After analysing data across several clients it’s reassuring to see that the most popular #nudge categories were health, lifestyle and work-life balance alongside work-related goals – all supported with the blessing of employers.
What it said to me in this COVID transformed world of work was that employers really do care about their employee’s wellbeing – a happy, healthy and relaxed employee will make more of a contribution to a business goal and it’s now more than ever the responsibility of the employer to encourage that. How often have you heard the “our people are our strength” mantra when those very same people feel a more appropriate mantra is “our people are our bottom line”. Both are true of course but that’s entirely the point.
All of which led to me thinking could this same approach, scaled up, achieve something much, much BIGger. Advanced warning to all you global warming deniers out there – please look away now. I’m going full Dave Attenborough / Greta Thunberg.
Governments across the world have a pretty good idea of what we need to do to stem the rise in global temperatures – but they don’t ever seem to act decisively and collectively – presumably in fear of wrecking their country’s economy, the public / press backlash for the hard choices needed or saving themselves from political annihilation. Result inertia.
And you can’t blame the lone individual – that feeling of being powerless and impotent that any sacrifice to save the earth will only make a tiny pimple of a difference when it needs x billion of us to act too. I’d hope by now that the majority broadly support government actions that will phase out fossil fuel heavy factories, discourage carbon-intensive activities and move to recyclable and reusable. But isn’t it so difficult not to buy the stuff that fossil fuel-guzzling factory produces, cut out our click happy purchasing of goodies imported from thousands of miles away or forego that holiday to Crete?
Collectively though, if enough of us did something quite small, it would actually start making a big difference.
What if, encouraged by your green-conscious employer, you committed to doing one small daily thing to help save the planet alongside your own wellbeing as well as a couple of #nudges that helped the success of the business you worked for? Walk more, buy less, recycle, reuse, lights out, waste less, exercise more – whatever it is.. just do one small thing. Measured, encouraged, coached and recognised.
Never would “deliver big goals through everyday actions” be so powerful.
In conclusion, it’s been amazing to work with all the folk at Black Isle Group | BIG over the past 2 years – it’s been enlightening to quantify the power of the #TheBIGApproach close-up – how it’s simultaneously improved business performance and employee wellbeing. Equally fun to promote Jeremy Campbell from CEO, humble philosopher, quantum physicist to his latest job as planet saviour! #globalwarming#employeewellbeing#cop26
