More than ever, employees feel motivated to ensure workplace practices align with their personal values. This ongoing trend presents big opportunities—and even bigger liabilities—for companies looking to hire and retain a strong workforce.
We’ve written before about the PR benefits of a move to clean energy, including higher levels of employee engagement. Since then, the issue has only become more pressing. We’re witnessing a quick shift: Sustainable practices are no longer seen as a nice added benefit. Instead, they’re becoming a necessity for any business that hopes to attract new employees, retain good talent, and maintain an overall positive reputation.
For now, the pressure to shift toward cleaner practices is (understandably) focused on oil companies that mislead stakeholders and the public about the true impact of their practices, as well as the allies who prop them up. But it doesn’t take much of a mental leap to see how the target could soon expand, making room for forceful criticism of any company that isn’t doing everything within its power to address the climate crisis. (By the way, these critiques don’t come and go quickly. A group of Harvard and MIT students made headlines in October for their protest of an ExxonMobil recruiting event on campus.)
Sure, a widely-publicized protest against your company’s business practices is probably the worst-case scenario, and it may not be particularly likely if you aren’t one of the world’s most prolific generators of carbon emissions. Still, inaction on climate has real consequences in the workplace. A Deloitte survey of Gen Z and Millennial workers completed this year found the following:
- 48% of Gen Z workers have pressured their employers to take action on climate change.
- 37% of Gen Z workers have rejected a job or assignment that doesn’t align with their personal values, including action on climate.
- 18% of Gen Z workers feel their employers are strongly committed to fighting climate change.
That’s quite a discrepancy between employee expectations and workplace reality. Again, these data points can easily be translated into real impact: The same report suggests that demonstrable action on climate is now a significant factor in employee retention. An increasing number of employees have cited inadequate environmental standards as a motivating factor in deciding to start a new job search. (It’s also worth noting that Millennials, many of whom occupy crucial leadership roles by now, responded to the survey with very similar numbers.)
Of course, these workplace trends are taking place in parallel with consumer behaviors that continue to prioritize sustainability more than ever. Studies show that two in three consumers are now willing to spend more on sustainable products. Greener operations are good for your relationships with employees and customers alike.
Internally and externally, a company’s climate action has become fundamentally tied to its overall success. At the same time, workers and customers have grown acutely aware of actions that make a real difference, as opposed to those that are designed to look sustainable without actually being sustainable. (It’s called greenwashing.)
With Catalyst Power, it’s easy to implement a principled environmental solution that really makes an impact. A Connected Microgrid replaces a portion of your traditional energy use each month with new solar energy generated on site. The end result is a direct reduction to the amount of carbon emissions your business is responsible for producing on a daily basis. It’s hard to find something more straightforward (or impactful) than that.
And there’s more good news! Once the system is up and running, you’ll be able to purchase clean power at fixed rates that are lower than your current energy prices, meaning your smaller environmental footprint is accompanied by a lower monthly power bill. Your Connected Microgrid can also be installed and operated by Catalyst Power at no cost to you, so it’s all savings and no spending.
On top of these bottom-line benefits, you’ll be making a powerful statement to your employees and customers that you take your role in addressing our climate crisis seriously. That’s a benefit that will continue to pay dividends over the long term.
Be clear about your company’s commitment to climate action. Connect with our team and start taking steps toward a greener future today!
