Workplace Sustainability: Stop Making These 11 Mistakes

Sustainability in the workplace used to be a fashionable trend. However, fast forward to today, it's the cool lifestyle everyone wants to adopt. Not only is it cool, it is more important than ever.

More and more companies are stopping their old ways. Make your office more eco-friendly by following these sustainability tips and ideas for a greener workplace.

Learn about the 11 most common mistakes in sustainability and how you can course correct your office. Grab your reusable tote bags, water bottles and organic food and settle in for this journey.

What does sustainability in the workplace mean?

Sustainability defines the ability to maintain or support a process over time. Since this is a broad topic, it can help to break it down into three core concepts: economic, environmental, and social. Environmental is a hot topic right now in the world, as the threat of global warming and climate change is a huge topic. Businesses should focus on being more environmentally friendly in their products, packaging, services, and office practices.

That being said, let's walk through some of the biggest mistakes companies can make with regards to being sustainable. We will give you some tips for how to avoid it and the benefits you can enjoy from it as well.

Mistake 1: Encouraging bad commuting habits

Typically, US employees drive themselves to work. This is often because of the lack of proper public transportation available. This leads to more gas consumption, more traffic and a higher need for parking.

Solution > Promote greener ways of travel ✅

Encourage employees to find other ways to commute to and from the office. That could mean things like walking to work, riding a bike or even carpooling. Consider offering discounts on bikes or bike rentals. If you have an office in the city, include benefits or discounts for those who take public transportation.

Corporate Benefits > Happier and healthier employees

Not everyone may have the means to make this a reality, so reach out to your HR department to see what they can do. Employees may begin to feel happier and healthier when they are able to move their bodies. Not to mention, alternative ways of getting to work can reduce costs to maintain cars.

Mistake 2: Making employees come into the office

In the past, the company expected employees to be in the office every day, Monday - Friday. Mistake 1 relates to this because people had to commute to the office every day.

Solution > Opt for remote or hybrid work ✅

Giving your staff and employees the option to work from home can significantly reduce the commuting footprint. This can be an entirely remote option or a hybrid option, with a few days in the office each week.

Corporate Benefits > Lower costs and happier employees

Since people will not need to drive to the office, that reduces the carbon footprint from cars and sitting in traffic. Not to mention, you can downsize your office size, leaving you with more monthly profit. Your staff will also be happier since they can reduce the commute time, thereby giving themselves more personal time. Which leads to a more engaged workforce.

Mistake 3: Using inefficient lights

Many office buildings are old and not made from new materials. This can lead to lights and lamps being inefficient.

Solution > Swap old lights for LED options ✅

Not only are LED bulbs often brighter, but they are more efficient. Consider setting these lights with timers as well, so they only come on when there is movement.

Corporate Benefits > Save costs

By making these simple swaps, you can save a lot of money. You no longer need to pay for energy that isn't actually improving the office in any way. Plus, stop paying for lights being on when no one is even in the room by adapting the motion sensor feature.

Mistake 4: Using paper for records and tasks

Paper copies are the way of the past, but this is one mistake many companies still often make. The extra costs for paper, ink, machine maintenance and overall energy costs can add up.

Solution > Switch to a paperless office ✅

Significantly reduce the use of paper in the office or get rid of it entirely. Most people can do things online without paper, which eliminates the need for printers and copiers. It can also mean choosing digital means for taking notes and brainstorming. Store your documents in Google Drive versus in traditional file cabinets to become more environmentally conscious.

Corporate Benefits > Save costs, time and increase transparency

By going paperless, you can save time and money. Not to mention, you can be more transparent and accessible within your teams. Take advantage of online tools for project management and information sharing by going paperless. This can save time and allow you to be more transparent when everyone can access everything online in one place.

Mistake 5: Not having office plants

Creating a positive and welcoming environment is important for offices. However, many can often seem impersonal and sterile. You are not taking advantage of the extra benefits that plants can add to the office environment.

Solution > Purchasing office plants ✅

Purchase office plants, simple as that! You don't need to go overboard, but a few strategic plants can bring life to the workplace.

Corporate Benefits > Greener and cleaner office

Having green plants around the office can make it a personal and enjoyable place to work. People might actually be excited to come into the office again. Not to mention, plants are a great way to clean the air, making it a nicer and healthier place to work. Consider choosing plants that also help with noise cancellation to curate a quieter and more peaceful office.

Mistake 6: Not recycling

Offices in general can be wasteful places. Offices should find ways to dispose of excess paper when it is no longer needed to reduce clutter and waste. The same goes for electronics, such as computers, tables, chairs, and other office equipment.

