As the world grows more aware of sustainability and protecting the environment, job seekers are starting to pay more attention to these factors when looking for job prospects. This has been backed up by a 2019 survey, which showed that younger millennials and Gen Zs would be willing to take lower payrolls if it meant working for a business that helps the environment.

Now we’re looking at how sustainability in the workplace- whether that be green initiatives for employees, company policies, or carbon footprints targets – can help attract and retain top talent and how it could impact the future of recruitment.

What New Hires Know About the Climate Crisis?

80% of people surveyed said that businesses are responsible for the environment, 20% said they would consider not working for a company with harmful practices, and 26% said they would consider low payrolls – £8,100 on average – to move to a green-minded company. These figures target the huge moment behind the effort to protect the natural world and tackle heating.

The truth is, we’re running out of time to address climate issues, the scientists warned – therefore, concerns about sustainability are peaking. According to Edelman’s 2019 Trust barometer, 76% of the general population agrees that business leaders should take a stand on these issues.

Sustainability is Key

Another 2019 survey found that 28% of people said they would consider quitting their job in favour of organizations they considered to be more environmentally conscious. And these figures don’t lie, as we see more than 50% of people aged 23-38 supporting this belief.

This only proves two things; firstly, businesses that focus on investing in greener initiatives can attract top talent, and secondly, those who don’t face the challenges of retaining the workforce they already have.

These surveys demonstrate just how significant environmental issues are for U.K. employees and how they expect their leaders to contribute towards stopping climate change. For business, this presents a unique challenge but also an opportunity.

With a massively reported skill gap, employers have the opportunity to prove their commitment to reducing carbon emissions and helping tackle climate issues—a commitment which would make the difference in attracting the U.K.’s most sought-after workforce.

Similarly to its mounting role in attracting talents, companies also need to address their practices to ensure they retain employees. This proves that younger Millennials and Gen Zs are prepared to quit their job for a more sustainable role, therefore companies that can’t communicate their environmental experience could possibly suffer.

What makes a sustainable company?

As well as taking small, environmentally conscious decisions in our personal lives, we’re taking small green-minded steps at work too.

Environmental conscious businesses can take many forms. Some will emphasize office and incorporate more plants; others will shift to renewable energy suppliers or invest in plastic and cardboard waste balers, for example.

There are beehives installed on the roofs and living walls being added to the sides of the buildings. And there is a mounting number of green startup businesses whose very mission is to develop environmentally-conscious services and products themselves. Overall, it’s estimated that companies generate a fifth of all the waste in the U.K., and a significant 60% of all waste could be recycled. Even better, if every business would encourage team members to recycle at a central station per floor, it would have a great impact.

Sustainable Certification Programs for Companies – Gold for New Hires

Studies have shown that millennials are fast making up the greatest workforce generation in countries like the U.K. and U.S., and this set of employees have great expectations regarding job satisfaction. One way businesses could demonstrate their commitment to sustainability is by investing in green business certification programs.

These programs help ensure that businesses make a substantial commitment to sustainability through initiatives that can be implemented to reduce environmental footprint, enhance job satisfaction, increase employee productivity, loyalty and efficiency. What’s more, sustainable certification programs make it easier for businesses to provide social benefits that can attract and retain top talents. For instance, businesses that support sustainability initiatives such as donating a share of their profits to an environmental cause and allow for remote working are more likely to attract and retain employees than a business that does not adhere to social or environmental sustainability.

Examples of Companies That Are Making Earth a Better Place

• Pavegen
  The founders of British startup Pavegen have developed special paving tiles that use an electromagnetic generator to convert footsteps into kinetic energy. Pavegen has installed its pads in 36 states in busy locations such as transport hubs and shopping centers.
• Innocent Drinks
  They produce not only high-quality beverages, but also eco-conscious beverages. Innocent Drinks purchase fruits for its products through the Rainforest Alliance, which works with farmers to protect their rights and preserve the land’s biodiversity. The company has also been introducing recycled plastics in its packaging since 2003 and gives 10% of its annual revenue to charity and environmental causes.
• Green Tomato Cars
  U.K.’s eco-friendly driving service now has over 600 vehicles in action and completes 10,000 journeys a week in its Toyota Mirai and Toyota Prius (which only emits water) fleet. The brand looks to eliminate the carbon emissions they cannot escape by planting trees, not to mention they’re also ISO 14001 certified.
• Leon
  With over 60 restaurants and plans to open many more across the world, the Leon food franchise has replaced cutlery and plastic straws with biodegradable alternatives and uses only biodegradable packaging. More than a third of Leon’s menu is vegan, and the brand only sells Fairtrade, organic coffee, with returns going to the World Land Trust.

