Be Clear with Definitions and Expectations
How much turnover is there on your teams? If you’re constantly getting new people in, then you need documentation that brings new hires up to speed. If you’re not seeing much turnover, then you need clear documentation to make new processes and practices the agreed upon standard – either way, you need to be absolutely clear with your team about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how it’s a team effort.
Don’t ask people to snitch on others (that just leads to bad blood) but also, don’t be afraid to take action if someone really isn’t pulling their weight with the changes, or is causing a toxic work environment because they don’t want to change how they work.
Start Small and Work Up
You might not have the time or budget to make sweeping changes to your office, and frankly – it’s not generally a good idea to try changing too much all at once (you need to focus on the work you’re doing after all).
Design and develop a workable strategy to make changes and have a rolling implementation schedule. From simply switching off the lights in empty rooms or setting up recycling points across the office, to replacing company cars with electric vehicles or investing in eco-friendly air conditioning – as a manager, you’re in a position to make smart, sustainable choices that will benefit the business and your team.
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Don’t Be Afraid to Take the Right Amount of Time
Remember, at the end of the day, you and your team need to be able to do your jobs and do them well. If sustainable updates and processes are causing problems with the workflow, team cohesion, or making for negative morale – there’s nothing wrong with putting the process on hold, re-evaluating it – and looking for an approach that’s more suited to your company needs.
Put your people first and they will respect you, and as you continue improving sustainability at office level, you’re making the world a better place on multiple levels.