WORK CULTURE
What Every Employee Green Perks Program Needs
You want to motivate your employees to feel appreciated. How do you show appreciation for their efforts? Green perks programs are an essential part of performance management that can enhance the employee experience and sustainability practices.
Green perks programs can help motivate and engage employees, but you should be strategic and thoughtful about your approach. An effective green perks program goes beyond work supplies. What was once seen as a sustainable supply management program for workplace supplies, green perks programs has now expanded to work and non-work perks for employees. Effective recognition for employee’s hard work matches corporate and individual preferences.
Let’s take a look at some key perks and how you can develop a truly effective green perks program.
What are employee green perks programs?
Recognition is the opportunity to give positive feedback to an employee for a job well done. Rewards and recognition programs are a way of acknowledging and showing appreciation towards an employee’s performance or contributions, whether that’s exceeding expectations or reaching an important milestone. Rewards and recognition show employees that they are valued for who they are in addition to what they can do.
Work from Home
The pandemic has accelerated the “Work from Home” trend. Working from home allows employees to save time commuting and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The David Suzuki Foundation estimates that 250 million kgs of CO2 emissions can be saved from one million people working from home just one day a week in Canada. This work from home trend will require further research regarding the emissions of employees that work from home.
Use Green Energy
Companies can promote green energy in a variety of ways including the following examples:
Renewable Energy installations on the company’s facilities (i.e. solar power roof).
Replace diesel generators with electric generators.
Work with a renewable energy retailer to replace the amount of conventional electricity the company uses with an equal amount of renewable sourced electricity. The renewable energy retailer can make sure that the energy going onto the system from your business is from renewable sources to the grid from conventional sources from on grid, pipeline or fuel system. The renewable energy retailer looks at how much conventional energy your company uses then injects the same amount of energy from a renewable source. Even leased or rented spaces can be powered by the renewable energy retailer.
Electric Vehicle Fleets
There are many benefits to switching the employer’s fleet to electric vehicles:
Lower maintenance and associated costs: Electric vehicles contribute to a lower total cost of ownership because they do not require an ongoing maintenance cycle (i.e. oil, spark plugs, transmission fluid).
Reduction in dependence on fuel: Fuel prices fluctuate regularly based on factors such as natural disasters, plant shutdowns, and political conflicts. Switching to electric vehicles reduces the employer’s reliance on fuels.
Energy Efficiency and Reduced Emissions: Electric vehicles emit no emissions. The grid that they use to obtain electricity may not be 100% renewable. That said, electricity from hydro power nuclear power, solar power or wind power do not cause air pollution.
Cycle to Work Programs
Employers have implemented programs that encourage employees to walk, run, manually cycle or e-cycle to work by way of internal competitions or rewards systems.
In the United Kingdom, Cyclescheme has an employee benefit program that saves employees 25% to 39% on a bicycle and accessories. The employee can pay as little as nothing upfront and payments are taken from the employee’s salary over time to make the purchase more manageable.
Relocation Subsidy
Employers can assist with cutting employee emissions by providing incentives for employees to live closer to work. In the United States, Facebook provides a location incentive of $10,000 to employees. Part of the conditions is that the employees must rent or buy within ten miles of Facebook’s silicon valley office.
Holiday Travel Perks
Flight is the fastest growing source of greenhouse emissions. It is imperative to find solutions to this issue.
Climate Perks has “found that 50% of people are ready to reduce the amount they fly in response to climate change - but only 3% of us do.” Climate Perks outlines that there is one key barrier - time.
Climate Perks works with employers to provide employees with ‘journey days’ to staff that travel by train, boat or coach for their vacation instead of flying.
Home Perks
There continues to be an ever growing number of options for personal green perks that provide a positive sustainable impact. The following are personal green perks options that appear in employee green perk packages:
- Home energy assessments.
- Discounts on the energy efficiency upgrades (i.e. insulation, lighting), solar panels or battery backup generators (diesel or gas backup generators).
- Sustainable clothing brands and sportswear. Apps like the Good on you app assist with ethical shopping.
- Permaculture workshops.
- Grow your own workshops.
- Membership to a “buy local” program to purchase food from local farms.
Environmental Organization Partnerships
Companies that promote employee passion for environmental initiatives will benefit from a more engaged workforce. Popular initiatives that employee may seek assistance from a company include tree planting, wild regrowth projects, wetlands restoration, and research funding.
Key Takeaways
Insights to Address
A business’s green perks program should have a variety of options that allow a la carte style flexibility to employees in order to address the employee’s environmental concerns and motivate them to perform at work. In return, your employees, your business and the environment wins.
Envirolly assists companies with setting up the green perks program that works for them and their employees. Contact us today!
About Envirolly
Envirolly is a high growth sustainability research and advisory company, proudly serving sustainability professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help chief sustainability officers and sustainability leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with sustainability teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organisation.