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Employee engagement in sustainability: beyond the poster | CyberChat 12
CYBERCHAT / EPISODE 12
By Joanna Whitear · Reviewed 4 October 2026
A fictional 1990s chatroom conversation about real sustainability questions. Joanna and Al appear as themselves; the dialogue is scripted and the other characters are invented.
How do you involve employees in sustainability work?
People need opportunities to shape sustainability work, relevant skills and support to act. Listen to the barriers they face, use communication channels that fit their working day and give practical ideas a route to a decision. Show what happened afterwards so participation leads to visible progress.
#evergreen : CyberChat
[21:01] Al says: evening all. we sent the sustainability email. we put up the poster. how do we get people involved?
[21:02] net_junky says: i opened the email. apparently this makes me an engaged stakeholder
[21:03] Joanna says: Have you asked people what makes it difficult to act? They may care about the issue and still struggle with the way work is organised.
[21:04] Sunshine_girl says: so it might not be a lack of enthusiasm?
[21:05] Joanna says: Exactly. Someone may see avoidable waste every day but have no authority to change an order. Or they may have an idea and no time to test it. Start by listening to the people doing the work.
[21:06] Ace_Ventura says: the poster cannot approve a purchasing change
[21:07] Al says: what would you actually ask them?
[21:08] Joanna says: Where do you see waste or unnecessary effort? What have you already tried? What gets in the way? What support would help? Ask about their work before asking them to join your campaign.
[21:09] net_junky says: ours will say deadlines. followed by more deadlines
[21:10] Joanna says: Then take that seriously. An extra meeting may be the wrong starting point. Use a team briefing or an existing check-in, and choose one problem that matters to the team as well as to your sustainability plans.
[21:11] Sunshine_girl says: would a green team help?
[21:12] Joanna says: It can, if information travels both ways. Share the business priorities, but also let colleagues tell you what happens in practice. A network should help ideas reach people who can act on them.
[21:13] Al says: rather than five volunteers being handed the whole sustainability strategy?
[21:14] Joanna says: Give them a clear purpose, agreed time and a manager who can help remove barriers. Keep management accountable for decisions and resources. Enthusiasm is valuable, but it does not create extra hours in the working week.
[21:15] Ace_Ventura says: enthusiasm: still not accepted as payment for overtime
[21:16] Sunshine_girl says: we have eight people. a network sounds a bit grand
[21:17] Joanna says: You can keep it simple. Ten minutes in a regular meeting, a shared list of suggestions and someone responsible for following up may be enough. The useful part is the connection between an idea and a decision.
[21:18] net_junky says: we have a suggestions box. it is where ideas go to retire
[21:19] Joanna says: Close the loop. Say what you heard, what you will try and when you will report back. If an idea cannot go ahead, explain why. People need to know their contribution received more than an automatic thank-you.
[21:20] Al says: give us an example for a small supplier
[21:21] Joanna says: Suppose the dispatch team notices repeated use of oversized outer packaging. Ask them and purchasing to suggest an alternative. Agree a small trial, check protection and customer requirements, and compare material use, damage and packing time.
[21:22] Sunshine_girl says: and give them an actual budget to try it?
[21:23] Joanna says: Where needed, yes. A modest trial budget and permission to use it can help. Agree the limits and the question you are testing. If the change creates problems, use what you learn to improve or stop it.
[21:24] net_junky says: does this mean we can cancel all the training?
[21:25] Joanna says: Training still matters. Make it relevant to the task. Purchasing colleagues may need help asking suppliers useful questions; customer-facing staff may need to understand which sustainability claims they can support with evidence.
[21:26] Ace_Ventura says: less “save the planet by friday”. more “here is how this part of your job works”
[21:27] Al says: how do you reach people who never sit at a desk?
[21:28] Joanna says: Use channels they can access during working time. That might mean a shift briefing, a short demonstration or a conversation with their manager. Provide accessible information and more than one way to contribute, including for quieter colleagues.
[21:29] Sunshine_girl says: does all this have to sit inside a green team? we already have people improving accessibility
[21:30] Joanna says: Build on that. Colleagues working on accessibility, community projects or responsible technology may bring useful experience. Give each group a clear purpose and help them share learning where their work connects.
[21:31] net_junky says: and senior management? do they just introduce the annual email?
[21:32] Joanna says: They should explain priorities, support the work and report progress honestly. Share what improved, what stalled and what happens next. Attendance and email clicks tell you about participation; they do not tell you whether the work made a difference.
[21:33] Al says: what about learning from other businesses?
[21:34] Joanna says: Useful, especially when you bring back something you can apply. Share a practical question with a relevant network, then discuss the answer with your team. Borrow the useful idea and adapt it to your size and circumstances.
[21:35] Sunshine_girl says: one thing tomorrow then?
[21:36] Joanna says: Ask the people closest to one recurring problem what they would change. Choose one suggestion together, agree the support it needs and set a date to report back. That gives people a reason to join the next conversation.
End of chat · Listen to the idea. Support the trial. Share what changed.
What this means for you
- Ask the people closest to one recurring problem what they would change, using a channel they can access during working time.
- Name the person who can approve the idea and agree the time, skills and budget needed for a small trial.
- Check the result and report back to the team, including why an idea was changed, postponed or stopped.
Sources and further reading
- Episode 6 | Sustainability Podcast: “Sustainability’s Secret Weapon? Your People”
Adapted from the source interview transcript featuring RELX’s sustainability leader. Source themes include listening and empathy, two-way employee networks, relevant training, existing communication channels, support for employee ideas and learning from external networks.
Editorial note: the dialogue, small-business examples and suggested trial arrangements are original adaptations. They are not quotations, company case-study results or additional Evergreen assessment requirements. Watch the source interview.
About the author
Joanna Whitear is the founder of Kintera Limited and supports suppliers with NHS Evergreen assessments and Carbon Reduction Plans. She has more than 15 years of sustainability and climate experience and is a lead ISO 14001 auditor.
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