Research undertaken by E.ON identifies a significant minority of employees as undermining their firms’ efforts to go green. The poll1 of SME employers and employees released today (Thursday) reveals two fifths (38%) of workers admit to not changing their behaviour to improve their energy efficiency at work despite being aware of their employers’ efforts to go green.
In her speech at the Institute of Directors Conference, Dame Ellen MacArthur said: “It is only sensible that all businesses become sustainable as the very meaning of the word ‘sustainable’ implies that business can continue to exist.”
The E.ON research highlights that 58% of employees could be encouraged to change their behaviour through financial incentives, almost twice the proportion (32%) influenced by mandatory changes. This highlights the need for businesses to be more flexible and innovative when encouraging staff to support green schemes.
Ellen MacArthur said: “A business must be sustainable in every way and keeping and motivating employees is a key element of that. Employers and employees must work together as a team to share the dream of the future of the business so that everyone is an integral part of it.”
E.ON’s research shows that the right training and incentives can help change behaviour. According to the poll, the majority (82%) of small business owners believe energy efficiency is the joint responsibility of the company and employees, but, despite this, only a minority (14%) currently invest in the training of staff to achieve this.
This is in contrast to two thirds (66%) of employees admitting they were more likely to change their behaviour towards their personal energy consumption if this training was in place.
From the survey results E.ON has identified a set of five pledges for small business owners to sign up to educate and encourage staff to adapt their behaviour to improve energy efficiency:
1. Carry out an internal green audit;
2. Establish an energy efficiency covenant with your employees;
3. Improve access to information;
4. Commitment to staff training;
5. Investigate more innovative approaches to being energy efficient.
For more energy efficiency advice visit www.eonenergy.com/efficiency which contains everything a business needs to start saving energy. As well as practical advice and downloadable action plans, there are case studies and information on funding for energy schemes.
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Notes to editors:
1 = SME employee and decision maker fieldwork undertaken by ICM Research, April 2008.
• E.ON is one of the UK’s leading power and gas companies – generating and distributing electricity, and retailing power and gas – and is part of the E.ON group, the world's largest investor-owned power and gas company. We employ around 17,000 people in the UK;
• E.ON is the new name for Powergen. Our retail business is a leading energy supplier in the UK, with around 8 million electricity and gas customer accounts, covering domestic, SME and industrial;
• E.ON is actively helping reduce its own employees’ carbon workprint with a Green Travel car sharing scheme at many of its sites that rewards workers for travelling by foot, bus, tram or bike instead of by car. Members of staff receives 10 points, worth 50p, for each day they use alternative transport and swipe into a special kiosk, which can then be used in the staff restaurant, or to claim High Street or leisure activity vouchers. The scheme has already saved over four and a half million travel miles and prevented an estimated 1084.5 tons of CO2 from being emitted.
• E.ON also launched an Environmental Champions Programme, working with the charity Global Action Plan (GAP), designed to encourage staff to think ‘green’ by suggesting new ways of working. A ‘Saint or Sinner?’ campaign is encouraging staff to switch off lights and PC monitors when not in use, print on both sides, use less sticky notes, and reuse or recycle where possible.
A range of materials highlighting practical steps for businesses to achieve greater energy efficiency are available from the Red Consultancy.
For further information please contact:
The E.ON team at The Red Consultancy on 0845 077 1984 or e.onb2bteam@redconsultancy.com or
Victoria Blake at E.ON on 02476 181 304 or victoria.blake@eonenergy.com
