How can I encourage my staff not to bring their cars to work?

This article first appeared on September 27th, 2012.

Actively encouraging environmentally friendly practices among employees is an extremely commendable act for any small business owner because we all know that transport is one of the key factors in the environmental footprint of any business.

Therefore helping staff to do their bit is a great way to make a difference for a sustainable future.

As a leader it is important that you set the right example by using the greenest form of transport possible.

If you have your bike helmet perched on your desk day in day out it will show how seriously you are taking the initiative.

Getting your staff’s buy-in is essential for any green project, no matter how small. If they are on board you will no longer have to worry that you are annoying them with the new campaign.

If you are willing to invest a little money there are many options available to you.

If you’re based in Melbourne for example, you can take advantage of corporate rates for the city’s bike share program.

You could consider subsidising all or part of the fees for your team and it is also helpful if your business is located conveniently near public transport.

If you enjoy thinking outside the box you might want to consider evolving how your team works and encouraging your staff to work “mobile”.

We all have technology to allow us to do our jobs no matter where we happen to be so why not let employees work part-time from home or in third places such as coffee shops, libraries and business centres located close to home?

Hopefully your business has the management and performance evaluation systems to cope with that style of work.

You’d be surprised how engaged employees can be when they have control and flexibility over where they are working.

You will be cutting the environmental waste of their commute and you can look at some good business returns from adding more efficiency to how your workplace functions.