Written by Vincent Govaers
Too many organizations perceive sustainability as a pain in the neck. They believe it will negatively impact their current business’ position, that it will be expensive and/or that employees won’t be open to the changes. However, if you want to start with implementing sustainable initiatives in your company, it does not have to be a liability. Small changes can make huge differences while being fun!
People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. This also applies to sustainable business transformation where the engagement level of your people is often the deciding factor of success.
For starters, sustainable initiatives should not have a negative impact on your employees’ happiness. It is crucial to listen to your employees and understand their thresholds. Only then you can overcome certain barriers and improve the current situation. For internal processes, providing sufficient change alternatives could already do the trick. Replacing fossil fuel cars by free public transport could be a sufficient solution.
However, to guarantee optimal traction, new alternatives should outperform current activities. Instead of giving your employees the option to use public transport for free, why not go the extra mile and provide first class tickets, noise-cancelling headphones or more flexible work hours? By doing so, you will not only fulfill functional needs, but employees might enjoy taking public transport. The focus needs to be on providing better alternatives instead of taking away existing benefits which will help to build a positive view on sustainability. A positive attitude will lead to having more fun which will boost creativity, happiness and productivity in your company.
Finally, we believe that sustainable core activities are not just an alternative but can actually outperform current, traditional business models. By using sustainability to enhance creativity, new business models can be created in the same way that digital transformation boosted companies’ possibilities. A sustainable transformation doesn’t mean your business will lose its market position but more often your business will be able to make a big jump forward. Just make sure you’re surrounded by people who are having fun in what they do, and anything will be possible!