THE TAKE AWAY: A 2007 poll by Monster.ca highlights that some 75 per cent of those polled would switch to a more environmentally conscious employer, if one could be found. Unfortunately, only one in five thought their own company was doing a good job with promoting a greener approach to business.
Coming at a time when the Canadian Council of Chief Executives has started to highlight the need for a more proactive approach to environmental issues by Canadian businesses, the poll points to a disconnect between attempts by individual employees to live a greener lifestyle at home and what they experience in a typical office. Although most modern offices feature a host of more environmentally-conscious services, the infrastructure demands of commercial and institutional buildings mean they still account for a substantial portion of annual greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the Monster.ca poll, areas where employers might consider improving their efforts include encouraging greater use of carpooling, public transit, and alternative modes of transportation -- like cycling to work.
Green Workplaces: Why Canadians Don't Want to Work for Polluters
By Melanie Joy Douglas, Monster.ca
Currently, commercial and institutional buildings account for over 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. The average office worker uses a quarter ton of materials each year, including a whopping 10,000 pieces of copier paper.Many Canadians recycle diligently, choose environmentally-friendly products whenever possible, and narrow their eyes at shoppers who actually still use plastic shopping bags. They feel good about the ‘green’ choices they’re making because it all adds up; they are making a difference.
And then they get to work, where, in most offices, the lights and computers have been on all night. The printers and photocopiers are constantly in use throughout the day. The building is frosty cold in the summer and searing hot in the winter. The parking lot is rammed full of cars that carry single employees back and forth from home to work.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Workers are increasingly becoming aware of this glaring discrepancy in their home and work life and are starting to look for "greener pastures" at work, according to series of online polls by Monster.ca.
It’s no wonder that in Monster’s first poll (“How environmentally-friendly is your workplace?”), 81% of 1,275 participants reported that their employer was either “polluting the environment,” “ignoring the need to be environmentally friendly,” or in need of “help to become greener”. Only 18% of employees considered their employer to be extremely green.
Just how serious are employees? Of 2,854 respondents to a second poll, 78% said that given a choice, they would leave their current job in favour of a greener workplace. Recruiters are now reporting that candidates are demanding to know a company’s environmental specs before taking a job.
Canadian workers are realizing that wellness at work goes beyond flex time, extended health benefits, and extra vacation days, and they’re increasingly weighing environmental issues in the context of a healthy work environment.
Read the full post on Monster.ca >>
Source: http://content.monster.ca/14502_en-CA_p1.asp
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