Green Employee Programs

Home > Advanced Green Steps > Green Business > Green Employee Programs

Share |

Are you looking to increase your employee engagement? Green employee programs are a great way to do this. It’s becoming more evident that businesses that go green are seeing an improved employee satisfaction. This is especially important when attracting new graduates, who are looking to work for a business that cares about the environment.

Here are some samples of what companies have included in their green employee programs:

Transit Subsidy – provide a transit subsidy for those who take public transit. This will assist employees in reducing their carbon footprint. Some companies provide this through payroll, while others run a transit pass purchase plan where they distribute the passes on a monthly basis.

Establish a Green Team – support the passion of your green employees and watch them grow. Choose someone who demonstrates leadership to drive the agenda and has a keen interest in environmental sustainability. Have them recruit others that are passionate about going green. This group of green employees can lead the way to help your company become a green workplace. Often the focus of green teams is to make changes internally, such as reducing paper use, and to teach others about how to go green.

Employee Carpool – facilitate a carpool network. There are a number of ways to do this internally, or join a carpooling website for employees to connect.

Bikes – sometimes all it takes is making bike storage accessible to encourage employees to bike to work. It’s not only good for the environment, but a great way to keep employees healthy too. Some companies will also go as far as purchasing bikes for employees who make biking a primary mode of transportation in fair weather. This can be an inexpensive part of a green employee program.

Share Green Tips – educating employees is a good way to raise their environmental awareness. Share green tips in a newsletter or on an internal website (don't forget to credit your sources).

Recycle and Composting – don’t just talk about it, walk the talk. Ensure waste diversion programs are in place. Employees will feel good about making a difference.

Hybrid Grants or Loans – some companies are providing grants or interest free loans to employees who purchase hybrid vehicles. This is a way to encourage green behaviour and support employees to make better choices for the environment.

Work From Home – while not suitable for all roles in an organization, many companies are learning that providing employees options to work from home is increasing employee satisfaction. Integrating this into a green employee programs helps reduce pollution and increase employee retention.

Discounts for Green Electricity – some green electricity suppliers offer discounts for employees of organizations that purchase their electricity.

If you’re looking for more help in building green employee programs, contact us.