Sustainable Work: How to Create an Eco, Forward-Looking Workplace
Did you know 40 percent of millennials would take less pay just to work at a sustainable company? 70 percent will only consider job offers from companies that have a strong environmental agenda.
As a business owner, what do these stats tell you? Sustainable work is now a driving force in many business aspects. When you run a sustainable company, you will easily attract and retain the best talent.
But what does it take to make your workplace sustainable? If you’re like most small business owners, this is your #1 challenge right now.
If you’re looking for help, you’ve come to the right place. Continue reading to learn how you can transform your workplace into an eco-friendly, forward-looking space.
Rethink Your Energy Usage
The most impactful thing you can do to create a sustainable workplace is to check your business’ energy consumption. Like most businesses, you’re certainly using power from fossil fuels. Fossil fuel plants are the biggest producers of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, which are bad for the environment.
If you want a truly sustainable workplace, start by switching to renewable energy, such as solar or wind power. This way, you’ll significantly lower your business’s carbon blueprint.
However, going fully renewable can be costly or even out of reach for most small businesses. When this is the case, you can start small. For example, ensure you’re using LED lights everywhere in the office, and whenever possible purchase solar-powered office equipment.
Go Paperless
We all thought the digital revolution will bring the era of paper to an end but, boy, weren’t we wrong! Paper is still a mainstay in most offices across the world. In fact, the average office worker uses about 10,000 sheets of paper every year.
Yet, the more we use paper, the more we will continue cutting down trees. Can you imagine a world without trees? What will clean up the air we breathe?
This is why going paperless is a big move when you want to create a sustainable company. This shouldn’t be expensive, since there are so many free or cost-effective digital solutions that can replace paper. In the meantime, work on reducing your paper waste.
Hire an In-House Sustainability Specialist
If you’re a small business with a handful employees, you can implement your sustainability strategies on your own. However, as your business expands, or if you already have tens of employees, you might not have enough time or expertise to create a sustainable company.
You need to hire an in-house specialist. Although most companies will do with a sustainability specialist with broad training, depending on the nature of your firm you might need someone with niche expertise. For example, if your business is a manufacturing plant, you’ll need to find an industrial hygienist.
Sustainable Work Is Possible
Sustainable work is the present and future of work, no doubt. As a business owner, you have to evolve with the times or risk being left behind. With this guide, you now know the measures you can take to build a more sustainable workplace.
There are many more measures, so be sure to keep reading our blog.
Samantha Gaines wrote this article on behalf of FreeUp. FreeUp is the fastest-growing freelance marketplace in the US. FreeUp only accepts the top 1% of freelance applicants. Click here to get access to the top freelancers in the world.
HTV Native Ad Solutions and Hearst partners may earn revenue when readers click affiliate links in this article.