Benefits February 17, 2009

Reducing Travel and Printing among Organizations Top "Green" Practices

February 17, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A new survey from Buck Consultants shows companies are incorporating and working towards integrating a number of green practices.
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According to “The Greening of HR” survey results, 54% of respondents incorporate environmental management into their business operations.

Survey participants currently have the following green programs in place:

  • Using the internet or teleconferencing to cut down on business travel (78%);
  • Putting Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) or other company information online to
  • reduce printing (77%);
  • Promoting the reduction of paper usage (76%);
  • Implementing wellness programs around proper nutrition, fitness, and healthy living
  • (68%);
  • Offering opportunities for employees to “telework” or work from home (57%);
  • Ride/Share programs (52%);
  • “Green” newsletters or other “green” communications (40%);
  • Training program for employees on “green” practices (18%);
  • Offering environmentally responsible 401(k) investment options (12%); and
  • Recruiting employees with “green” skills and experiences (10%).

Greater than 60% of companies surveyed have made environmental responsibility a part of their organization’s mission statement and view the promotion of social responsibility as the most critical objective of their green programs, the survey report said. However, in nearly half (46%) of companies, only 5% or less of their employees are actively involved in green programs.

The survey findings illustrate that companies who have appointed individuals to lead organizational green efforts have a much higher prevalence of employees actively involved in their green practices than companies who have not. More than three-quarters (77%) of respondents said they offer special awards or recognition to employees to encourage “green” behavior.

Buck also found that corporate Operations (47%) and HR departments (38%) are most often responsible for green programs.

The survey analyzed responses from 93 organizations in the United States, representing a wide range of industries during the fourth quarter of 2008.

The survey report can be obtained at www.bucksurveys.com .

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