When it comes to sustainability, company strategies can be measured by the impact they create. But lasting progress can’t happen in silos; to deliver real-world benefits, sustainability must be a firm-wide commitment. That’s why inspiring employee buy-in is as important as identifying focus areas, setting robust goals and putting action plans in place.
The power of collective action
Employees are one of the most valuable stakeholder groups a company has and their role in advancing sustainability efforts is critical. They’re the intellect behind product innovations, the face of customer service and the driving force for business success. Drawing on their insight, experiences and engagement can make a strategy rise or fall, so companies need to engage employees from the very earliest stages of their development. And this commitment to co-creation must continue through every subsequent step – working together to turn that strategy into impactful action.
Reaching the right people, the right way
The reality is, ‘employees’ isn’t a single stakeholder group; it spans multiple, distinct roles – from board members, executive leadership, investor relations, and technical, commercial and brand teams to customer-facing employees and beyond. Add to that variables such as business function and geographic location and it becomes clear there can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach to engaging employees.
The most effective strategies are built on far-reaching foundations including input from as many employee groups as possible and reinforced by feedback from different parts of the business that supports a deeper understanding of the various views of sustainability. Whether through interviews, informal one-to-ones or surveys, it’s important to take time to understand the nuances of the different circumstances and levers at play in forming individual perceptions, motivators and barriers to act on sustainability.
Setting up for success
Equipped with insight from that early and ongoing consultation, the work to transform it into a strong communications programme begins. While it may be tempting to leap straight into developing assets, the strongest activations are those that start with the question “What impact are we seeking to achieve?” and work back from there. Understanding what this looks like is key: is it increased employee sustainability knowledge? Progress against company sustainability goals? Better commercial performance?
It might be quantitative, e.g., how many people participated in training sessions and webinars, how many volunteer hours were logged, how much office-related waste decreased? It may also be measured by qualitative factors such as: do frontline employees feel more confident speaking to customers about sustainability, how has employee sentiment changed in relation to sustainability?
Whatever the metric, it’s important to establish at the outset not only desired outcomes, but also a baseline of performance where available against which to chart progress.
Leveraging the right tools
Creating a brand-new employee engagement programme shouldn’t mean needing to reinvent the wheel. On the contrary, companies should look to meet their people where they’re at, leveraging existing internal communication platforms and pathways to share information in ways that work for employees. It’s not a question of “What must employees do to support our sustainability ambitions?” but rather “How can we seamlessly integrate sustainability into the existing employee experience to inspire steady behaviour change and maximise engagement?”
Companies can then look to additional tools to amplify their message. Trainings, workshops, webinars and guides with actionable tips can all be valuable routes to promoting collective action. Similarly, incorporating an element of fun through gamification, volunteering opportunities and friendly competition can provide the key to getting people passionate about sustainability.
A partner for success
With so many variables, we know creating a great communications platform that will engage every employee can be a challenge. Flag’s team of communications experts, designers and copywriters are ready to help you every step of the way, from pinpointing target audiences and outcomes to delivering materials that get everyone aligned behind a single sustainability vision. Get in touch to find out more about how we can help: info@flag.co.uk.
