How to Update Company SOPs for Sustainability and Provide Employee Training- Cedara Resources

If you’re eager to implement new sustainability initiatives at your company, you’ll need to revisit your Standard Operating Procedures, update them accordingly, and ensure that any employees who will be affected by these updates receive proper training so that they can adjust their workflows and adapt to their new responsibilities. Introducing new sustainability policies without preparing your employees for these changes can hinder productivity, but if you follow a structured approach to revising your SOPs and training your employees, you pave the way for a smooth transition.

Updating SOPs for Sustainability

Revising your company’s SOPs with regards to sustainability is a multifaceted process. It begins with assessing your existing SOPs, identifying any processes that create excessive or unnecessary waste. For instance, as you review your inventory management SOPs, you might want to change your approach to ordering new materials and supplies so that you don’t overstock, disposing of used or defective materials, switching to suppliers that provide eco-friendly materials, or promoting products that have an expiration date so that they aren’t left unsold and wasted.

Engage With Employees and Other Relevant Stakeholders

Yes, company leaders may be able to make certain decisions regarding sustainability without consulting employees, but proactively asking for their opinions on SOPs that they have to follow demonstrates that you value their insight and first-hand experiences with certain processes. Furthermore, making a clear effort to include your employees in sustainability initiatives gives them a sense of “ownership.” Sustainability isn’t just an issue for senior leaders or investors - it’s also a mission that they can take part in. When they have a chance to contribute to these initiatives, they’ll feel more invested in the outcomes. You might also have to coordinate with customers, investors, or other stakeholders as you outline potential adjustments.

Set Goals and Adjust Procedures

You’ll want to adjust your SOPs based on data-driven goals. For instance, by how much do you want to reduce your company’s emissions within the next year, and what would you need to do in order to achieve this objective? When you know exactly what you’re aiming for, you can work backwards from this goal and shift your policies accordingly.

Sustainability Training

Designing a comprehensive sustainability training program, rolling it out, and following up with your employees afterwards is essential to keeping your team in the loop when it comes to introducing new SOPs. Here’s how to develop an effective training program and check in with your team to assess the success of your sustainability SOPs in the long run.

Determine Specific Audiences

First, determine which employees will need to participate in the training. If everyone at your company will be affected by the new SOP in some way, then you will need to host a company-wide training. However, perhaps the new SOP is only relevant to one or two departments, or a few employees in particular roles. Once you’ve figured out the scale of your training, you can decide on the right format for delivery.

Select a Training Format

Perhaps you’ll be tasking certain internal employees with developing a training program, such as a learning and development director, sustainability lead, or certain department leaders. Whether an in-person or online training would be more appropriate will depend on which employees need to participate and their work arrangements - if several of the affected employees work remotely or only rarely come into the office, an online training is probably a better fit.

Depending on your team’s capacity, you might have to hire an external consultant to develop and conduct the training. Research professionals with appropriate credentials, and find out whose fees suit your company’s budget and whether they conduct trainings in-person or online.

What if you don’t have room in your budget to hire a consultant? You may be able to find an existing sustainability training program that suits your needs. If you’re not developing a unique training curriculum in-house, you’ll need to ensure that any “off-the-shelf” training programs you choose from external providers were produced by credible institutions. You should also review the materials to check that the curriculum is centered around recent research - there are new discoveries in the world of sustainability and climate technology each year, so a training program that was last updated a couple of years ago might already be out of date.

No matter which format is the best fit for your company, the training should be tailored with relevant employees in mind. For example, perhaps you’re introducing SOPs regarding sustainable procurement. While your purchasing department will need in-depth, practical education on selecting suppliers that meet your new guidelines, your marketing department might need guidance on how to communicate these new policies and goals in public-facing materials. This might mean running separate training programs for different departments or roles.

Emphasize Your “Why”

By the time your employees complete their training program, it’s crucial that they understand why these changes are taking place, and how complying with sustainable SOPs contributes to positive change. Trainings should include an explanation of the evidence-based reasoning behind these changes.

For instance, if your marketing department is participating in a training covering a long-term transition to net-zero advertising campaigns, make sure to incorporate data on the advertising industry’s environmental impact and how digital media contributes to rising carbon emissions. The training can also include an overview of your company’s specific sustainability goals, and how the new SOP will help you reach those goals. Employees should be able to clearly connect these internal changes to a broader cause.

Update Onboarding Materials

As you update your SOPs and implement sustainability training programs for your current employees, you’ll also need to re-evaluate your onboarding materials. When new hires join your company, they can start learning the ropes of your sustainability policies right away. Furthermore, you’ll want to check in with your Human Resources department to update job descriptions for new roles if the responsibilities for certain titles have changed due to these new policies.

Ensure Access to Training Materials

Chances are, your employees will want to reference their training materials in the future to ensure that they’re working in alignment with new policies and procedures. If you’ve purchased an external, online training program, double-check that your employees will have ongoing access. Additionally, if you plan to hire a speaker or consultant to lead in-person trainings, ask which documents and materials they will provide for your employees to keep, or find out if you can record the training sessions and workshops.

You might also want to put helpful reminders around the workplace. For example, if you’ve just implemented a recycling or composting program, you can use posters to help employees decide which types of waste belong in which receptacle.

Once your employees complete a particular training program, they will likely have questions and comments. Therefore, it’s also important to designate a point of contact who they can reach out to with their inquiries and feedback. This might be a department head, an employee in the Human Resources department, or a sustainability lead. If you worked with an external speaker or consultant, your employees can still benefit from receiving their contact information, but you’ll need to choose an internal point of contact as well, as this will make it easier for your employees to quickly get answers to their questions.

Follow Up and Communicate Progress

Decide when to check in with your employees after their sustainability training to find out how well the new SOPs are working in practice, if they’ve encountered any obstacles that make it difficult to comply with the SOPs, or if they would like to suggest any adjustments. Depending on the responses you receive, you may want to offer additional support or training to certain employees or tweak your sustainability policies as necessary.

Finally, don’t forget to share any impressive progress updates or major sustainability milestones with the company! Whether you’ve successfully achieved your goal of operating with 100% renewable energy, or your company has officially gone paperless and taken a major step towards establishing a low-waste office environment, spread the word to keep motivation high. Sending out a company-wide email is an easy and effective way to report exciting progress.

Depending on the size of your company, updating SOPs with sustainability in mind and rolling out targeted training programs might require a long timeline. Sustainable transformation can be a gradual process, but by investing time in training for your employees, you can ensure that everyone has a chance to ask questions, offer feedback, and feel genuinely engaged as your team develops new eco-friendly strategies for the workplace.

Sources:

How to update SOPs for more sustainable business practices

How to Make Sustainability Every Employee’s Responsibility

4 factors to examine when setting sustainability goals for a business

Corporate Training: 5 Rules for Hiring Contract Training Consultants - Interactive Services

What to Look for in Sustainability Training for Employees

Onboarding and sustainability: 5 ways to go green with your new hire journey

Evaluate & follow up: post-training best practices

‍