Why Your Employees Are Demanding Climate Change From You
Over the last few years, we’ve seen climate strikes across the globe, from schools to public sectors, to general workplaces. Modern employees are very passionate about the environmental impact of their work, and will often campaign to make a difference. Here’s some points on climate change you should be aware of as a business owner, and how it can affect you.
What Climate Change Is
Firstly, it’s important to understand what climate change actually refers to. Mainly, it’s all about how humans have invertedly started to warm the planet’s climate. This is known as the greenhouse effect, which is about how the atmosphere traps solar energy from the Sun.
What is happening, however, is that gasses that are released from factories and other industrial buildings and end up trapped, increasing the overall temperature in the sky. The most common man-made emission that produces carbon dioxide, comes from the burning of fossil fuels.
There is plenty of proof that this is happening, scientists have been tracking the average temperature of the Earth for decades and decades, and it shows how quickly it’s been rising. Not only that, but glaciers in the poles of the planet have started to melt, contributing to rising sea levels each year.
How You Can Learn More
There are a number of ways in which you, as a business owner or manager, can learn more about the effects of climate change in the business world. One of the most effective ways is by looking at what competitors are doing and if they’ve already made changes. You can talk to them about it, if you get along, or speak to your own business partners about why they think it’s important.
Aside from speaking to business partners, you can go down educational paths, and learn all about business and climate change together. It’s important to know how to welcome change, and also what the newest innovations are for combating climate change. There are online courses where you can learn more about business and climate, in order to be best prepared for leading change.
Once you’re educated, you’ll be in a position where you can make effective changes, via informed decisions. You’ll understand why your employees have been craving for change, and you’ll understand the ways in which you can make change, and the benefits your business would actually receive from doing so.
How Businesses Can Make Changes
There are a number of ways in which you can make changes on behalf of your workers, and your business in general. The most effective way, and arguably the easiest, is to reduce energy consumption. This could be done by powering down non-essential power overnight, such as the lights, heating and any devices not being used.
Realistically, the only things that need powering in some regard when no one is on the premises, is the security systems. It’s not just the night that you should be aware of when it comes to energy consumption, the day will drain the most power.
Keep an eye on daily actions, and observe if there’s anything that you can do with your daily routine to turn things off. You could also hire an environmental regulator to come in and observe what you can change to ensure effective action is taken.
One method of reducing energy consumption has been to look at renewable energy as an alternative. They are more popular these days, and there is plenty enough being generated to keep your business operating. There are a number available, with the most popular being wind and solar energy.
Benefits Associated With Changing
If your business combats climate change, then you could receive positive press and also avoid any fines from regulators. Importantly, your customers and employees will be on your side, which reaps a whole number of rewards.
An employee base that is on your side, is an employee base that is happy to work with you. This can lead to higher production and a better sense of job satisfaction. Employees who have a higher level of job satisfaction, will be happy to stay and not leave.
Employees who leave their jobs, leave holes that need filling. It can be costly trying to replace them, due to the advertisement of the job, and also just having the role empty in the meantime.
Another benefit from transitioning your business into a more environmentally friendly set up, is that you will improve your company culture, and your business’s brand. If environmental sustainability isn’t a part of your business’s brand, then it will prove costly.
You may find that you will be able to attract more talented individuals when it comes to the hiring process, if your business cares about the environment. The modern employee cares about the environment, and often, those who have more choice in where they work, will want to work somewhere that shares their values.
