Greening Your Staff
Help your employees help the planet. They'll be happier and more productive as a result.

By Jamie Mcmahon

Aug. 4, 2009

Editor's note: The following first appeared in the August 2009 issue of Credit Union Management.

It's hard to argue these days against the benefits of "going green." Whether you're doing it to improve your bottom line, strengthen your brand, or out of a sense of social responsibility, there are many good reasons for credit unions to reduce their footprint on the planet.

But one advantage that often goes overlooked could be the most important-at least it involves the most vital part of your institution-your employees.

Now more than ever, employees want to feel like they're making a difference at their jobs and, for that feeling, they often look to the principles of their employer.

In a recent Society for Human Resource Management Webinar, EMERGE International CEO Lizz Pellet argued that it's important to today's workers that their company be transparent-that it provide them a "meaningful, authentic and congruent work experience," a "cultural fit."

Few things promote a feeling of "cultural fit" better than environmental awareness, and that means it's important for credit unions to both implement green HR policies and then market them to current and prospective employees as part of a green employment-branding campaign.

Will it really make a difference? Several studies have concluded that it does. In a 2009 survey of HR professionals, SHRM found that the No. 1 reason companies implement green policies is to contribute to society. But the professionals said the No. 1 positive result of those policies was "improved employee morale." Increased employee loyalty, productivity, recruitment and retention also made the list of most-cited benefits.

A report by the Sustainable Business Network of Washington made a similar argument: Of the eight reasons it gave for a company to go green, "increasing employee satisfaction, retention and productivity" ranked No. 1 on the list.

Real-world examples only reinforce this idea. Last fall, $1.7 billion/146,000-member/350-employee Michigan State University Federal Credit Union opened the doors to a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified headquarters in East Lansing, Mich.

According to CUES member Joyce Banish, VP/university/community relations, employees love it. She says the building-which draws 75 percent of its light from natural sources and boasts a state-of-the-art air filtration system-has made for both healthier and happier workers.

"Before we moved, an MSU department did a survey of our employees, and it was all about attitude, health, that type of thing, and they're doing the survey again now that we've been in the building for a while," Banish says. "They have indicated that, while they haven't seen the final response, the results are very positive."

On the environmentally aware MSU campus, employees have taken a sense of ownership in the new headquarters.

"Everybody knows about this building, and everybody asks about it, so employees are very proud of it. You can't help but feel good about coming to work," Banish says.

But the new building was only part of the equation to get employees excited about MSU FCU's green mission. The CU wanted to include employees in the actual process and, to do that, it offers such things as a shower area to encourage biking to work, a cafeteria so employees don't have to drive to get lunch, and parking spots near the front of the building for compact cars.

These green HR practices are just as important as bigger, facility-related changes in encouraging employees to love living green, and the great thing is there are a million of them out there to try.

HR-SPECIFIC GREEN POLICIES
Green HR practices can be simple to implement and will often cut expenses. Some popular ones include heightened recycling efforts, the elimination of disposable cups and other materials, and increased efforts to turn off lights and electronics while they're not in use.

In February Buck Consultants, which specializes in human resource and benefits consulting, released a survey showing the top three green HR practices to be:

Other popular policies included employee recognition, prizes, and monetary rewards for green actions. The survey also concluded that green HR drives are much more successful when led by an individual employee.

CFE Federal Credit Union, with $1.13 billion in assets, 118,000 members and 386 employees in Lake Mary, Fla., took the idea of appointing a "green leader" a step further last year.

"We launched our green initiative, which was about a year in the process of developing and, as part of that, we started an internal committee to help champion our green efforts," says Laura Richard, CFE FCU's marketing director. "They call themselves the eco-crew, and it's 15 employees who help CFE FCU be aware of things we can do at work and at home to be greener."

The CU's "eco-crew" stands not only as an example of how a leading individual or team can give direction to green efforts, but also how such efforts can bring employees together.

Another example: CFE FCU also began a carpool-incentives program last summer to both help the environment and battle high gas prices. Richard says employees enjoyed it mainly because it was nice having people to talk to during their commutes.

The CU has even staged green-themed parties-where all employees brought in a green dish or beverage (these were both organic and "fun green colored or earthy themed dishes," Richard says) and played green-themed games-to promote environmentally friendly behavior and staff togetherness.

"I definitely think there's a sense of camaraderie," Richard says. "People take pride in their green behaviors too."

