OAKLAND, Calif. - Big U.K. firms should give employees more of a say in greening their workplaces, and U.S. companies need to live up to their eco-friendly business practices internally as well as externally, according to findings from two worker attitude surveys.
The separate surveys asked jobholders to assess their green activities and those of their employers. The U.S. workers were also asked about what motivates companies to adopt green business practices.
According to 1,200 U.K. workers surveyed by power and gas giant
E.ON, jobholders at small to medium-sized firms are significantly more likely to help curb energy use and carbon emissions by turning off lights and computers and recycling than employees at larger companies, who say bureaucracy hampers their efforts.
In the U.S., a survey of 755 workers commissioned by
the Marlin Company found that 63 percent considered themselves more green than their employers, and 36 percent said they believe that companies adopt environmentally friendly practices to obtain positive publicity or be politically correct.
Results of the E.ON survey were reported in the U.K. yesterday by BusinessGreen. The Marlin Company, which specializes in workplace communications, released the findings of its nationwide survey last week in Wallingford, Conn.
In the U.K. study, more than a third of the workers from small firms said they significantly changed their behavior to cut carbon emissions, and 90 percent claimed they changed their behavior at least a little. But less than a fifth of the employees at larger firms said they had changed their behavior significantly. And more than two-thirds of the respondents from larger firms said they do not feel they are in control of efforts to reduce energy use. They attributed their response to a prevalence of formal processes and a sense that they have no influence over the facilities department at their firms.
"Businesses seeking to go green must look at cutting the red tape their employees face in implementing energy efficient work practices," said Jim Macdonald, commercial director of E.ON U.K. "Our research shows that it's a feeling of needing to ask permission to make positive changes which prevents workers from taking the necessary steps. "
In releasing its survey results, the Marlin Company noted that 77.7 percent of the U.S. workers responding said it is important to them for their employers to be going green in a significant way.
However, only 50.8 percent reported that their companies had undertaken a significant green initiative such as carpooling or recycling, and just 25.8 percent said their firms provided education about how to be eco-friendly at home.
When asked what motivated companies to adopt environmentally sensitive practices, 22 percent said it was a desire for positive publicity and 14.1 percent attributed efforts to "political correctness." Saving money or combatting energy prices were cited as motivators by 37 percent, and 17.4 percent credited green practices to social responsibility.
"Companies need to do more than talk about green initiatives," said Frank Kenna III, the CEO and president of the Marlin Company. "It takes more than high-profile ads to make it happen. Employees need to see that their company is serious about it. That mean
s concrete actions such as in-house programs for saving energy and recycling, promoting carpooling and public transportation, four-day work weeks and educating employees on home-energy conservation."
"Being green is an important part of many employees' lives and companies do a disservice to themselves and their employees by not acknowledging that," Kenna said in a statement. "Workers easily see through hypocrisy and lip service, and that certainly applies to green programs, too."
SOURCE: greenbiz.com
