Embracing energy efficiency in the workplace can help you significantly cut costs and streamline your operations, plus, you can add it to your CSR report to highlight how you’re taking steps to support environmental objectives. But despite even the best intentions, implementing changes and getting staff on board is often far from easy.

Whether it’s because old habits die hard or due you asking employees to undertake extra tasks, encouraging them to embrace your energy efficient plans can be a challenge. To get the most out of your energy strategy you need to get everybody on the same page. If it’s a challenge you’ve been struggling with, try out the 5 tips to get energy efficiently firmly in the mind of your staff.

1. Lead by example – This is one of the key components that can help energy efficiency become an engrained part of your company’s culture. If you’re asking staff to take the time to make sure lights are switched off and that waste is minimised, you should be doing it too. By leading from the front and becoming a champion for the goals you’ve set out you’ll encourage others to follow suit.
2. Make it official – If your energy efficiency goals and plans aren’t written out clearly it can make the harder to achieve. Setting out specific targets and making it an integral part of your business, means that it’s more likely to be viewed on par with other activities. By emphasising your commitment to making energy savings, you help bring the issue to the forefront.
3. Raise awareness – When your mind is focus on another task, it’s easy for energy saving steps to slip your mind. Raising awareness doesn’t have to be complicated, costly, or time consuming. It can be as simple as putting stickers or posters around the workplace so that your mission is always visible.
4. Make it competitive – There’s nothing like a bit of friendly competition to get people interested in a new initiative. From seeing which team can reduce their energy use the most to recognising employees going that extra mile, adding an incentive can help keep it in the minds of your staff until they do it without a second thought.
5. Highlight the benefits – If it’s not clear what the benefits of change are it can be easy to dismiss it. Take the time to explain to your reasons for implementing the steps and how they will deliver advantages company wide.