Many B2B organizations that have embarked on the path toward sustainability are looking toward their employees to foster a culture of environmental and social responsibility. Employees play a critical role along the entire supply chain of many B2B companies and can be a galvanizing force for positive change.
For example, nearly three-quarters (73%) of employed adults who participate in environmental and social responsibility efforts at work are more likely to consider sustainable choices at home, according to the 2013 Gibbs & Soell “Sense and Sustainability” study. (Disclosure: The author of this article is a co-author of the study.) The research also shows that 80% of sustainability-engaged employees are likely to encourage others to be more involved in green and socially conscious activities.
The impact of sustainability on employees who are engaged extends to their purchase intent as consumers, as well.
Three-quarters (75%) of respondents said they would be more likely to buy a company’s products or services if they learned it was making a great effort to adopt practices that benefit the environment and society.
It is clear that professional communicators can look to their own company’s workers to model sustainability-minded behavior in the broader marketplace. As a result, businesses that seek to generate greater return on investments from sustainable practices and products are paying closer attention to employee engagement.
However, not enough companies are recognizing the opportunity within their own workplace.
The study reports two-thirds (67%) of employees said they were not sure whether there is anyone at their company who is responsible for sustainability, or they say no one is responsible for sustainability at work.
Nearly one-fifth (19%) of employees said their company does not promote sustainability at all. How can companies inspire their employees to actions that go beyond Earth Day, which is April 22, and embrace activities that demonstrate a genuine commitment to a sustainability mission?
To learn more about the development and implementation of CSR or sustainability programs for employees, we turned to three senior communications executives of global B2B organizations— specializing in industrial manufacturing, professional services and technology—who have adopted an integrated communications approach throughout their companies.
While their individual business focus may not be squarely on the general public, these B2B companies understand the value of employee engagement in doing business with a broader purpose.
STACEY JONES
Managing Director, Corporate and Recruitment Marketing, Accenture
Training and developing people to achieve higher levels of performance is a hallmark of Accenture.
In 2009 we harnessed that capability to develop skills that drive economic empowerment in both emerging and developed markets around the world.
As a result, our corporate citizenship initiative, Skills to Succeed, helps people build the skills they need to find jobs, grow businesses and shape communities.
We have already exceeded our original goal of equipping 250,000 people by 2015 with these skills and recently announced our new target of helping 500,000 people by 2015.
To ensure that Skills to Succeed is relevant and accessible to our more than 261,000 employees, we bring it to life in the communities where our people live and work.
Our goal is to encourage our people’s participation and to celebrate their tremendous contribution to improving lives.
In part, we use a blend of social, internal and digital channels to share local success stories involving our people, our nonprofit partners and the direct beneficiaries of Accenture’s more than 200 initiatives.
For example, we created a digital Skills to Succeed Impact Map that features stories, video and pictures showcasing up-to-date information on specific Skills to Succeed initiatives.
JENNIFER MATTES
Director, Global Public Affairs, Johnson Controls
From our beginnings with the invention of the thermostat, to our current products and services that increase energy efficiency in buildings and cars globally, Johnson Controls has sustainability and corporate social responsibility at its core. Yet providing a clear definition remains a challenge. What do these terms mean, exactly?
We engage employees in coming up with their own definition through their actions and experiences in global volunteer and philanthropic programs that involve employees and their families.
Through Blue Sky Involve, employees form volunteer groups that work with local nonprofit organizations and schools on projects promoting environmental stewardship and leadership development. Johnson Controls supports the teams with grants of $1,000 per project.
In 2012, 15,500 employees formed 1,350 project teams and volunteered in 64 countries, with their selected charities or schools receiving $1.35 million in grants. Since Blue Sky Involve began in 2006, employees have volunteered more than 680,600 hours.
The Johnson Controls Conservation Leadership Corps program offers high school and university students, including employees’ children, hands-on experience in environmental stewardship and leadership development.
Our employees participate through mentoring opportunities with the students as well as tree planting days with their families. Employees get engaged with company-supported initiatives in our local communities, gaining understanding of sustainability through actions.
TIM MOHIN
Director, Corporate Responsibility, AMD
At AMD, we understand the benefits of engaging employees into our sustainability and CR programs. Employee engagement is a top business priority for AMD, and sustainability programs are a way for us to drive better engagement.
Through feedback from our employees we realized that many of them were passionate about making AMD a more sustainable company and were willing to help make this happen.
As a result, AMD formed “green teams” to engage eco-minded employees on company initiatives tied to saving energy, saving water and reducing waste.
In addition, we also created AMD Community Corps, a program that links professional development to community service, and have experienced great results.
Like most companies, we, too, run into challenges surrounding our employee engagement programs.
As a global organization with thousands of employees around the world, communicating and coordinating logistics is frequently a challenge. We’ve found that employing strong site liaisons is critical to enabling successful employee programs.
We recruit our most motivated people at sites around the world to help manage their local volunteer efforts.
We give them resources, guidelines and tools, but they determine the priorities and projects and actively recruit employees on their campuses to go out and serve as volunteers.
We believe that employees who get the opportunity to work on a social or environmental cause become more engaged in their company, and, we’ve seen, this can benefit the bottom line. PRN
CONTACT:
Mary Buhay, @Marybuhay; Stacey Jones, [email protected]; Jennifer Mattes, [email protected]; Tim Mohin, @timmohinAMD.