Solution > Recycle paper, electronics, food and plastic ✅

Stop throwing everything away and invest in recycling. That doesn't mean you need to eliminate waste all together, but find green and sustainable solutions for your building.

Corporate Benefits > Save on garbage costs & donate old furniture

By recycling more items from the office, you can save on garbage costs. Check your area to see what recycling options are available. Looking into how you can recycle e-waste and other old electronics is important, as those should not end up in landfills.

For old furniture, you can check your community to see where you can donate or even resell your old office furniture. This helps to keep these items out of landfills and it can end up in offices or homes of those who can use it instead.

Mistake 7: Always eating out or ordering fast food

Lunch can be a major waste problem in companies. With people often going out or buying fast to bring back to the office, it is not a sustainable practice. Not addressing this issue can lead to a lot of unnecessary waste.

Solution > Promote bringing lunch ✅

Check with your HR department or office manager to see how you can get your employees involved. This could mean encouraging people to bring their lunches from home in reusable containers. Not to mention, it is a great opportunity to bond with each other during lunch.

Corporate Benefits > Reduce waste and more employee engagement

By making this simple switch, you can save on garbage costs. When your staff eats lunch together, they can socialize in a non-work setting. This helps them bond and build relationships outside of work. By doing so, employees feel more connected and engaged, which can lead to more output and productivity.

Mistake 8: Excess business travel

Many companies believe the only way to make connections, bring brand awareness and host events is in person. This can often lead to a lot of unnecessary business travel that is often not fuel efficient.

Solution > Host digital events and choose eco travel options ✅

Impersonal digital calls cannot always be the solution, but there might be some instances where it is enough. This option does not have such a large impact on the environment that a regular business trip might have.

Corporate Benefits > Save travel costs

By not attending as many events, then you can save on admission costs, food, and even travel and lodging costs. If these trips are unavoidable, then consider choosing more eco-friendly travel options. Carpooling, taking the train or bus can already have a huge environmental impact. Many of these options can also be more cost effective at the same time.

Mistake 9: Forgetting to make sustainability a core value

One of the biggest mistakes is forgetting that sustainability in the workplace is closer to a verb than a noun. It isn't a one time event you do for Earth Day, then forget about it for the other 364 days of the year.

Solution > Make it a core company value! ✅

Bring this mindset into your company culture! Make being green and sustainable a part of your company culture. This can be through core values or other sustainability initiatives. This can have a positive impact on your company, which might surprise you.

Corporate Benefits > An overall greener company culture

Once you add this thinking to your core company values, your employees will adapt this mindset as well. Since everyone will already be on board, it will make moving forward with eco-friendly practices even easier.

Mistake 10: Throwing away unused promotional products

You ordered a lot of promotional giveaways. Now the event is over and the extras are sitting in storage. Or you have no more space and you throw them away

Solution > Downsize and repurpose ✅

Unless you have a specific date or event printed on a product, you can reuse and repurpose your products. If you used some promotional pens for a career fair, then consider using the leftovers for your onboarding box.

Corporate Benefits > Avoiding waste and not overspending

If you ended up with too many products, then consider ordering a smaller amount for the next time. Buying in bulk may appear to be a cost-effective option at first. However, it can actually end up being more expensive in the long run. This is because you may end up wasting items or needing extra storage space.

Repurposing is a great option because you already paid for the items. Why buy more items for another event? Using what you have saves you time and money!

Mistake 11: Not giving back to the community or environment

As a company, you might have already done some or all these things. However, a common mistake people might not consider is giving back to the community!

Solution > Donate and get involved in green topics in your community ✅

Consider running donation campaigns through your ecommerce site. Or run a branding campaign within your business to encourage your staff and coworkers to donate to a worthy cause.

Corporate Benefits > Positive reputation and overall sense of community

It's important to back up your words with actions, as many people depend on positive reputation and recommendations in business. Building a community and improving the area around your business can greatly impact corporate social responsibility and employee engagement.

The future of sustainability in the workplace

The topic of corporate sustainability practices in the workplace is not going anywhere. If anything, it will become even more important in the future. Which is why you can already start to make some changes and other improvements. Take these sustainable work practices into consideration and start working on more green initiatives in the workplace now!

Conscious practices like these mentioned can lead to long term environmental sustainability in the workplace. A little can go a long way and it all starts with us.

➥ For those interested in learning more about sustainability topics, consider reading our blog post about 6 tips for eco-branding. Otherwise, see how we are involved with our community by checking out our social responsibility page. Use these as inspiration to get more involved and go greener!