Managers urged to turn eco-friendly

A new study has revealed that executives are the biggest barriers to making workplaces "green", and managers have therefore been advised to ensure that there is an eco-friendly atmosphere at work.

According to study leader Dr Lara Zibarras, an occupational psychologist and a lecturer at London's City University, in spite of a number of workplaces looking into small environmentally friendly initiatives such as switching off computers when not in use and printing on both sides of a paper, other green alternatives are not being taken into account.

The study of close to 150 public and private firms suggests that although most organisations choose to recycle waste materials and turn off electronic devices at night, other action must be taken to do more.

Senior executives have been held responsible for this lack of environmental initiative as they do not show interest in green energy or emissions cuts, or do not ask their workforce to be less wasteful and more eco-friendly.

Dr Zibarras said: "The Government has stressed the importance of behaviour change in attaining the UK's environmental targets. However, the role of employee behaviour in delivering improvements to an organisation's environmental performance has been largely overlooked.

"This study shows that managers are the biggest barrier to getting the nation's workforce to go green and this needs to be addressed.

"Organisations are generally doing their bit, but initiatives are more on the scale of convenience such as saving paper or switching lights off rather than fundamental activities such as purchasing green energy or carbon off-setting."