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There are two major steps that you need to focus on to build the change:
1. Laying the foundation.
2. Introducing management processes and fostering internal expertise
Laying the foundation – Beginning at the top
Follow the below seven principles and you can be guaranteed that they will help you develop and maintain staff engagement in the process of becoming an energy efficient and low carbon business:
Develop commitment: Build commitment for going low carbon right at the board level and ensure you’ve got full cooperation from all directors and senior management from the beginning. You may need to showcase the benefits of being energy efficient and carbon neutral by engaging external specialists or identifying market examples.
Employee introduction: Developing goals at the top level is fine but remember that impacts may be felt much harder further down the chain, therefore the most effected may be the lower levels in your organisation and they will need to most nurturing. Engaging your staff towards the beginning of the process will reap the most rewards. Involve them in brainstorming and have them come up with ideas which you can build into your strategic plans. Introduce the management developed goals to your employees and remember that enthusiasm and commitment at the management level can be contagious.
The champions: Talk to your human resource department, other department managers and find respected staff members who are natural leaders and show strong commitment towards sustainability issues. Delegate responsibility to these individuals to identify opportunities, rally the troops and assist in the implementation of actions. Make sure to secure sufficient resources, both financial and human.
Involve the right staff with the right tasks: With support from your champions by creating awareness campaign to alert and involve staff whose expertise will be needed in the process. For example identifying and building efficiency improvements in your buildings and the surrounding built environment will need input from your building/facilities manager; your accounts managers can take on the task of calculating payback periods and costs; your fleet manager can help identify fuel efficient and low maintenance vehicles; your human resources staff will need to be involved in developing appropriate training programs and integrating energy efficiency goals and carbon neutral goals into staff KPI’s.
Maintaining momentum: Once your staff is aware of the organisation’s desire to change, start by tackling the low hanging fruit and securing some quick wins to build momentum and test your management processes.
Ensure integration through the organisation’s entire business process: Once you’ve secured some quick wins don’t stop there, hold people accountable and continue to work with your entire organisation to integrate energy efficiency and low carbon strategies into purchasing policies, supplier selection and other decision-making processes. Hold regular meetings and provide opportunities to hear staff perspectives on the integration of the energy efficiency and low carbon thinking into business processes, this will ensure that you maximise their participation and investment in the change.
Celebrations and rewards: Never underestimate the power of a good party! Make sure to celebrate internal successes and recognise champions and other staff have them share their experiences and learnings. If you get an award from an external organisation, share this achievement with your staff. Integrate success on low carbon measures into staff KPIs. Keep up the momentum by continually introducing the next ambitious energy efficiency and carbon-cutting goal.
Integrate the below behaviour changes into your organisation.
Behaviour changes – The top 5
Give your sustainability champions the responsibility of promoting and rewarding the below behaviour changes in your organisation.
The simple act of switch lighting and equipment off: Hold staff accountable for not turning off lighting and equipment when not in use 
(especially overnight). Equipment in standby modes still consumes electricity; turn it off at the wall.
Control air conditioner usage via the thermostat: We’re not talking here about turning off your air conditioning altogether, rather control the temperature which it is set at. Set air conditioners between 24C and 25C. One or two degrees lower has a large impact on energy usage. Also look at investing in more energy efficient units.
Windows: The natural alternative, not always practical in congested and hot environments; however with creative building design options, passive cooling can have a significant impact on your electricity bill. Windows, all you need to do is open or close them throughout the day. Used in combination with curtains, window tinting and window coverings, they can be very effective. If you’re using an air conditioner, make sure all windows are shut.
Waste management strategies that help reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle: It’s important to provide staff with recycle bins, strategically positions, clearly visible and marked, and encourage their use. Ensure you make your fleet managers, facilities managers, engineers accountable for maintain equipment so that it operates efficiently and lasts longer. Integrate accountabilities into staff KPIs. Preventative maintenance is the best cure.
Two feet and a heartbeat: Encourage the use of alternate modes of transport such as feet to walk with, use of public transport, carpooling. Offer incentives to staff such as company paid transport services, subsidised public transport.
Introducing management processes and fostering internal expertise
Investing the right amount of financial resources at the early stages of building energy efficient and low carbon culture through engaging specialists to develop your internal processes and train your staff can be especially valuable.
Alternatively it may be your desire to invest in obtaining your very own staff resource to manage your initiatives; some leading corporates in Sri Lanka are already doing this and have spent a significant amount of time and money on developing these resources internally. Whether the resource is internal or external, they can provide you with globally tested strategies that have been developed through years of learning and research, giving you a strong foundation.
What is my payback rate for all this investment?
Payback rates will be based on the initiative undertaken, management commitment and resources you provide right at the start to get things going. Having said this, payback for low-cost actions such as appointing champions, training your staff in simple low carbon behaviours and making them accountable by introducing KPIs into their position descriptions can be almost immediate.
Payback times for investing in less tangible initiatives such as staff training courses will vary from business to business and are difficult to predict, however calculations can be done for more tangible changes such as light fittings, fuel efficient vehicles, new waste treatment systems, etc. Remember that staff with knowledge and experience in the area is your biggest asset and will be increasingly valuable as time goes by.
(The writer is Director, Business Partner Solutions Ltd. www.bpslk.lk.)
