Many companies are taking sustainability to the next level but some are stuck in a vast sea of red tape. CEOs are heavily involving their employees in the quest for a more sustainable planet. Adecco did a workplace insight survey that revealed, many companies are becoming more green in response to their employees demanding that corporations incorporate more sustainable/green practices. Companies are reminded by job seekers and employees that their commitment to the environment and social issues is important to them and they will choose their employers based corporate sustainability practices. “In releasing its survey results, the Marlin Company noted that 77.7 percent of the U.S. workers responding said it is important to them for their employers to be going green in a significant way.”

Even though the CEOs are on board and willing to make the changes that the employees are asking for (their motives may be more tightly in line with good PR and saving money), large corporations are finding it difficult to implement many of these changes. “According to 1,200 U.K. workers surveyed by power and gas giant E.ON, jobholders at small to medium-sized firms are significantly more likely to help curb energy use and carbon emissions by turning off lights and computers and recycling than employees at larger companies, who say bureaucracy hampers their efforts.” There are many layers in large corporations and sometimes even with the best of intentions the ideas get lost. Middle management is removed from the hard numbers of running the business and doesn’t have time to take on another cause. Somehow the corporate message must be adequately conveyed to middle management and by middle management. Education is the key that is often overlooked… check back for our next segment on education.