Green Workplace for the Holidays - Genesys Customer Survey Says Only 30% of Respondents Plan Special Office Energy Savings
Genesys Conferencing gives Top Tips for a greener holiday workplace - workers can use Genesys Cost Calculator to maximise environmental and cash savings by meeting virtually
Montpellier, France and Croydon, UK, 14 December 2007: Genesys Conferencing, a global multi-media collaboration service leader, has released the results of a recent survey of more than 15,000 users among its Global 1000 customers, to gain insight into how companies are creating Green programmes to address special opportunities around the holiday vacation season. The survey showed that, while more than half of the companies polled have year-round green programmes, few have instituted special procedures to take advantage of sparsely populated offices during the second half of December.
The survey also painted a picture of a highly committed workforce. More than half of vacationers plan to do some office-related work from home. And nearly half said that they would be even more inclined to keep in contact with co-workers back at the office if they had the ability to participate in virtual web conferences from home during their time off.
Survey Findings
• More than half of respondents (58%) say that their company has put policies in place to help preserve the natural environment.
• Less than one third of respondents (30%) believe that their company has special holiday-related energy efficiency programs to take advantage of sparsely populated offices.
• More than half (62%) plan to take vacation days to extend their holiday time off.
• More than half (55%) plan to do some office-related work on their holiday vacation days.
• Nearly half (44%) say they would be more likely to work during the holidays if they could participate in work meetings virtually from home, on web conference calls.
“Companies are becoming increasingly committed to year-round green programmes, yet they haven’t yet realised what additional opportunities exist when only half their employees are in the office during the holiday period,” said Denise Persson, executive vice president Marketing, Genesys Conferencing.
“Creating a greener workplace for the holidays can be a communal company effort that instills pride and encourages teamwork. We asked our customers for their favourite green holiday workplace tips and are sharing some that any company can easily put in place.”
Five Top Tips for a greener holiday workplace
• Turn off lights, computers and office equipment in empty cubicles, offices and common areas with low traffic
• Avoid decorations that use electricity and display a live tree that can then be planted outside the building
• Avoid unnecessary travel – the number one polluter – by providing virtual meeting capabilities for people working from home during their vacation
• Relax dress codes to save on laundry and dry cleaning energy
• Close cafeterias and use money saved for special treats to reward people for taking their own ‘packed lunch’
The Genesys Cost Calculator
Genesys is offering people a free tool to help decide when to meet in person or when to “go virtual”, available at
http://www.genesys.com/save. This tool allows individuals to calculate the cost of attending a meeting in person, compared to holding a virtual meeting, by calculating the following elements:
• Pounds of CO2 emissions avoided
• Miles of travel avoided
• Man-hours saved
• Saving on travel costs
