CEOs should know what their people are thinking about climate change.
The race to zero is going to take everything we’ve got. When we were thinking of what that might actually entail, we realised something. Companies acting on climate change have yet to mobilise their greatest asset: their people.
Employees aren’t just people with jobs. They have families, communities and individual spheres of influence. They are citizens and consumers with the power not only to make informed choices, but to channel the values they hold into their work and communal lives.
So we asked ourselves — when these people go to the office on Monday, where does that energy go? What are their companies allowing them to do with it? If they happen to be someone who cares about climate change, is their passion being channelled into corporate climate action and innovation?
To help us answer some of these questions, we conducted research among 800 employees at different levels of seniority and generation at different types of businesses across the UK and France. Here are some of our more interesting results:
On the one hand…
- 80% of people believe that climate change is a fundamental or significant threat that demands immediate action.
- 76% are ready to act on climate change in the context of their work. The desire to act is widely shared across gender, function and seniority.
- 60% agree that having a positive impact on climate change requires a significant change in how the company operates.
On the other hand…
- Only 41% of people understand how they can contribute to their organisation’s climate commitments. 72% were interested in receiving training to achieve that goal.
- 12% are considering moving jobs so they can focus more on combating climate change in their work.
- Think about it: If 1 in 10 people are considering leaving their jobs because their companies are failing to act on climate change, it’s time CEOs paid attention.
See more of the results from our research here.
