Essential to the greening of any charity is the co-operation and commitment of their staff to this goal.
The following HR suggestions should be considered for adoption.
As every organisation’s HR practices and structures will vary, please adapt them to your particular circumstances.
1. Staff contracts should include a provision requiring that:
“All employees are expected to assist the charity in delivering its commitment to being an environmentally responsible organisation, in how they carry out their day-to-day functions as members of staff”.
2. The job-specification for the Chief-Executive should include a requirement to oversee the charity’s environmental performance and to report on it annually to the board, including key environmental data.
3. Relevant job-specifications throughout the charity should include relevant eco-items relating to their job e.g. facility manager’s tasks in relation to energy and water efficiency or the post that includes responsibility for recycling or eco-data collection.
4. The job-specification of those entrusted with purchasing authority should include responsibility to ensure purchasing decisions are in line with adopted green purchasing policy.
5. Annual appraisals should include assessment of how the staff member has made progress on their responsibilities for greening the organisation.
6. Induction procedures for new staff/volunteers/tenants/users/clients should be altered to include procedures adopted to implement this policy of environmental responsibility e.g. energy efficiency and recycling procedures.
7. If the charity has a staff handbook, ensure a section on eco-procedures in the charity are included.