That sense of pride and teamwork contributed to the success of CFE FCU's external green campaign, which was launched in step with the internal campaign. CFE FCU's green promotions include loan discounts on fuel-efficient cars and energy-saving home improvements, discounts at local green merchants, and green-themed check and credit cards that earn reward points toward free travel and merchandise.

"One of our branches did particularly well with our green promotion, and the branch manager said the reason they did so well was because their employees were really behind it," explains Richard. "They believe in being green, and that transferred to our membership, and that's why they've had so much success with our green campaign."

TECHNOLOGY AND GREEN HR
Some of the most effective and money-saving green HR policies involve the use of technology. More and more companies are allowing staff to telecommute, a practice that keeps cars off the road and is often more convenient for employees. Teleconferencing is even more popular-it can save a company thousands on airfare as well as precious time.

And if you're evaluating several candidates for a position and they're scattered across the country, conducting interviews over the Internet eliminates airfare costs. It also allows you to get a good idea of whether candidates are worth pursuing before meeting in person.

Michael Policano, CEO of LiveHire—a company that facilitates real-time video interviews—says employers appreciate being able to interview from anywhere at any time while also helping the environment.

According to Policano, companies are typically drawn more to the money and time-saving aspects of video interviewing, but as it becomes more popular it could have a significant environmental impact.

"Down the road and into the future it can add up to pretty strong environmental savings," he says. "The more companies that are utilizing the service, the more interviews that are done utilizing the Web, the less travel on automobiles and flights that there would be.

"I believe that this is the future of interviewing-being able to utilize the Internet in a way that will ultimately save time and money, but hopefully the environment as well. And it can contribute in a greater way as more companies use it."

Social media can play a role in your green HR strategy as well. Internal online networks and portals, especially, reduce paper needs for everything from company-wide memos to training documents. CFE FCU even used its intranet to encourage new green ideas and collaboration.

"We have a green blog here internally," Richard says. "It's almost like Facebook-you know the 'what are you thinking?' We had the 'what are you doing to go green today?' and everyone posted to the blog."

The "What are you doing to go green today?" blog, which CFE FCU launched to celebrate Earth Day 2009, generated some fun and original responses, including:

Whether the individual entries related to everyday habits, member service or brands of snack food, CFE FCU's blog encouraged green awareness and teamwork among staff.

For credit unions that don't have the time to set up an intranet or blog, going green with technology can be even simpler than that-Richard says she regularly uses e-mail to send out friendly green reminders to employees.

AN UPBEAT MISSION DURING DIFFICULT TIMES
If there was ever a chance for a green campaign to fail in inspiring its members and employees, it might have been last fall. MSU FCU had been planning the construction of its LEED-certified headquarters since 2002, and after six years of lobbying for land, designing the building and actually constructing it, the facility opened in September Ö right as the economy slumped Ö in the state with the country's highest unemployment.

None of it deterred MSU FCU staff.

"The new building actually solidified our strength," Banish says. The building's beauty and, more importantly, its "healthier and happier" employees, acted as a shot of energy for the CU, which in turn drew in customers looking for a positive experience at the very beginning of the recession.

"Members would come in and say, 'I love coming in here because everything's so positive and upbeat,'" Banish explains. "When the economy was slumping, we were having a grand opening, we were having promotions, we were advertising, we had specials on certificates and 'living green and loving it' contests, and all these things that showed everyone that we were here to stay."

The excitement for MSU FCU's internal green efforts translated into success for its external green promotions. The CU offered a green certificate special-members who opened a certificate on line and agreed to e-notices for renewal received an extra 0.25 percent-that brought in $21 million.

Banish says the CU did "outstanding business" when it offered discounts on green car loans. And much of that success has come from the new building and the effect it had on employees.

"So we have continued to grow even in this year," notes Banish.

MSU FCU has continued its internal green drive, eliminating all Styrofoam from the building, providing employees with their own coffee mugs, and intensifying recycling efforts.

Management even brought in a "green guru" to explain the green features of the new headquarters-a step Banish says was important in getting every employee in on the campaign.

"That's one thing everyone has to do-educate their staff on what is done, how it works and how we're helping the environment," she says. "That really develops a sense of pride."

So while protecting the environment and cutting costs are great reasons for companies to go green, the greatest benefit of saving the planet's resources may involve credit unions' own human resources. As credit unions tighten their belts and strive for the most efficient processes possible, employees enthused and united by green efforts may play a vital role.

Jamie McMahon is a CUES intern.