The demand for corporate responsibility and environmentally conscientious business practices are on the rise, and your cleaning practices have a significant role to play to achieve a genuinely sustainable workplace.
How to Succeed With Sustainable Business Practices
More and more, students and workers want their organizations to implement environmentally friendly sustainable business practices, and they aren't afraid to let their opinion be heard.
According to a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, which asked 400 employees if they had ever spoken up or taken a stand in their workplace with their employer--and if so, what were the results, found that;
About half said they had.
The study then asked how they did this, to help determine which approach was most successful.
Among the ways were the following:
Making the business case for social issues, as discussed above
Telling employers it is the “morally right thing to do”, and;
Persuading them that such a stand would fit in with the company’s values and mission.
An additional report from Earth911 showed that students were just as proactive in their demands for socially responsible facilities management.
The younger generation is made up of "planet-savers," and they are demanding eco-friendly facilities, programs and products.
In turn, facility cleaning executives are paying attention and responding with initiatives that will reduce, reuse and recycle.
[...], colleges, universities and school districts are actively exploring zero waste programs to boost their eco-friendly initiatives and programs.
And, finally, there are increasing demands from the emerging millennial workforce, who have shown a preference for organizations who demonstrate morally and socially conscientious behavior.
According to David Gordon of the Channel Marketing Group;
Establishing a good company culture is one of the best things a distributor can do to attract Millennials.
While several traits are important to this group, one that is mentioned often is morality. Younger workers really do enjoy going to work for a company that’s morally sound and cares about social issues.
Millennials have to get the sense that a prospective employer is progressive, cares about its employees and gives back to its community.
The key to selling job seekers on this, is to not only make it be known that the company does these things, but also prove that the ownership practices what it preaches.
How Green Cleaning Services can Help you Succeed With Sustainability
Green cleaning services are a critical component of any sustainability initiative--focusing on:
- High-performance equipment that uses minimal water, electricity, gash (hot water), and cleaning products to accomplish everyday and special cleaning tasks, and;
- Biodegradable cleaning products produced and shipped in an environmentally friendly manner that will not pollute the surrounding environment.
Other areas of focus that a green cleaning specialist can assist with include:
- Recycling and waste-management - Your custodial team already deals with the trash. Providing recycling bins and arranging for the proper disposal or reuse of the material is the logical next step.
- Plastic waste reduction - Commercial green cleaning products are packaged and shipped in environmentally friendly containers, and in a concentrated form. This reduces the volume of plastic entering the oceans, pollution associated with petrol use and shipping, as well as required storage space for cleaning chemicals, and;
- Composting - A dedicated sustainable recycling and reuse program should include composting options for organic waste. An emerging trend with a significant amount of science to back its investment is biophilic design and architecture, which integrates nature with the facility and brings nature indoors. An excellent place to start would be an indoor or rooftop garden where employees could escape to unwind.
References & Resources
10 fresh ways you can approach workplace sustainability
Takeaway
When making the case to administrators or employers, studies have shown that the leadership within these organizations responds most positively to the arguments made for morally and socially responsible facilities management and business practices.
This demonstrates a high level of motivation on the part of school and business leaders to rise to the increasing demands and challenges from several demographics who will, very shortly, dominate the workplace.
Implementing initiatives now positions your school or business as a leader in the industry and your community, allowing for strategic advantages over competitors.
The keys to getting started are:
- Establish a team to assess the current situation and identify where improvements can be made.
- Focus on reducing natural resource waste reduction first, then, finally;
- Identify where toxic chemicals are being used throughout your facility and eliminate them--preferably narrowing down your cleaning products and other chemicals to as few as possible.
If you would like to learn more about the advantages of implementing environmentally conscientious and sustainable cleaning and business practices within your organization--contact us today for a free quote!
In Bakersfield CA, call (661) 437-3253
In Fresno CA, call (559) 206-1059
In Valencia CA, or Santa Clarita CA, call (661) 437-3253
