The Impact of Workplace Initiatives on Low Carbon Behaviours - Case Study Report

6 HALCROW

Halcrow's low carbon initiatives are interesting for a number of reasons. In particular the organisation's restricted car parking scheme is a challenging innovation that has experienced a smooth implementation. The case also illustrates how organisations can take advantage of relocation as an opportunity to develop low carbon management initiatives and make use of the knowledge and experience of staff to improve and develop those initiatives.

Background

6.1 Halcrow is a multinational engineering firm employing around 6,000 people across 98 offices worldwide. This case study focuses mostly on the low carbon initiatives running at Halcrow's Glasgow premises, which employs around 350 staff. The office is relatively new as Halcrow moved from a more central Glasgow location to their current premises five years ago.

Low carbon initiatives

6.2 At a corporate level, Halcrow has a long term commitment to sustainability given the nature of the firm's work and the potential environmental impact it could have. Three factors have been important in the development of low carbon initiatives. First, the move to new premises provided an opportunity to reassess their office procedures and transport policy. Second, the attitudes of specific clients working with staff in the Glasgow office have been important. Thirdly, financial pressures resulting from the recession encouraged the organisation as a whole to look at reducing costs in a range of areas which could also help them reduce their carbon footprint.

6.3 Broadly speaking, Halcrow's initiatives can be divided into transport programmes aimed at reducing emissions from both commuting and business travel and office based programmes focussed on reducing energy usage and recycling.

Transport

6.4 Halcrow's major transport initiative is the combined parking and public transport promotion scheme which aims to encourage lower carbon commuting. Staff wishing to drive their car to work are charged £5 a week and car parking spaces are allocated according to a range of criteria with those who car share or travel longer distances given higher priority. The money generated from this policy is then used to subsidise public transport for other employees. Currently they have an agreement arranged with bus companies in Glasgow but have not been able to work out a similar arrangement for rail travel. The scheme is further supported by the provision of information on public transport routes.

6.5 Alongside efforts to support public transport use, cycling is also encouraged. At the time of the office move, a cycle rack was installed in the car park and over time showers and lockers for cyclists have been added. Halcrow offers loans for the purchase of bikes and pays for an external company to come in and service employees' bikes annually. A bike loan scheme operates for staff travelling to different locations within Glasgow to borrow a bike and cycling equipment rather than taking a taxi.

6.6 In addition to encouraging lower carbon commuting, Halcrow have made efforts to reduce levels of business travel for cost and carbon reasons. The Glasgow office has also invested in three video conference suites to reduce the need to travel for meetings. This supports a wider corporate level aim to reduce business travel. Halcrow's travel booking system requires the user to consider whether the meeting could be done via videoconference and requires a line manager to sign off all travel. This was introduced as part of cost saving measures following the recession. In addition, across the whole company, there has been an effort to develop effective systems to allow teams to work 'virtually' from different locations, reducing the need to travel to meetings.

Energy and waste in the office

6.7 Within the office environment, there is a focus on both reducing energy usage and encouraging recycling. Staff are encouraged to switch off their monitors when not in use and this is monitored by the office manager. To make switching off equipment easier the company has installed 'powerbar' sockets on each desk which are easier to reach than those on the floor. In addition, other innovations such as motion sensor operated lights have been introduced. For recycling, in addition to a large number of general recycling bins and the removal of general rubbish bins from each desk, a 'treehugger' which is a small box bin for scraps of recyclable material is placed at each desk.

6.8 Halcrow previously ran a company-wide sustainability and health education initiative called 'Spring Into Action'. Each Halcrow region received a fixed budget to allocate to different offices within the area in which Spring Into Action committees selected a sustainability or health initiative of their choice to use the money. These initiatives ranged from awareness raising days to longer term commitments like a cycle to work scheme. Staff at local level are more likely to have a good idea about the kinds of projects that are appropriate for their staff and location. Committee membership changed regularly to maximise involvement and encourage the development of fresh ideas. Due to economic conditions, Spring into Action did not run in 2011.

Process of implementation

6.9 Low carbon initiatives at Glasgow Halcrow were sparked by the move to new offices. The most senior manager at the office saw this as an opportunity to make more of an effort to reduce carbon consumption, because the new office would permit the introduction of low carbon infrastructure and the move from the centre of Glasgow carried the risk of increasing emissions from commuting. The senior manager took a key role in providing initial impetus for the project, in particular in helping to secure time to allow staff to work on low carbon projects as well as providing a general leadership role and setting an example of low carbon behaviour by, for example, cycling to work. The senior manager's inclinations were supported by a staff survey which showed that staff wanted to use the office move to improve the Glasgow office's contribution to the overall corporate commitment to sustainability. Although the project began before the recession, the weakened economic climate has more recently provided an additional impetus for low carbon initiatives which have cost saving benefits.

