INSIGHT: ENVIRONMENT
Does your company have an environmental policy? Over two thirds of employees don’t know about theirs 64% per cent of European businesses have a sustainability policy in place but only a third of employees know about the impact it’s making on the environment. One in five also confess they actually do not know whether their company has a sustainability policy at all. These are findings from a new employee survey by Treedom, the world’s first digital platform for growing and gifting trees online. Here, Federico Garcea, Founder and CEO at Treedom offers some insight for employers who wish to raise the profile of the environmental policy within their organisation.
So, what are the key sustainability drivers for employees when choosing a company to work for? 1.
Employees want to be proud of the company they work for (29%)
2.
Ensuring the planet is being protected for future generations (29%)
3.
Makes a positive impact on the environment (24%)
Which industries are the most sustainably minded?
The Treedom survey is part of a campaign we are driving across six European countries between Earth Day and World Environment Day. The goal is to grow 20,000 trees in a dedicated forest with the help of Treedom’s Community.
In an age where consumers are looking to governments to take the lead on achieving net zero goals, it is surprising to note that one in three of those working within governments are not aware of their sustainability policy, and 37% don’t deem it important to know, according to Treedom’s research. Similarly, those working in education, helping to nurture the minds of tomorrow are also not in the ‘know’ when it comes to their own corporate sustainability.
The survey of 7,000 workers across Europe found that whilst business decision makers understand the need to implement sustainability policies and communicate with key stakeholders, employees are less aware of what action is actually being taken – fewer than a third of employees know about their company’s policy. But there is a clear desire to know more as 64% want to learn about policies, rising to 70% amongst Gen-Z.
For those working in marketing, 81% agreed how vital green initiatives are for businesses and three quarters of these workers are up to speed on their own company policies. This inherent knowledge on sustainability is clearly a need for external communications, as industry professionals know the positive impact it can have on not only company perception, but employee satisfaction.
The importance of ensuring the workforce understands such policies, is paramount from a recruitment and retention perspective. 67% of employees agree that sustainability is an important factor when choosing which job role to apply for, particularly Italians with 86% saying it impacts their decision making.
What do employees want to see in a sustainable business policy? For Europeans, the top three sustainability initiatives they want employers to consider include: •
Prevent and decrease environmental impact (51%)
•
Ensuring constant improvements (38%)
•
Social impact - giving back to communities (28%)
Ultimately, a policy needs to demonstrate a positive impact that is able to clearly communicate to workers clear goals, actions and results. There is a gap in knowledge and understanding between the decision makers who create sustainability policies and those who are the boots on the ground in the business. Employees need to be engaged in the sustainability journey to make a lasting positive impact as well as to remain competitive as a business by attracting the best talent.
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