Tips on making your workplace more sustainable

Planning a campaign for a sustainable workplace can be a little tricky since it requires your employees to make drastic changes in their lifestyle. Even though most people have become conscious of certain activities harming the environment, how do you introduce sustainability programs while keeping the productivity of your employees intact? Your work is not just about keeping the toxic air out of the office but to keep toxicity of all kinds at bay, hence, employee mindfulness is equally important.

Here are a few tips that will help you make a more sustainable workplace:

Employ carpool programs

Employing carpool programs for your employees can significantly reduce the carbon emissions during transit. Most of the employees in the USA travel by car to the office, you can reduce this number by asking neighboring employees to travel together. Further, the idea is to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, so do not stop at carpooling. Encourage your employees to travel by bike, use public transportation, etc. However, to make sure your employees follow through, do not indulge in extreme practices. For instance, banning parking spaces for a car may backfire. Instead, deploy rewarding programs that encourage your employees to adopt sustainable practices to commute.

Use biodegradable products

Choose eco-friendly alternatives for the products you use in your office to go green. You can opt for less-harmful products. For instance, buy recycled paper towels and toilet paper. Greencane has a nice initiative where they use bamboo and recycled sugarcane for their paper products. Instead of using plastic cups for water, introduce paper cups or personal bottles for your employees.

Make your office paperless

Keep the drawers of your office empty and reduce paper use. You may start by changing your business practices. For instance, if you send a lot of emails/faxes, look for reliable digital alternatives. Or, incorporate a digital alternative HR system for payroll, benefits, etc. Or, while interviewing candidates, you can ask them not to bring the paper resumes.  Instead, it would be ideal to use an online platform that allows candidates to build online resumes and send you electronically. If your office issues bills or statements for purchases. You can introduce e-bills to reduce paper usage.

Introduce a recycling program

Ensure sustainability in the workplace by introducing recycling programs. You may deploy designated waste stations and provide information with respect to what products/waste can be recycled. You can introduce reusables for plates, cups, etc., and try to involve your janitorial staff for more insights on this.

Establish a committee/green-team

Set a committee for your sustainable workplace that will help you organize the green practices. You do not have to hire people for this purpose, you can ask your employees to volunteer. You can even introduce some rewards programs for getting people to stand up and join. The idea of using a committee is that going green may be a little expensive. However, you can ask the committee to do research and look for cost-effective options. For instance, if there are some documents that need to be printed, use both the side of the paper for printing.