6.10 Initiatives are supported within each office by an environmental co-ordinator and sometimes a health and safety co-ordinator; these co-ordinator roles are additional to the main responsibilities of the staff involved. In Glasgow, the health and safety co-ordinator, whose main role is as facilities manager, has been particularly important. The role of facilities manager is key to implementing low carbon initiatives in their office environment for two reasons. First, as a member of staff not employed on client projects, time spent on low carbon initiatives does not reduce the time spent on income generation. Second, the facilities manager is in a position to make changes to infrastructure around the building, e.g. new recycling bins, lockers for cyclists and monitoring the extent to which staff are maintaining low carbon behaviours. Personal inspections by the facilities manager are one of the key ways in which compliance with policies such as turning off equipment are monitored and this person is also one of the main sources of information on the various initiatives underway.

6.11 Halcrow also has a broad range of environmental expertise to draw on among staff and use in implementing low carbon projects. For example, to measure the impact of transport initiatives Halcrow developed a carbon calculator to record the work related travel patterns of staff over a three week period. This was based on a tool developed by environmental consultants for a client project who were then given time to adapt it for wider internal use. Making use of these internal staff resources has been a considerable benefit to Halcrow. The facilities manager noted that although the office environmental co-ordinator was less able to contribute on a day to day basis due to client project commitments, she was available to provide advice and support drawn from her own knowledge of environmental issues.

6.12 Staff are involved more broadly in implementing projects. Aside from the staff survey, suggestions from employees are actively encouraged and the office has an environmental notice board on which requests for staff suggestions on specific issues (such as reducing paper waste) are posted. These often attract high volumes of responses. Additionally staff frequently make suggestions directly to the facilities manager. For example, lockers for cyclists were installed as a result of a staff suggestion.

6.13 Finally, Halcrow has worked with external organisations to help implement low carbon initiatives. For example, the bus subsidy was made possible by an agreement with local bus companies. The company had hoped to offer a similar arrangement for rail travel but this did not prove to be possible. Similarly servicing of employee's bikes is undertaken by an external organisation.

Building staff awareness

6.14 Information about low carbon initiatives is communicated in a number of ways. New staff are given information on low carbon policies during their induction and all visitors receive an information sheet which includes information on recycling arrangements and reminders about turning off equipment. Staff receive information on a day to day basis from the facilities manager via e-mail including targets for recycling, feedback on performance and reminders to maintain low-carbon behaviours. The environmental notice board includes updates on schemes as well as asking for staff suggestions. Signs reminding people to recycle or switch off their computers are not used as the facilities manager believes that they have little impact and are often ignored after they are put up.

6.15 To support the car parking and subsidised bus travel scheme, Halcrow produced a green travel plan. This provided information on public transport and cycle routes throughout Glasgow and included photographs of bus stops with the intention of making it as easy as possible to commute without using a car. At the start of the programme staff were also offered individual advice about commuting to work by bike or public transport.

6.16 Finally a number of interviewees noticed that staff often 'policed' each other, particularly in relation to energy saving and recycling. The high level of support for low carbon activities among Halcrow workforce means that employees often remind each other about recycling or switching off equipment.

Staff responses

6.17 Since low carbon projects have been introduced at least partly in response to staff suggestions, they have generally gained a considerable amount of support across the workforce. All the staff interviewed were positive about Halcrow's efforts to reduce its environmental impact and pleased that the schemes had been put into place. The main source of concern was allocation criteria for car park spaces from staff who were unable to secure a space. Some staff reportedly disliked the restrictions on travel methods to meetings and were not fully comfortable with virtual team working. Some staff viewed travel restrictions as unnecessary restrictions on how they undertook their work. Others believed that some staff were simply nervous or unwilling to accept changes to working practices.

'It's these people that say, "I've been doing it all my life, I'm not going to move" … They're the hardest ones to shift… however, they're the exception rather than the rule.' - Manager

6.18 Managers addressed these concerns through ongoing explanation and discussion with staff about why Halcrow were taking the actions and the potential benefits it could have for staff and the organisation.

