The power of pull: How to seduce your employees into being green!

Socially responsible companies are generally considered leaders in driving forward green innovation in the workplace, however  at Forster Communications they are more into cycling it forward. The London based communications agency has gained a reputation as a leading socially responsible company in the UK by placing care of the planet at the heart of its operations. The company prides itself on being a communications agency, which helps change people's lives for the better; whether this is through green initiatives, improved health or building strong communities. Last year the Forster won The Sunday Times Best Green Company award. Forster's list of clients includes Amnesty International, Vodaphone and The National Trust (the UK's largest historic and natural conservation trust). Among their most successful work are the cycling campaigns they have run for National Bike Week and Devon County Council.

I was fortunate enough to talk last week with Cheryl Campsie, Forster's head of Environmental initiatives. Cheryl is the main motivator behind Forster's internal greening policy. A keen cyclist herself, she felt that at Forster although they were running successful cycling initiatives for clients, cycling within the organization itself was not common practice. As Cheryl put it "there was a sense that it wasn't filtering down". So 18 months ago they made the decision to look at why this was happening and try to come up with effective solutions. After discussions with staff some interesting things came to light. For many staff the reasons for not riding a bike were more to do with confidence than convenience. Some were worried about riding a bike in London while a few were not sure they even knew how to ride a bike! There was also the issue of a lack of showers in the building. When asked what would motivate staff to cycle more the greatest incentive that emerged was extra holiday. "Of course, we all want more holiday!" said Cheryl.

Armed with this information Forster set about implementing small but meaningful changes in the company policy. Now Forster employees can earn five minutes holiday for every to and from journey to work on bike. Employees also get paid 40p per mile for a business journey by bike. Forster invested in four Brompton folding bikes with which employees can use to travel to meetings. Forster offered employees cycle confidence lessons as well as membership to the local gym so they could make use of the showers. As a result commuting by bike and on foot increased by 40% and business travel by bike from zero to 30%. They have also reduced taxi bills by approximately 10%.

As a socially responsible company they have not stopped there however. The company tries to keep its heating and resulting carbon emissions to a minimum by making sure central heating in the offices is not switched on until really needed. For those employees who are a little more sensitive to the cold, fleeces and hot water bottles are provided. In the summer months Forster uses its balcony spaces to grow flowers, herbs and potatoes for all employees to make use of. Forster also has a loan library. They asked employees what items they would like the use of but didn't feel they could justify buying. So now there is a power drill, a sewing machine and a tent all available on loan to employees.

The key to the success of Forster's internal environmental policies is their willingness to listen and react to their employees and use creative solutions to encourage change rather than force it. The other main lesson is that change must also come from leadership within the company. As Cheryl put it "Walk your talk internally!" Soon other socially responsible companies will be able to read up on Forster's successful greening policy. They plan to publish a guide entitled The Green Guide To Pulling. It is refreshing to see a socially responsible company that makes green practice at work enjoyable, creative and quirky. Pull is certainly far more fun than push. Most importantly though, it is more effective!

Photo credit: Forster Communications