Energy efficiency in the workplace is not just a challenge for upper management – it’s a whole team effort. And while big-ticket energy improvements like upgrading HVAC systems are great at reducing power consumption, they can only take you so far. 

Without employee buy-in, inefficiencies are likely to reappear over time. Educating and engaging your workforce in your energy-saving initiatives gives you the best chance of succeeding at lowering your company’s emissions.

There are many solutions to instilling an energy-efficient culture in your workplace, and in this article, we’ve provided a few practical suggestions to try with your teams.

Make it easy:

• Supply the right tools: Employees are much more likely to flick a switch on a power strip than to unplug their desktop each night. Invest in small changes around the office to make it easier for your employees to stick to good energy habits.
• Offer travel schemes: Offering environmentally friendly transport schemes is a great way to lower greenhouse emissions. Salary sacrifices for electric vehicles, the Cycle to Work scheme, or subsidised public transport are all great options.
• Set clear policies: A clear, written policy is one of the easiest ways for staff to follow energy-efficiency best practices. Even simple rules like ‘turn your computer off when going home’ can make a big difference.
• Provide reminders: In a busy workplace, it’s easy for bad habits to creep in. Place ‘turn me off’ stickers next to manual light switches, or add pop-ups encouraging staff to turn computers off at the end of the day to keep energy waste low.
• Consider remote working: Adopting a work-from-home culture is not only beneficial for your staff’s work-life balance – it reduces commuting emissions and can lower office energy usage. Consider whether a work-from-home policy is right for your business.

Educate and engage:

• Share your strategy: Sharing your high-level goals, key milestones, and an overview of how you plan to get there allows your workforce to join you on the journey to an energy-efficient office.
• Provide training: Educating your staff on why saving energy is important and how they can be more efficient in their daily activities provides them with the skills they need to play their part in your sustainability strategy.
• Keep up momentum: While formal training is great, it’s all too easy for staff to slip into bad habits over time. Keep momentum up with regular staff communications, like sharing energy-saving tips in newsletters, posters, or workshops.
• Provide incentives: Encouraging a little healthy competition is a sure-fire way to get buy-in from your staff. Offer prizes for the team that clocks up the most walk-to-work miles, or the employee who comes up with the best energy-saving initiative.
• Pick green ambassadors: Form an employee-led committee of sustainably-minded people from across the business, and task them with creating innovative solutions to reduce power wastage across the firm.

Shift the culture: 

• Commit top-down: Culture shifts only succeed if senior team members lead by example. This means real, and visible participation from leadership – gimmicks and token gestures breed resentment, not support.
• Involve your teams: Nobody is more familiar with the day-to-day of your office than your employees. Use suggestion boxes, staff questionnaires, and workshops to gather their insights, using these to create realistic and sustainable policies. 
• Explain the ‘why’: Don’t just explain how your staff can be more energy efficient, explain why. If they understand the impact of their actions and the difference they can make as individuals, they’re much more likely to engage long-term. 
• Update your values: Your company values are the foundation of your organisation’s identity. Build sustainability into your business from the ground up by adding energy efficiency to your core values.
• Hire the right people: Hire staff who are aligned with your company’s environmental values to ensure you’re building a workforce for the future.

With employee support behind your energy-saving initiatives, you’ll have the best chance of hitting your sustainability targets. Keep momentum going by sharing results and key milestones with your staff at regular intervals – including them in company successes will ensure your workforce is moving towards your energy goals with you. 

Looking for more ways to make your workplace efficient? Check out our four-step guide to an energy-efficient office here.