INVOLVING STAFF

Greenhouse action by your staff can be one of the keys to success in Greenhouse Challenge Plus, as educating your people and motivating them to change their workplace habits can reap ongoing results for the environment and your bottom line.

These tools are designed to help you educate your staff about the Greenhouse Challenge Plus programme, and motivate them to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Announce your Greenhouse Challenge Plus participation

Inform your staff members of your participation in the programme and outline what Greenhouse Challenge Plus membership means for your company.

A good way to start your participation in Greenhouse Challenge Plus is to announce your commitment to the people who will be responsible for its success - your staff.

Your staff announcement can take the form of a broadcast e-mail on your intranet, a story in your newsletter, or a flyer distributed throughout your offices or manufacturing sites.

Through the announcement, you can outline your priorities and targets, and identify the key actions that your company will take over a period of time. Where changes directly affect staff, management can explain how staff will be impacted and smooth over any uncertainties.

Involve staff in meeting your greenhouse goals

There are many ways you can involve your staff throughout your membership. Read about how fellow members have implemented staff awareness and action campaigns.

Companies from all industry sectors are increasingly trying to involve all of their staff in the integration of environmental issues into day-to-day work practices.

Creating staff support for Greenhouse Challenge Plus not only involves informing and educating employees - it is also about recognising their capacity to contribute to the programme and rewarding their achievements.

Many companies find that an important side benefit of staff involvement in environmental programmes is that it boosts staff morale, which in turn contributes to higher productivity and lower staff attrition rates.

Information and education

Along with announcing your participation to your staff and distributing greenhouse tips, there are other things you can do to educate your staff about the requirements of membership and greenhouse issues.

Developing a manager's brief can be a useful way to outline more details of your Greenhouse Challenge Plus membership and how it will affect your staff, enabling your managers to act as leaders within their area of the business.

You could also develop a more comprehensive education kit containing information materials specific to your operations.

Another great way to involve staff is to implement a specific training programme or series of workshops, or integrate information about Greenhouse Challenge Plus into other environmental training initiatives.

Educating staff a big plus for Westpac
Prompted by an energy audit that revealed that staff control more than 40 per cent of its power bill, Westpac developed a staff education campaign aimed at eliminating unnecessary energy use across its branches Australia-wide. The Westpac Energy Savers Awareness Program instructed staff about simple energy efficient practices in relation to lighting, office equipment and air-conditioning.

Delivery of the program was assisted by a cartoon mascot called Flika - The Bright Spark. Flika appeared in a range of materials, which included a manager's brief, posters, flyers, stickers, a video and a comprehensive education pack, Power Pac. Managers of each branch held staff meetings to present the program, using the video and education materials. Informative stickers and posters were placed around offices to remind staff about what they should do, and staff feedback was encouraged.

The program was designed to be self-funding, with start-up costs recouped within the first year as a result of energy savings.

Ownership and leadership

To develop a sense of ownership at the operational level, many Greenhouse Challenge Plus participants consult their employees when they start to draft their greenhouse action plan.

If the action plan has already been completed, you might consider drawing from the expertise and hands-on knowledge of staff to help review and continuously improve your greenhouse performance into the future.

Some Greenhouse Challenge Plus members have found it valuable to establish forums in which staff can share ideas and experiences about greenhouse actions, as well as identify advocates within the workplace who will motivate others.

You could do this by establishing a greenhouse action group with representatives from each area of the company who will consult with and report to their colleagues as well as management on a regular basis.

Management group a big plus for Noarlunga Community Hospital
Noarlunga Community Hospital in Adelaide promotes environmental objectives to both staff and management through its Environment Management Group. Represented by one staff member from each area of the hospital, the group meets regularly to discuss environmental issues. In 1998 the group was directly involved in developing the hospital's greenhouse action plan. Each representative liaised with colleagues in their area to identify potential energy savings and develop appropriate recommendations, which were then presented to management and subsequently endorsed, creating positive results for both staff and management.

Incentives and rewards

Many Greenhouse Challenge Plus members have implemented staff members' ideas, boosting staff morale while improving their bottom line. Rewards for outstanding ideas or superior greenhouse participation can reinforce positive outcomes. Rewards could range from financial incentives to recognition in the company newsletter or the local paper.

Feedback

A structured and permanent means for dialogue can provide an opportunity for management to provide feedback on greenhouse performance, and for staff to share their ideas and experiences. It also keeps a spotlight on Greenhouse Challenge Plus involvement, encouraging staff to remain committed to greenhouse objectives and enhancing your degree of success.

Feedback can be stimulated through a greenhouse action group, a column in the company newsletter, or regular meetings on site. You could also develop greenhouse tally sheets with a monthly target and monthly calculation of actual emissions and place them on staff notice boards.

On-going communication a big plus for Normandy Mining
At Normandy Mining's Pajingo Operations, the company is influencing site personnel and contractors through a permanent means of information exchange on site. A system of communication through line management, Positive Attitude Safety System (PASS) is a kind of 'toolbox meeting' held daily at the start of each shift. In the environmental component of PASS the site Environmental Officer, also the Greenhouse Coordinator, reinforces energy management principles and demonstrates how everyone can help reduce CO2-e levels, providing feedback as appropriate.

Community engagement

Some Greenhouse Challenge Plus members have engaged the support and interest of their local community in greenhouse matters, there by extending greenhouse awareness beyond their operations and raising their profile as good corporate citizens.

Community engagement can also have a positive effect on the way in which staff members perceive their involvement in the programme.

There are many ways to engage the community, such as putting greenhouse displays in public areas, keeping the local community newspaper informed about your company’s greenhouse projects and achievements, and giving presentations to local schools and community groups. You may also want to get involved in, or contribute to, any environmental activities organised by local community or school groups. This is a good way to show that your company is committed to environmental actions in the wider community.