Survey: Employees ‘passing the buck’ on energy saving

BusinessGreen describes a survey undertaken of staff in small and medium sized companies.  The survey was undertaken for the energy company, E.ON.  The lack of interest or commitment on the part of employees to do even the least action is important to better understand. The question is how managers can turn this attitude around and get commitment through individual enterprises.  E.ON has found one way through better training.

E.ON trains 4,000 frontline staff in energy saving, after survey finds small businesses are failing to take responsibility for energy efficiency measures

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could be missing out on energy savings because bosses and their employees are failing to take responsibility for implementing basic energy efficiency measures in the workplace, such as switching off lights or fitting insulation.

That is the conclusion of an independent survey of 2,000 staff at SMEs undertaken on behalf of energy giant E.ON.

Published yesterday, the survey revealed a “pass the buck” attitude among employees. Only one in 10 workers acknowledged energy efficiency was part of their responsibilities, while many junior executives said it was the role of the office manager and some office managers argued it was the responsibility of the company owner or more senior managers.

Around 20 per cent of owners or chief executives accepted energy efficiency was their responsibility, but 25 per cent said they rarely thought about the issue. A further 11 per cent said they take no measures at all to be more energy efficient, while 57 per cent of employees said they had received no clear company guidelines about energy efficiency.

Iain Walker, head of business sales at E.ON, said the survey had revealed a surprisingly low level of awareness of potential energy efficiency gains. He urged company chief executives and owners to improve communications with employees to ensure that everyone is aware of their energy-saving responsibilities.

E.ON also said it would train 4,000 frontline employees so they can provide energy-saving advice to business customers in an attempt to help tackle the problem.

“We appreciate it’s often difficult to dedicate time to educating the workforce about energy saving, but the benefits of implementing better practice can be significant and directly beneficial to all employers,” said Walker.

“We recognise leadership is needed, which is why we are calling on key decision makers within the workplace to seek advice and information on the topic, such as the potential for financial savings and simple measures that can be introduced to reduce waste.”