6.19 By contrast with the travel initiatives, none of the interviewees mentioned any specific negative reactions to either recycling or energy reduction initiatives. Overall staff reactions to the initiatives have been very positive. For example one relatively recent recruit commented:

'I think the attitude towards, definitely recycling and making sure your peripherals and your monitors and that were switched off was definitely better than my previous employers.' - Staff member

6.20 There was an acknowledgement amongst staff that the organisation's motivation for undertaking some of the initiatives may have been at least partially cost related, however this did not appear to be an issue. Staff did not regard these cost motivations as particularly cynical and felt that management were also driven by a genuine moral desire to reduce the organisation's carbon emissions:

'I think they [Halcrow] do care about carbon emissions… anything that tries to improve the environment is a good thing. I know some of their motives may be more profit driven, but as long as there's a positive element that's ok.' - Staff member

Key challenges

6.21 While new behaviours are mostly maintained, staff have occasional lapses in recycling and switching off equipment. The facilities manager usually reminds staff either personally or via email, and believes that occasional reminders are inevitable.

6.22 Some initiatives have been more difficult to implement. For example, although staff generally welcomed the opportunity to borrow bikes for cross-town travel, staff found it hard to cycle to meet with clients because of the risk of arriving at meetings sweaty and dishevelled.

6.23 Finding time to take staff away from client work to spend time on low carbon initiatives has also been difficult. In particular the Spring Into Action scheme was not run in 2011 due to increasing workloads and tighter budgets. The resource of the facilities manager, who is able to include low carbon activities within regular work has been helpful in leading the way on many of the low-carbon initiatives and is a major advantage. Specifically this offers an advantage over other staff would have to take time away from their main duties to work on low carbon initiatives.

6.24 Some aspirations for subsidising public transport have not yet materialised. Initially Halcrow wanted to offer subsidised train travel as well as bus travel but were unable to reach an agreement with train companies to put this into practice.

6.25 Relocating to a new building in Glasgow gave flexibility and control in adapting the premises to support low carbon consumption. At other sites, such as the Edinburgh office, premises are older and there is less scope for introducing infrastructure such as power bars. The open plan design of the Glasgow office also makes it easier to monitor whether computers have been switched off, but this is not possible in some of the other sites.

Evidence of impact

6.26 Halcrow has extensively monitored the impact of a number of schemes, in particular those related to travel and commuting reduction. The table below shows the impact of some of these schemes. In 2009 and 2010 Halcrow used commuting travel calculators in which employees voluntarily reported their method of travel to work and distance travelled which could then be used to calculate carbon emissions. This was used both to assess the scale of impact of other travel schemes and as a way of raising awareness about emissions. In addition some teams working for clients which are particularly concerned to reduce low carbon activity run a similar system on a weekly basis to monitor business travel at work.

Table 1: Impact of low carbon initiatives at Halcrow

Initiative	Impact estimated
Video conferencing	200%+ increase in usage 2007-09 (788 hours to 1,589 hours). Saved 127 tonnes of CO2 between 2007-09
Car parking/bus scheme	12,300 bus journeys subsidised in 2009. Saved 6.4 tonnes of CO2 in 2009
Bike scheme	20 staff cycle to work, compared to 3 at previous premises

6.27 Assumptions behind the calculation of the impact of videoconferencing are that for every 10 hours used, one domestic flight is not taken. This amounts to 342 domestic flights not taken between 2007 and 2009 which roughly equates to a saving of 127 tonnes of CO₂. For the car park and bus token scheme, each token used by staff is assumed to represent replacement of a three mile car journey taken by bus instead. This equates to a reduction in emissions of roughly 6.4 tonnes of CO₂. Twenty staff now regularly cycle to work and although the number remains small, it is a considerable increase from the three who commuted by bike to Halcrow's previous premises, though it is difficult to say whether this the result of the travel schemes implemented by Halcrow or simply a function of the office move.

Critical success factors

'Making it easy'

6.28 A number of factors have contributed to the impact of the low carbon initiatives and a generally positive response by staff. Firstly, a number of interviewees emphasised the importance of 'making it easy' for staff to act in a sustainable manner. Halcrow attempted to achieve this in a number of ways. Providing subsidised travel makes commuting via public transport more attractive for employees and this is supported by information and infrastructure to support low carbon transport methods such as bike racks and lockers for cyclists. Providing video conferencing facilities has been important in reducing the need for business travel and reconfiguring power switch locations makes it easier to turn off appliances. These changes have helped Halcrow remove as many 'excuses' as possible for not commuting in a sustainable way.

