The Millennials are here; in fact, we now outnumber Boomers in the workplace.
We’ve been called everything from selfish and narcissistic, to lazy and entitled. As we shake off the (mis)perceptions people will realize that we’re a generation that wants to make a difference. In fact, meaningful work is an imperative for our generation.
“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person –not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.”
Anne M. Mulcahy – Former Chairperson and CEO of Xerox Corporation
The term “employee engagement” is usually considered an HR responsibility for building employee morale and retention. It is also valued by executives and team leaders to build internal relationships and a greater sense of “team.” In either case, the very concept of “employee engagement” is often perceived to be a feel-good effort versus strategic investment and competitive advantage. Support, or lack thereof, for such programs, tends to be polarizing. The emotional benefit these programs represent can often obscure and distract traditional business minds from seeing the true impact they can ultimately have on improving corporate performance.
In many ways, Andrew Savitz’s Talent, Transformation and the Triple Bottom Line (Jossey-Bass, 2013) is a call to action for HR professionals, summed up beautifully in the book’s preface:
The age of sustainability is here. Some companies, industries, and individual business people have done more than others to adapt to it and benefit from it. Now is the time for HR professionals to join the ongoing revolution – and, we hope, to lead their organizations to increasing success in the remarkably challenging, dynamic and exciting new world emerging around us.
Small green teams tasked with transforming large corporations, governments, cities, and neighborhoods face some tough challenges. TD Bank’s three-person green team employed a range of strategies to inject sustainability thinking into 27,000 employees dispersed in 1,300 locations. I find four of their tactics very smart and can be readily adapted by green teams everywhere.
TD Bank is a top-10 retail bank in the United States with more than 26,000 employees and 1,300 locations.
How do you accurately measure effective employee engagement in environmental initiatives? It is a tough nut to crack for most companies, but TD Bank has found a way that works for them.
We interviewed Diana Glassman, Head of TD Environment for TD Bank about the Environmental Employee Engagement (EEE) Program, who hopes it can help others scale up their own successful programs.
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