A study just released by Adobe has shown the stances employees in Australia are taking on environmental impact and sustainability practices within an Australian workplace. As greenhouse gas concentrations and emissions continue to rise, climate change is at front of mind for businesses and many are now using technology to operate more sustainably and reduce society’s impact on the environment.

While most Australians surveyed through the study want to partake in sustainability practices and believe this is a key success metric for the organisation, it’s the millennials who are leading the way. Younger age groups (18-34 years) are reportedly more engaged and involved in their company’s sustainability practices while other age groups (especially 55+ years) tend to be more disconnected, according to the data.

While 55% of Australians are involved in driving sustainability practices in their workplace, this figure is higher for the 25–34-year age group (64%) and lower for those aged 55+ (48%). Australian employees also see sustainability as an opportunity for innovation, talent attraction and retention.

Adobe’s new study is called Sustainability at Work and shows the impact an employee has on sustainability in the workplace depends on their age and location.

Here are some of the key findings:  

• As sustainability becomes a key issue for Australian organisations, the top three recommendations for sustainability in the workplace are recycling programs, reducing, or eliminating paper and plastic usage in the workplace, and prioritising renewable energy.
• While 55% of Australians are involved in driving sustainability practices in their workplace, this figure is higher for the 25–34-year age group (64%) and lower for those aged 55+ (48%).
• Australian employees see sustainability as an opportunity for innovation, talent attraction and retention.
• Around 62% of Australians believe their company wants to reduce the harm it causes to the environment.
• In terms of prioritising sustainability in the workplace and realising overall sustainability goals, 75% of Australian executives surveyed said it is important for them to achieve high sustainability at work, but over a quarter (33%) Australian employees think their company is resistant to making changes towards achieving sustainability.
• Australians also believe their companies should be implementing more sustainability programs (50%), reducing, or eliminating paper usage (45%) and reducing or eliminating plastic (38%) at the workplace.
• 31% of Australian executives rank sustainability as one of their top ten metrics for business success.
• Millennials (ages 25-34) are more involved in their organisation’s sustainability initiatives and goals than other age groups.
• 64% of Australians agree that hybrid working can make businesses more sustainable.
• 68% of Australians think sustainability initiatives will be viewed as opportunities for innovation and thought leadership by 2030.

According to the survey data, 64% of Australians believe that hybrid working can make businesses more sustainable; the main reasons being reduced emissions (due to less commuting) in electricity consumption and office space required, and over 56% agree that everyone should help drive sustainability in the workplace equally.  

Australia has long recognised the role of sustainable development for the betterment of the country, and most Australian organisations are holding themselves accountable by committing themselves to measurable sustainability goals.

Role of executives in sustainability at the workplace

In terms of prioritising sustainability in the workplace and realising overall sustainability goals, 75% of Australian executives surveyed said it’s important for them to achieve high sustainability at work, but over a quarter (33%) Australian employees think their company is resistant to making changes towards achieving sustainability. Australian employees are also clued into the benefits of sustainability at the workplace with the top three benefits being less harm caused to the environment, lower costs, and improved workplace culture.

While responding to questions about mindfulness in the office and individual involvement in the company’s sustainability practices, over half of surveyed respondents said that they encourage others at work to be mindful of their company’s sustainability practices, whereas 53% said they would like to be more involved in driving sustainability practices in their workplace. However, only 50% of Australian employees feel empowered to help improve their company’s sustainability practices, and 30% would only work for an organisation that prioritises sustainability.

Sustainability initiatives by Australian businesses

As sustainability becomes a key priority for Australian organisations, the top three recommendations Australians suggest about sustainability in the workplace are recycling programs, reducing, or eliminating paper and plastic usage in the workplace, and prioritising renewable energy. It was revealed that Australian companies have a high focus on recycling (48%) and paper-saving sustainability programs (40%). Over 70% of respondents also believe that their company is in line with or ahead of other companies in their sector when it comes to implementing sustainability practices.

Around 62% of Australians believe their company wants to reduce the harm it causes to the environment. Approximately one third (32%) of Australian executives surveyed say their company has boosted its sustainability efforts to attract more prospective employees. The main ways in which Australian executives track sustainability initiatives at work are internal auditing and reporting (33%) and running employee surveys (33%).

Seabin are Social Impact Leaders on a data + community driven mission to solve the planets plastic pollution problems, one city at a time. The “100 Smarter Cities by 2050” action plan starts with Adobe Acrobat.

“It’s that digital signature on a contract that starts the process of cleaning up an entire city for microplastics, plastic fibres and other pollutants. We can literally sign and send documents worldwide in a matter of seconds, share sensitive information protected by Adobes password-protect technology, and restructure all our documentation processes. Going paperless fits our sustainability agenda, it’s a no brainer for Seabin to choose Adobe as the most efficient and comprehensive solution” says Pete Ceglinski, CEO & Co-founder of Seabin.

Future of sustainability at workplace: Mission 2030

Respondents also believe that one of the key opportunities for sustainable development in the future will include consideration of the entire supply chain. Almost 70% of Australians also stated that sustainability initiatives will be viewed as a platform for innovation and thought leadership in the future whereas 67% of Australians estimated that companies will revamp internal processes to reduce their in-office and workspace environmental impact.  

Australians also believe that their companies should be implementing more sustainability programs (50%), reducing, or eliminating paper usage (45%) and reducing or eliminating plastic (38%) at the workplace. It was concluded through the findings that women more strongly support the reduction or elimination of paper and plastic at work than men.

“The insights revealed by the study make it evident that Australian organisations are working diligently towards achieving sustainability through active initiatives,” said Chandra Sinnathamby, Adobe Director of Digital Media B2B Strategy & GTM, Asia Pacific. “With a collaborative effort with employees, better usage of resources, adapting renewable energy sources and adopting a hybrid workplace, Australian organisations can champion sustainability in the workplace from leadership to employees.”

About the Research & Methodology: Adobe Document Cloud Sustainability @ Work Study is based on a 19-question online survey of 1,009 Australians, aged 18 and older, who are employed, either full or part-time to explore opinions and beliefs of Australian employees and executives about sustainable workplace practices in the present and their hope for the future of workplace sustainability. The sample is nationally representative in terms of gender, age, and location. For the purposes of this report, the analysis on Executives includes managers and c-suite executives. The survey was conducted between 13 July and 22 July 2022

About Adobe: For more information on Adobe, visit here.

For more from Women Love Tech on sustainability, visit here.

Top 10 Must ‘Read’ Eco-Fiction and Sustainability Audiobooks

The post Latest Research Shows Millennials Are Making Our Offices More Sustainable appeared first on Women Love Tech.

DMTBeautySpot

via https://dmtbeautyspot.com

Pamela Connellan, DMT.NEWS, DMT BeautySpot,