It’s not that easy being green. However, businesses who’ve implemented these sustainability initiatives in their practices have and will witness a significant impact on employee engagement – and the environment – making it well worth the effort. A more sustainable future doesn’t need to start tomorrow; it can start today.

Managing projects can be stressful and definitely a challenging role. Keeping your team on track and organised requires excellent leadership skills. This is on top of other responsibilities a project manager has, such as planning the schedule, the budget, analysing any project risks and so on. Therefore, it isn’t uncommon that the entire process from start to finish can cause some stress even to an experienced project manager. If you have been promoted, and you are leading a complex project for the first time, it is crucial you take it step by step.

While it is absolutely normal to feel nervous, it might help you know that there are helpful digital tools and other tips that can support an effective running, planning and completion of a project. Plus, it is of the utmost importance you bring a solid and productive team to your project. This way, not only will the project be properly completed, but you will also build a team with which you can work on various projects from now on.

Breakdown the project into details

At the very beginning, when the project is still in discussion, it can help to talk about it broadly and in general detail. However, when it comes to starting the project, regardless of what type it is, whether it is a product development project or building a house, it is crucial to break it down into smaller details. This means that it is necessary you start getting more specific about what the project entails.

Doing this will help you plan the next steps of the entire process, like building your team and knowing what professionals to hire and what type of expertise you need from your team members. Plus, only by properly knowing the particularities of your project can you set its objectives.

Build the project team

Without an effective team of experts in their various roles, it is incredibly challenging to finalise a project successfully. Given the multitude of tasks and the likely possibility of encountering issues on the way, it is crucial you form a team of individuals who are professionals and share your passion for the project. Otherwise, their motivation might be limited.

When a group of people share the same values and believe in a project strongly, it isn’t surprising that the result is a victory. Plus, when you find like-minded individuals who complement each other in their set of qualities and work efficiently together, you can grow professionally together.

Set clear objectives and the main goal

Once you have discussed the particularities of the project and have created a solid team, it is time to sit down and identify the main goal, as well as set all the objectives of the project. Similar to a research project, this step will guide the planning and execution of your project.

A practical method of doing this is thinking about the designated questions that differentiate a goal from an objective. So, together with your team, think of the “what” of the project: what your project will accomplish in the end. In order to get there, you need to identify the “how” – your objectives and how you plan on working towards your goal. For instance, if you are working in the marketing department, your project’s goal might be to grow the brand’s social media accounts. In this case, one of your objectives could be to hire an influencer.

Delegate tasks

As important as building a solid team is to delegate roles correctly. This means identifying everyone’s strengths and placing them in a position that will utilise their potential to the fullest. This way, any area they might need to improve can do so by working with someone whose strong point is another person’s weakness.

Delegating tasks based on someone’s set of qualities will enhance the team’s overall productivity as people will be motivated to perform well. When a professional who believes in a specific project is given a role that is suitable for them while they also have the chance to learn and grow, it is sure that they will stick with you for other future projects. Therefore, this is an effective way of retaining your employees.

Create a timeline of deadlines

Any project needs a carefully thought out schedule and timeline of events and deadlines. This way, you are able to keep a record of the project’s progress. Therefore, it is essential that you get together with your team and discuss the most urgent tasks and prioritise them by urgency and importance.

Using the Eisenhower Matrix method can help you set a task’s priority effectively and organise them on a level of urgency. Plus, this method can also support your delegating roles. Once this is decided, you can set deadlines without worrying that a particular task is overlooked.

Conduct project analysis frequently

While working on the project, it is imperative you conduct a systematic analysis of the project and its progress. Doing this can help you keep track of task completion, how productive an employee is, or even maintain a record of your budget and remaining financial resources. There is an online solution in the UK that supports project management and can facilitate the activity of project analysis. Such a digital tool is beneficial for businesses when working on various projects.

The fact that you can oversee a team member’s performance is an advantage. When this happens, a good leader will identify what is causing low performance and work together with their colleague to find solutions. On the other hand, if a team member is performing exceptionally well, it is recommended you recognise their achievement. For an employee, knowing they are valued will increase their motivation.

