Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability

This article discusses workplace policy and procedures for sustainability, including legislation, sources of information, processes, barriers, and strategies for developing workplace policy and procedures for sustainability. It also provides a workplace sustainability policy implementation plan and communication strategies.

Workplace Policy and Procedures for Sustainability
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

Assessment Event 1 – Short Answer Questions
Question 1
Outline of the legislation that relates to sustainability and provides an explanation
Legislation Explanation
The Minimum Wage Law-The Fair Labor
Standards Act of 2009
This act ensures that all the workers in the
organization receive a minimum wage or
remuneration for their work. This legislation
ensures that no workers under the age of 18 are
hired for any high risk job roles (Nilsen 2015).
The Workplace Safety-The Occupational
Safety and Health Act Of 1970
According to the occupational health and safety
act, each and every worker in the workplace is
subject to mental, social and physical wellbeing
(Raineri and Paillé 2016). The act prohibits
practices that are risky to the employees.
Question 2
Identification and explanation of internal and external sources of information that can be used
to plan and develop an organization’s sustainability policy.
Internal sources of information Explanation
Financial Information It is connected to the performance of the
company including relevant information
about the payment, costs, and taxes
(Rogge and Reichardt 2016). This can be

utilized to ensure that the organization
continues to run with profit.
Marketing Information This information is used to recognize the
successful and preferable services of the
company. This information is mainly
used to improve the business of the
organization and to keep the customers
happy
Sales and Administrative Information This information is used to identify the
markets of the products which are low
and not preferred. Besides administrative
information is used to build successful
relationship with the customers.
External sources of information Explanation
Government Governmental information is a reliable
source that is used to run the organization
legally and successfully. Besides this
information can be also utilized to
expand the business of the organization
with governmental grants.
Data Base and Research This information helps an organization to
accelerate the sales figure and the interest
level of their business (Raineri and Paillé
2016). Besides this information can be
utilized to analyze the sales statistics in

the business market.
Commercially provided Information This information can be utilized to make
the correct decision regarding the
business and to introduce new products
in the market.
Question 3
Typical processes that could be used in an organization to develop policy and procedures
The four main processes that the organizations follow to develop the procedures and policy of
the company are:
 The requirement- Organizations work out to understand what policies are required,
what the other competitor organizations have, what can be the uniqueness of the
organization (Markey, McIvor and Wright 2016). This process includes a gathering of
consultations and suggestions from people across the organization.
 The Drafting, refining and writing up the policies that are to be implemented.
 Approval and endorsement of the policies by the management committee.
 Promoting the policies in the workplace and collection of feedback and suggestions
for the areas of improvement.
Question 4
Outline typical barriers to implementing policies and procedures, and provide strategies to
address them

Barriers Strategies to overcome
Lack of the organizational support  Using examples of what another
organization in the market has done.
 Recognition of the sustainability
initiative by submission of award
applications (Eales and Sheate 2016).
Inadequate systems for managing data
or information
 Using internal financial management
systems to track the sustainable
procurement.
 Investigating the moves of the
external companies (Ammendolia et
al. 2016)
Difficulty in dealing with the
governmental agencies
 Making a good partnership with the
federal agencies and the state for the
grant of applications (Hák,
Janoušková and Moldan 2016).
 Organizing conferences with the
governmental agencies to progress
issues that are difficult.
Barriers Strategies

Running head: WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Assessment Event 2: Go Green Simulation
Task 1: Develop Workplace Sustainability Policy
1.1 Gather information
Both internal and external sources of information are utilized by the company to make
correct business decisions and strategies. Both primary data sources and secondary data
are used while making the policy framework for the workplace development. The three
important sources of information are Databases and Research, Manufacturing information
and Trade groupings (Markey, McIvor and Wright 2016).
Companies tend to engage in activities that impact or affect the environment by the use of
different resources. Hence the creation of the sustainability management policy is
important since it allows the organization to monitor and control the impacts and attaining
the environmental objectives (Rogge and Reichardt 2016). This will result in making the
concept of sustainability an integral portion of the business activity. Achievement of the
effective implementation of the policy includes development of sustainability policies and
procedures, effective communication with the stakeholders, implementation of the policy
and conducting revise on daily basis to promote continuous improvement (Salvioni and
Astori 2015).

WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY 1
Figure 1 Source: (Rezapouraghdam, Alipour and Arasli 2018)
Implement the solution
Monitor Progress
Results
Procedures
Compromise
Inform stakeholders
Develop a plan

WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY 2
1.2 Develop scope
The sustainable development project of the company includes certain factors that promote
sustainability among the environment of the organization. It includes recycling of the
usable products like papers, minimum use of resources and reduction in the use of toxic
and hazardous substances (Norton, Zacher and Ashkanasy 2014). Environmentally
sustainable work practices are those reduce the harm on the environment and reduce the
wastage of resources used. Some of the general guidelines for the sustainable
environment at work are:
 Reduction in the use of goods or products which bans the generation of wastes
products.
 Reduction of waste by availing products that have minimal packaging and the
products which can be utilized productively and recycled later on.
 Reusing of containers and packaging of products (Yun et al. 2015).
 Recycling of waste materials in to usable materials of production.
 Practicing disposal of waste safely to make it less harmful.
1.3 Develop policies and procedures
The procedures for each policy statements for developing the work place sustainability
plan includes Fair Trade Policy and Workplace Comfort Guidelines (Kim et al. 2017).
The organization targets to minimize the impact of threats to the environment through
some of the general policy factors. It includes, providing a safe and healthful workplace,
having a culture that is environmentally sustainable, conserving natural resources by

WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY 3
recycling and reusing resources, enhancing awareness among the employees of the
organization to motivate them for maintaining a sustainable environment in the
workplace.
Policy statement- Managing systematic impacts
Procedures:
 Reduction of pollution and waste and greenhouse gas emission at workplace.
 Reduction of the resource consumption by improved structures and design,
efficient use and sustainable procurement (Hák, Janoušková and Moldan 2016).
 Protection and improvement of the natural environment by reduction in resource
consumption (Markey, McIvor and Wright 2016).
 Improvement in social and environmental outcomes from contradicting and
procurement activities.
 Increased tendency of the adaptability rate in the workplace environment.
Policy statement- Managing operational impacts
Procedures:
 Improving the energy efficiency and reduction in the use of overall energy.
 Increased use of sustainable transportation.
 Increased recovery of resources and reduction of waste materials.
 Improvement of the health outcomes and the environment (Eales and Sheate
2016).
 Improvement of biodiversity outcomes.
1.4 Develop implementation plan for policies and procedures
The three major procedures to develop an implementation plan for the sustainability at
workplace includes:

WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY 4
Air pollution prevention strategies-sustainable transportations.
Activities:
 Recording all lengths of business travel by mode and record the emissions.
 Developing a target for reducing carbon emissions (Salvioni and Astori 2015)
 Encouraging the use of earth friendly products for reducing traffic congestion
 Provide sustainable training to the employees of the organization
 Maintaining an environment friendly and healthy working environment (Carayon et
al. 2015).
 Maintenance of well ventilated and chemical free indoor air spaces
Energy consumption prevention
Activities:
 Increasing the efficiency of the energy
 Utilizing renewable energy alternatives for becoming climate neutral
 Developing targets for electricity proportion from renewable sources
 Investment in new ecofriendly schemes (Ammendolia et al. 2016).
 Developing energy saving standards of the building
 Influencing attitudes to ensure that unused tools and equipment at workplace are fully
turned off
Reuse of the generated waste
Actions:
 Recycle of all waste office paper and cartridges of the toner
 Recycle of all plastic bottles, glass and cans

WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY 5
 Selling or donation of all redundant office equipment for reuse
 Investigating onsite solid waste gathering services (Rogge and Reichardt 2016).
 Encouragement of citywide encouragement programs
 Increasing onsite recycling.
1.5 Seek approval with policy and procedures plan
The e-mail to the manager with the recommendation of the plan that links the goals of the
sustainability includes the following.
Besides these, there are lot many plans and strategies will help in effective
implementation of sustainability policies in the company. These are cost effective (Ghosh
2015). The idea of recycle and reuse of waste products will reduce the cost to the company.
While the company may have to invest in some ecofriendly products, the return for the
investment will be fruitful.
Goal: Implementing a sustainable
environmentat workplace
Time: 2 months
Plan:Conserving and
restoring the waste
materials at workspace
Goal:Energy consumption and
Increased efficienct use of the energy
Time: 1 week
Plan: Utilizing
renewable energy
alternatives
Goal: Reuse of the generated waste at
workplace
Time: 2 weeks
Plan:Selling or donation
of all redundant office
equipment

WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY 6
Task 2: Communicate Workplace Sustainability Policy
Promote policies and procedures to users
It is essential that all the employees and workers in the organization know and understand the
policies and where to find the procedures. Translation into other languages may be required
for an easy access for everyone. Policies can be officially endorsed and launched at staff
meetings. Some of the notable ways to promote policies are:
 Publishing the policies and the procedures on the website
 Producing brochures for employees and customers (Yun et al. 2015).
 Attaching copies to pay slips or mailing them to the employees of the organization
 Displaying them on the notice boards inside the organization
 Including the policies and the procedures in the business plans, company manuals and
performance appraisals (Raineri and Paillé 2016).
 Giving them to new employees and getting an acknowledgment signature.
 Updating and circulating the policies regularly through the organization.
Task 3: Implement Workplace Sustainability Policy
Record results with implementation of policies and procedures
Strategy/policy Target Compliance Persons affected
Decrease greenhouse
gas emissions
Reduce company
emissions by 25% the
National Greenhouse
and Energy Reporting
Production department,
quality control

WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY 7
following year Act (Piercy and Rich
2015)
personnel, Senior
executives
Convert reports to
GRI compliant
GRI compliant by
following year (Yun et
al. 2015).
Global Reporting
Initiative
Senior executives,
managers, supervisors
and all employees
writing reports on
finance, social or
environmental issues
Introduce waste
reduction initiatives
90% of waste is
recycled or composted
by next year
Organizational policy All employees in the
organization
Reduce
nonproduction energy
use
Decrease
nonproduction energy
use by 15% by current
year
National Greenhouse
and Energy Reporting
Act
Employees who work
in the office, use the
change room facilities
and showers
Switch to ‘green’
purchasing
65% of all suppliers to
be ‘green’ by the
following year
- Purchasing department
and all employees
authorized to purchase
or procure goods and
services
Policy target Priority Progress Analysis Actions required
Recycle
dumpster
ordered and
High Completed Recycle company
issued ‘Green
workplace’
No action
required

WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY 8
installed certificate to the
organization;
dumpster
adequate for
employees’ use
Glass and
plastics recycling
bin installed in
tearoom
High Completed Incorrect items
(e.g. food scraps,
plastic bags) are
being placed in
recyclables bin;
recyclable items
are being placed
in landfill bin
how to get people
to sort their waste
Removal of
rubbish bins
from cubicle
area
Medium Completed Has led to an
immediate
reduction in
plastic rubbish
bag usage –
estimated at 120
tonne p/a (Nilsen
2015)
Monitor office
area to ensure no
rubbish bins are
used
Paper recycling
bins installed in
cubicle area
High Completed 100% of office
paper being
recycled;
employees are
placing correct
No action
required

WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY 9
paper type in bins
Task 4: Review Workplace Sustainability Policy Implementation
4.1 Identify any variance and provide feedback to stakeholders
One of the most important parts of the improvement cycle is documenting the outcomes of
sustainability initiatives. Outcomes can be recorded in sustainability reports, annual reports
and financial reports. Some of the types of reports are formal compliance reports, regular
target achievement reports and general compliance reports (Hák, Janoušková and Moldan
2016). Though the senior managers and shareholders receive regular formal reports, it is
important for the other stakeholders as well to know the progress of the organization towards
its achievement of environmental targets. Some of the common ways to provide feedback are:
E-mails and letters: Tailor correspondence to a specific group of key personnel focusing the
progress and giving targeted feedbacks.
Website and internet -Using internet website for giving feedbacks and information relating to
the implementation of workplace sustainability policy and procedures (Carayon et al. 2015).
It can further be used to highlight achievements.
4.2 Identify and analyze issues with the implementation
Factors or the issues while implementation of the policy:
Inadequate legislation.
Action- Active participation in the phase of consultation of key legislation
The language of sustainability

WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY 10
Action- Development of shared sustainability vision and understandings
The Research and development challenges
Action- Subscribing to networks of sustainability that allows transfer of knowledge and
approaches (Barak 2016).
The Lack of internal and external funding
Action- Identification and implementation of low cost initiatives.
The Competing priorities
Action- Using concerns and community expectations to focus the importance of sustainability
problem (Raineri and Paillé 2016).
4.3 Modify policy and procedures
Some of the basic modifications that are required for the policies and procedures are:
 The building needs to be appropriate for the purpose of the services provided. It needs
to be clean and surrounded with a little greenery (Ahmad 2015).
 The organization should include functional heating, electrical and cooling equipment
inside the office (Rogge and Reichardt 2016).
 The employees should not be forced to take sustainable training in the workplace.
Modification of policies depends mostly on the circumstances. Changes in the procedures and
policies have a great impact on the employees of the organization. Thus, it is important for
the organization to work within the legal and ethical framework.

WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY 11

WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SUSTAINABILITY 12
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