Policies

6.29 Formal organisational policy frameworks and restrictions have helped to encourage low carbon behaviour through seeking to limit business travel and commuting, and the requirement to gain management approval for exceptions. A number of interviewees cited the business travel restrictions as particularly important in reducing the travel related carbon emissions between 2009 and 2010. Wherever possible, Halcrow has sought to soften the impact of these restrictions by making the alternatives more appealing through ease of change and cost effectiveness with personal cost savings for staff.

Staff involvement

6.30 Gaining staff involvement has also been important across all low carbon activities from the initial staff survey at the time of the office move, through the Spring Into Action staff committees to requesting suggestions via the environmental notice board and the facilities manager. Staff involvement is an important feature of management practice and organisational culture at Halcrow more broadly, so this provides both a good platform from which to embark on low carbon initiatives and an essential component to their success. Staff involvement has enabled Halcrow to take advantage of the knowledge, skills and experience of staff members including those who have an influence over carbon management within the organisation, as well as those who have a personal interest in environmental issues. Managers also stressed that consulting staff and involving them in decision making has helped secure support for the initiatives. For example, restricting car parking arose from a staff suggestion, which helped strengthen the case for maintaining the scheme when some individuals complained about the allocation of parking spaces.

6.31 Halcrow has clearly benefited from a workforce which takes environmental concerns seriously and is generally supportive of the organisation's commitment to low carbon management. Some staff initially viewed low carbon activities less positively but a combination of effort to reduce barriers to change with staff involvement techniques to identify initiatives which receive staff support has been helpful.

Leadership and use of key staff

6.32 Leadership and the involvement of staff in key roles has also been important. The senior manager primarily plays a strategic role. He focused on integrating low carbon activity within planning for the office move and, as a senior manager, he was able to secure resources for a range of low carbon activities, in particular allowing staff to take time away from project work to participate. He and other senior staff have also set a personal example by regularly cycling into work. On a more day-to-day basis the facilities manager has exerted influence to make change over the office environment. Leadership was also important in taking advantage of the office move and turning this into an opportunity

Planning and provision of equipment

6.33 Halcrow has been careful in structuring the change process. Projects involved a considerable amount of planning, with staff involvement right from the start. When restrictions on behaviour are introduced, equipment and infrastructure is provided at the same time to make change as easy as possible.

Future plans

6.34 Interviewees emphasised that Halcrow regularly seeks to improve its low carbon activities. There remain regular calls for staff suggestions and managers regularly review how the initiatives could be extended and improved. One main change being discussed is whether company car lists could be changed to favour lower emissions models.

Key learning points

• Build on and develop a culture of staff involvement. Staff involvement can be an important aspect of low carbon initiatives through allowing staff to shape initiatives wherever possible, rather than relying on top-down changes without consultation. This approach can enable organisations to implement more ambitious and challenging low carbon initiatives schemes, such as restricting car parking, which can be tricky to gain workforce acceptance. Having an organisational culture which already maximises staff involvement and taking advantage of any existing interest in low carbon management among staff is helpful.
• Make use of internal expertise and staff in key roles. Use of internal resources can include staff in key roles and those with knowledge of environmental issues. Senior managers can provide some of the initial impetus for the initiatives and then quickly involve staff to help implement or develop them. Organisations can benefit from identifying and utilising the skills and interests of staff in key positions.
• Create incentives to shape desired transport behaviour in a way that is cost-neutral to the organisation. Incentives can help motivate behaviour change, but can be expensive. Innovative car parking schemes can generate incentives while being cost neutral for employers.
• Capitalise on moments of change with lots of planning. Office moves can be an important moment in the development of low carbon initiatives and build on the opportunity for radical change in low carbon management. However this did not happen automatically but required staff and managers to take advantage of the office move. In order to take full advantage, carefully advance planning in surveying staff and developing initiatives is helpful to build momentum and interest behind it.
• Negotiate with external suppliers such as transport providers. Successful negotiation with public transport companies for co-operation to make subsidised public transport scheme successful can be supported by drawing on data about staff travel to work patterns.
• Lower all barriers to change as far as possible. Before implementing initiatives Halcrow gave considerable thought to the kinds of barriers individuals might face and steps were taken to remove as many of these as possible. Guidance on public transport including detailed route maps and photographs of access points can help make it as simple as possible for people to find and use public transport.