomorrow’s HR.

It is clear that whilst HR cannot always take the lead in an organisation’s green approach, it could work with decision makers to define and disseminate information and instructions to its people, so that they can learn how to behave in more environmentally friendly ways. As well as contributing to an important corporate social responsibility, this positive action could make the company a more attractive employment proposition for new talent. If you work in HR, why not ask yourself what role you could play in helping to save the planet.

Top-down environmental management

February 7, 2012 in Environment, Ethics, Leadership, Management, People, HR with Comments Off

Many businesses have no impetus to go green because they continue to underestimate their impact on the environment. To become greener – and improve efficiencies – business leaders must open their eyes and manage environmental issues from the top down.

Businesses continue to underestimate their environmental impact

In 2007 we reported on a NetRegs SME-nvironment study, in which 85 per cent of the 4,000 small to medium sized businesses surveyed believed they did not undertake any environmentally harmful activities. When prompted with a list of harmful activities, 49 per cent agreed that they undertook at least one of them. The same study, undertook in 2009, found that 91 per cent of respondents believed they did not undertake harmful activities – but when prompted with a list of harmful activities 46 per cent admitted to undertaking at least one of them. For two years and counting, a sizeable proportion of businesses continue to underestimate their impact on the environment.

What business leaders can do

Realising your business’s true environmental impact is one thing. It’s also important to appreciate the business benefits of environmental management, including cost reduction, compliance with legislation, and the marketing benefits of going green (consumers are becoming increasingly interested in the green credentials of products and services). Such insights provide a strong business case for environmental management, which can be taken with confidence to your management team.

An assessment of environmental impact should include analysis of premises, business operations, products and services. Looking at business functions and processes, stage-by-stage, uncovers weaknesses that can be turned into opportunities to improve efficiencies. Identifying the nature and significance of specific environmental impacts also provides direction for environmental management.

But where do you start, exactly? This question, and more, can be answered by reading about environmental management systems, such as those available from the British Standards Institution. These systems provide stage-by-stage guidance to help assess, manage and continually improve business processes and activities. Reading the basics can help to take first steps in assessing your impact, creating an environmental policy, and proactively managing environmental issues. Committed businesses may also implement environmental management systems in order to obtain independent certification – a valuable way of attracting increasingly green-conscious consumers.

Leaders must lead

Last month we outlined eight principles for ‘sustained success’, one of which was a ‘system approach to management’, which means effectively managing processes and activities in line with objectives. If being green is an objective, management should work to define, implement and continually improve processes required to meet this objective. Management should also ensure that responsibilities for fulfilling objectives are clear. Without top-down commitment and direction, environmental policies may be forgotten, ignored, or lack the required resources, support and coordination.

That’s not to say the onus is solely on management. Business functions, such as HR, can play a role in the pursuit of greener business practices. And a bottom-up approach can be useful for conjuring up ideas on how to improve environmental efficiencies. Ultimately though – when it comes to environmental awareness and management – most businesses require their leaders to take the lead.

BRISTOL BUSINESS COMMUNITY LAUNCHES 2050 VISION

December 8, 2011 in Bristol, Economy, Environment, Ethics, People, HR, Policy, Legislation, Transport with Comments Off

A blueprint for Bristol’s development over the next 40 years has today been published.  The publication is the culmination of a two-year project known as Bristol 2050 and is thought to be the first of its kind in Europe.

Bristol 2050 has brought together business leaders from across the region, led by Business West.  Together they have looked past Bristol’s current overall prosperity and have discarded the very English penchant for the status quo – to test the boundaries, think boldly and keep growth concerns at the absolute forefront of future policy thinking.

The findings of the project have today been published in a hardback book, known as ‘High in Hope’, authored by Dr John Savage CBE and with contributions from influential town planner David Lock CBE.  Among its recommendations, High in Hope advises that up to 6,000 hectares of land may need to be developed by 2050 to deliver much needed jobs and houses.  It also seeks to address the need to create an efficient and comprehensive public transport system.

Other specific ideas seen as critical to the future growth and prosperity of the region include the development of an Avon Barrage, extending High Speed Rail to Bristol and a greater ability to levy local taxes and use the funds.

