Commercial facilities can be major contributors to environmental problems in more ways than one. Knowing this, many industries and businesses have made concerted efforts over the past several decades to reduce their carbon footprint and become better stewards of their surroundings overall. Two strong examples of this shift toward greater sustainability include green cleaning methods and recycling initiatives. While these actions are valuable in their own right, they come with the added bonus of improving your workplace and the lives of everyone in it. Here’s why green office cleaning and recycling is a great message to send your employees.

How Being Green Tells Your Employees You Care

Signals Your Commitment to Environmental Protection

Switching your current cleaning protocols to more sustainable solutions and bolstering your recycling and green waste removal efforts lets your employees know that the company takes its environmental commitment seriously. Some of your employees might not think much of or care about “going green,” but there’s a good chance that several of your people share these strong feelings toward the environment. And if you’re looking to hire new people, letting them know about your sustainability efforts can be a strong recruiting tool.

Conveys that You Care About Employee Well-Being and Morale

“Going green” might primarily be about protecting the environment, but these initiatives also yield real benefits for people on the ground. For instance, cleaning chemicals filled with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other toxic substances may keep surfaces clean and sanitary, but they can also reduce your building’s indoor air quality (IAQ). Ongoing use of these chemicals can be detrimental to the health and well-being of your employees, customers, and guests. By adjusting to a greener cleaning program, you diminish the number of pollutants inside your facility and promote a safer work environment. The same goes for waste management -- outdated trash removal practices can create hazardous conditions in your workplace and community, whereas sustainable recycling programs reduce these risks and encourage more eco-friendly behavior.

Unifies Teams Around a Common Cause

Cultivating a strong workplace culture takes time and energy. One of the best ways to bolster employee relationships is to create team-based incentive structures that bring people together. Recycling programs can serve as one of these positive collaborations. You might, for example, create competitions regarding which staff member or team can recycle the most items in a given time period. Even if you don’t make a game out of recycling, simply placing recycling bins around the office and clearly labeling what should or shouldn’t be put in them can unite your workplace around a common good.

Spreads the Word to Others

Establishing green cleaning and recycling programs might first send a positive message to your employees, but this message will ultimately proliferate to partners, customers, and your community. When your workplace unites around greater sustainability, others will eventually take notice, whether by word of mouth (i.e., from local recycling companies) or experience. Ultimately, these green efforts can serve to boost your reputation, making your business a role model in your community for others to follow.

Going Green Improves Your Workplace at Every Level

The benefits of investing in more sustainable cleaning and waste management practices are numerous and compounding. Even if the environment isn’t your business’s number one priority, making even minor changes to reduce your negative environmental impact will boost employee morale, save you money in the long run, and bolster your reputation. At The Budd Group, our eco-friendly janitorial services and recycling programs have benefitted our clients across all industries. To learn more about our services and values, give us a call today at 800-221-8158!