How to engage your employees for the long-term

How often do you speak to your team about energy efficiency?  Companies that succeed in minimising energy consumption on a consistent and long-term basis are the ones that put the issue high up the agenda. Mike Jones, MD at Innovative Energy Consultancy, explains why he believes people are the answer.

Playing the long game

If energy efficiency is seen as a short-term programme, it will almost certainly deliver short-term results.  What most companies need is an energy efficient culture, whereby each and every employee is aware of the issue and plays their part in addressing it.

An energy efficient culture is created by organisations that truly commit to reducing consumption.  
In our experience, commitment means:

1.    the subject is high on the agenda of the management team
2.    the necessary time and resources are committed to reducing energy consumption
3.    short-term initiatives are combined with a long-term strategy, and every member of the organisation is encouraged to play their part.  

Getting started

Often, a long-term commitment to energy efficiency is prompted by a single event - the loss or gain of a customer, for example, which leads to a change in production practices and/or costs.  

Tackled positively, this can be a golden opportunity to improve the cost of production for good.

At this stage, the formation of a small Energy Team is usually an effective way to respond to change.  The size of the Energy Team will vary according to the size and nature of your business but will usually comprise operational managers and supervisors as well as employees with procurement and/or financial responsibilities.  

The formality of the team indicates the importance of energy efficiency as an imperative business issue, and allows key individuals the authority and time required to identify and implement solutions.

Creating effective goals

If the Energy Team is going to be effective it must have a clear remit to reduce the cost of consumption.  

Clear goals are imperative.  Where can consumption be reduced?  What’s the predicted impact on production?  What are the associated costs?  What’s the timeframe?  To answer these questions you’ll need to analyse what’s being used, where, when and why.  You’ll have to undertake a detailed analysis of every aspect of production, and predict what energy you will need in the short, medium and long-term.

Once you’ve got a complete picture of your business’s energy consumption and the potential for efficiencies, it’s time to set priorities.  We always recommend that you seek to achieve some quick win cost reductions while planning and implementing longer-term initiatives.

By defining the goals at the outset, your Energy Team will be focused on developing the right solutions and making the strongest impact on your business.  

Managing the programme

Having established your Energy Team and agreed clear goals, it’s time to agree the strategy. This helps everyone involved to be clear about the approach to be taken, their role, and the anticipated results.  

Reporting may be as simple as regular meetings and Board updates.  However formal or informal, the actual process of reporting serves to ensure the Energy Team receives the necessary input to achieve results and keep the programme on track.

Maintaining momentum

Initial enthusiasm for energy efficiency must be maintained if the team is going to build the momentum required for consistent energy reduction – good chairmanship of meetings, sharing of information and activity tracking all have their part to play.  

Creating lasting change

The results of any energy efficiency programme should be highly tangible – they should show on the bottom line.  (Of course, the payback will be longer if you’ve had to invest in a technology solution, but the improvement to production processes should be immediately apparent.)

The challenge, therefore, is to maintain momentum for the long-term so that energy efficiency becomes simply ‘the way you work’ rather than a separate or stand-alone programme.

But how to achieve this ideal?  

Of course, the solution will vary from business to business but there are some universal elements that are crucial to long-term success.  These elements have little to do with technology, and much to do with people.

In our experience, to create an energy efficient culture you must:

1.    Make energy cost visible – regularly share information on energy consumption and cost with all employees, and reinforce that everyone has a part to play   
2.    Encourage employees to be proactive – ensure your Energy Team is visible and encourage front line staff to come forward with suggestions.  Act on those suggestions and give public recognition to those who are proactive in saving your company money and/or improving production practices
3.    Make energy efficiency a daily challenge for everyone – use visible reminders such as posters and signage to encourage staff to use resources efficiently.  Simply switching off the lights and office equipment can make a big difference
4.    Instigate energy efficiency policies, systems and procedures – this means you set out the standards of energy efficient behaviour you expect to see among your employees and enforce these policies through your management
5.    Are practical.  Energy efficiency is usually one of several priorities to a successful business.  Initiatives must be practical and workable if they’re to be adopted for good.

Summary

Long-term energy efficiency is easier and more effective if it receives company-wide support.  

A short-term approach, where an energy efficiency drive is seen as a single, one-off initiative is at best a missed opportunity.  

By proactively engaging your workforce, energy efficiency is more likely to become ‘business as usual’, helping you achieve competitive advantage through reduced cost and improved reputation.