Commenting on the project, Dr Savage said:

“The Bristol region is already attractive to people and businesses but there is uncertainty about where it is going and why; there is no longer-term vision, no overall leadership, no sense of a shared direction.  By ensuring that the business voice is heard and championing Bristol as the place to do business and to live, we believe that we can achieve a tangible and improving return on public investment, with a significant increase in the gross domestic product of the city-region.  We must make a statement to both local and national government about the importance of the city region and the desire for change and strong leadership.”

Phil Smith, managing director of Business West said: “The book is only the beginning; the primary reason for publishing the 2050 vision now is to start a debate, raise aspirations and illustrate the benefits of long term strategic thinking.  We have involved the wider business community from the start of this project and for it to be a success there needs to be an ongoing debate and a continual flow of new ideas.  To facilitate this we’ve set up project groups and are encouraging the wider business community to participate and take ideas forward.”

Green Your Business and Save Cash

November 10, 2010 in Environment, Ethics, Guest Bloggers, Tips with Comments Off

Guest Blogger: Member, Isabel Duckworth, Monitor My Workspace

Businesses of all sizes must now think about how they can reduce their energy use. As well as doing their bit for the environment, it also means they become more efficient and save money. 

According to the Carbon Trust, office equipment accounts for 15 per cent of UK energy consumption. It’s an alarming figure – but hardly surprising, given that even the smallest office is full of electrical equipment and needs to be lit and heated during colder months.

More and more businesses are trying to find ways to cut their energy usage and reduce their carbon footprint. Many bigger companies are guided by the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), which requires them to cut their carbon dioxide emissions.

Many smaller businesses want to do their bit, so how can firms set move closer to becoming carbon neutral? 

Everybody knows that they should switch off their monitors and lights and only print when necessary, but what else can you do?

Energy monitoring systems measure how much energy you are using, how much it costs and the amount of carbon that is being released by equipment. You can then identify which pieces are wasting energy or perhaps are just not very efficient. It is what you do with the collected data that will ultimately lead to energy savings. Some equipment can be accessed remotely and even programmed to come on and off at certain times, thereby ensuring the water and heating for instance is only on when you need it or that computers aren’t left on standby overnight.

Everyday acts such as driving, flying and using equipment consumes much energy and produces greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. You can compensate for unavoidable emissions by paying someone to make an equivalent greenhouse gas saving. This is known as ‘carbon offsetting’.

After calculating your emissions you can buy the equivalent amount in ‘credits’ from emission reduction projects. Renewable energy and energy efficiency projects such as wind farms, hydroelectric dams or solar energy can be good projects to support. They can have immediate benefits to the environment as well as making renewable energy more affordable and reducing future greenhouse gas emissions to make up for our daily travel and electricity use.

When purchasing offsets, look out for international standards (VCS, VER+, Gold Standard, CDM CER) to ensure that they receive recognised and reputable credits. CERs are verified by the UN and meet the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. To help guide you on the quality of offsetting schemes, the government is developing a code of best practice for companies that sell offsets.

You may also look at becoming ISO 14001 compliant. The standard promotes the decrease in resource wastage and aims to reduce pollution. It can be a lengthy and expensive process, but your clients may look favorably on it. 

Alternatively, look at BS8555, which has been designed specifically with SMEs in mind. It breaks down the process of gaining ISO 14001 into six clear steps. It provides an SME with a phased approach to implementing an environmental management system and gives them better control over the process. BS8555 details six clear phases and provides an organisation with clear milestones by which they can demonstrate their achievements to their customers both internally and externally.

Top tips

  • Monitor your electricity use. Configure energy-saving monitors using time switches. Choose energy-efficient equipment.
  • Encourage your staff to walk, cycle, car-share or use public transport. 
  • Switch off lights in empty rooms and corridors. This can save up to 15% on your energy bill.
  • Recycle – paper, cardboard, tins, plastic and glass. It will help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with landfills.
  • Fit energy saving light bulbs and clean them yearly.
  • Set your workplace thermostat at 19 degrees C – costs rise by 8% for every 1 degrees C increase. 
  • Turn down/off heating during holidays and weekends and don’t heat unused space.
  • Install a water softener. Most of the UK suffers from hard water, causing pipes, heating elements and appliance to become clogged with limescale and use much more energy than they should.
  • Use an energy-saving kettle and only boil the amount of water you need each time.
  • Fit water saving device in your cistern to save when flushing, this can save you three litres per flush.

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