Low-Hanging Fruit: 3 Strategies for Accessing the Power of Employees

Low-hanging fruit – it is a term that we often hear in reference to many things. Grammarist defines low-hanging fruit as "the tasks, actions or goals that may be most easily achieved."

Often, organisations look at employee training and empowerment as a kind of low-hanging fruit that they can tap into in order to kick-start or add additional results to existing energy efficiency or operational cost reduction plans.

Below are three strategies that any organisation can implement, regardless of where they are on their energy journey.

Strategy 1: Employee Training

Employee training is a great way to bring innovative ideas to your organisation. Individuals can gain new knowledge and energy conservation methods to be imparted back within their organisation. As well, training can have other important impacts on the workforce: increase job satisfaction, increase motivation and morale, and have an impact on employee retention (and recruiting).

How to get on the employee training path

With more emphasis being put on organisation energy conservation, it's imperative for companies to have employees capable of implementing best practices, strategies and techniques in energy efficiency and sustainability. Our training calendar offers a number of public courses for employees to participate in. For organisations looking for more flexibility and customisation, CIET instructors can deliver on-site training anywhere in Canada. On-site energy efficiency training allows organisations to choose their own training dates, receive custom training examples, reduce travel expenses and ensure employees receive uniform training.

Energy efficiency is a growing workforce in Canada, with more focus being put on efficient operations. The government of Canada offers the Canada Job Grant to help employers train new or existing employees. Find courses in our training calendar, then contact your local Canada Job Gran office to confirm eligibility.

Strategy 2: Increase Internal Initiatives & Communication

Organisations who want to conserve energy should focus on internal initiatives and energy reduction campaigns, paying specific attention to how efforts and results are being communicated with employees. A great energy efficiency strategy isn't great if no one knows about it! If energy conservation is a top priority for your organisation, it should be communicated as a top-level corporate goal so the entire company can work collectively to reach it.

How to get on the internal initiatives & communication path

This path likely involves multiple departments and cohesive effort within an organisation. When internal goals and initiatives are established, the tactics being implemented need to be communicated across departments so they can be instilled in the company culture. For example, the communications department will need to develop a strategy to inform employees of new programs, the HR department will need to incorporate these programs into employee onboarding and recognition programs, and operations will need to understand how to effectively track and adjust programs based on performance.

Strategy 3: Behaviour Change

Behaviour change is at the root of energy conservation within an organisation. The fact is, people are hard to change. We all have our routines and habits based on years of experience both in our jobs and in life. The key is to shift the way people operate (and think about the way they operate) within an organisation to encourage change.

How to get on the behaviour change path

Actions speak louder than words. Despite efforts to increase communication about internal initiatives and energy conservation skills, some organisations may face resistance to energy behaviour change. If this is the case in your organisation, you will need to address these barriers with effective strategies adapted for your specific organisation.

Training aimed at behaviour change expands on-the-job awareness to address problems and modify individual habits. By increasing awareness and sharing knowledge, organisational uniformity is established so individuals can behave cohesively in a way that is compatible with each other, as well as the organisation's overall goals.

Still wondering how to get your organisation on the right path towards energy conservation? We can help you design a path unique to your organisation. CIET has a long history of designing and implementing training for organisations at various stages of their energy efficiency journey. Contact us today to see how we can help!