Stay on track but remain flexible

Open communication with your team is of the utmost importance. Staying on track with the initially set objectives and working towards the deadlines is extremely necessary. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that unpredictable events might happen, which is why you need to remain flexible. Critical thinking skills are indispensable, as these will help you in the face of disruption and guide you towards finding solutions. For a project to be successfully completed, adaptability is vital.

It’s no news for anyone that working in sales can be incredibly difficult. You need to learn how to approach people, connect with them, and figure out ways to present what your company has to offer in a way that appeals to a vast spectrum of needs – all of this while balancing deadlines and monthly targets.

All of this becomes that much harder when you are working in a business-to-business (B2B) environment, having to deal with companies instead of retail consumers. This means you’re not trying to fulfil the requirements of a single person, but the ones of a large, sophisticated organization. Not to mention that, instead of communicating with a single person, you are often talking to a group of decision-makers who all have distinct priorities and objectives.

If you are running a B2B company, and you are looking for ways to improve your sales and grow your company, we are here to help. We have done our research (as you should when you are working in sales) and managed to come up with this list of things you can do to improve your B2B sales efforts.

Trade cold-calling for thorough research

Back in the day, when technological resources were limited, cold-calling used to be one of the most popular methods to capture leads. For the most part, it worked, but now, in the era of the Internet, only under 5% of cold calls turn out successful.

In the 21st century, everything revolves around data – sales included. Not only can data help you capture leads, but it can also provide valuable insight on how to approach a company for maximum chances of success.

Through proper B2B research and data analysing, you can get access to information such as when it’s the best time to contact the company, who are the decision-makers, which needs you can satisfy, and how to present your offer in a way that fits the client-company’s business model.

It is true that proper research takes a lot of time, so you won’t be able to cover a huge number of leads at once. Still, even if you need to reduce the number of prospects, you will get a much better chance of converting them, plus, you don’t need to do it alone. A simple search online is enough to find the best B2B research services in London, throughout the United Kingdom, or anywhere else in the world.

Learn what makes your company different

This piece of advice is suited for anyone working in sales these days and wanting to stand out from the crowd. At the core, you and your competitors are all selling the same type of products or services, so you need to focus on the elements that make your product different and make your company recognizable.

Sure, in many cases, learning to take advantage of the elements that make your business unique is easier said than done, but it’s not impossible. What you need to keep in mind, however, is that your competitors will probably try to do the same. If you come up with something original that appeals to the clients, it won’t take much until someone decides to copy your idea, or even upgrade it in a way you never thought before.

To keep up with this ever-changing landscape, you need to be sure of what the core strengths of your company are, constantly review them in comparison with your competitors, and leverage them to set yourself apart from the crowd.

Don’t keep your leads waiting

When talking to experts in the field, most of them agree that one of the best ways to improve your B2B sales is by getting back to incoming leads as fast as possible. Studies in the industry show that the likelihood of securing a lead lowers significantly if you wait for more than 5 minutes to contact them back after they reach out to you. This applies to emails, phone calls, web forms, or any other inbound method you use.

Ideally, you should call the lead within the first two minutes they contact you. If a potential client reaches out to you, your job is half done, as they are already interested in the products you offer. You need to take advantage of this moment and win them over before a competitor reaches out to them and makes them an offer they cannot refuse.

Encourage existing clients to recommend you

To secure leads, you have to get clients to trust you, and one of the best ways to do so is by showing them other people trust you as well. If potential leads see that your existing customers talk good about you, are satisfied with your services, and don’t lose any opportunity to recommend you, they will at least get curious to know your business.

To do so, you need to start cultivating what experts call a trustworthy online presence by encouraging customers to leave reviews and provide feedback. If you happen to receive any negative feedback, treat it with respect and look to see if there is anything you can learn from it. This will show that you value your clients’ opinions, no matter if they are good or bad.

If you want to, you can provide incentives in the form of discounts, coupons, or gifts for clients to encourage them to leave a review, or you can even go ahead and provide these incentives if the client recommends you to someone, and you end up closing the deal.

When you develop your B2B sales in the proper way, you’ll end up with more clients that will stick with you in the long term. That’s why it’s critical to rethink your lead generation strategy and focus on creating connections rather than completing sales. Sure, every company is different, and every sales team functions differently, but the advice above can be applied to almost any circumstance. Pick at least one or two of these strategies, try them out, and see the results for yourself.