How we conduct business today can happen in myriad ways, but one of the most important things is to unburden our planet with tactics that work against the protection of our planet.
We have many options to reduce ink consumption, unnecessary printing, which destroys our forests, and any use of energy that leaves a residue on the planet’s surface. As an employer, this is serious business and something to consider when attempting to attract new talent entering the workforce.
Every savvy employer knows how vital green practices have become in attracting, recruiting, and retaining top talent. The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) survey on the Green Workplace reports that 75% of employees think it’s important for the company they work for to be environmentally responsible.
Green recruiting is hardly new, and there are, of course, easily hundreds of ways these important values can be accomplished and built into your brand. With more and more companies recognizing this and embracing the practices, fortunately, some techniques are simple to enact—and appealingly cost-effective as well.
Paperless Document Management and Digital Signing
Studies have shown that organizations can significantly reduce their carbon footprint and lower hiring costs with paperless hiring processes. Task automation allows recruiters and staffing industry professionals to store and use an unlimited number of paperless documents for recruiting and onboarding. Less paper also means less storage space—and a lot less hassle.
Another terrific step (and planet!) saver is e-signing. Transforming the way we work, digital document signing helps significantly streamline onboarding and sales, and placement processes by reducing the time and resources needed to capture required signatures. No envelopes, no stamps, no waiting for mail. And, because the process is so much faster, you get quicker results to keep your competitive edge razor sharp.
Video Interviewing and Conferencing
There’s no question that the communications game has changed for good. And it couldn’t be any truer than in the interviewing process. Traditional phone interviews only give a piece of the puzzle. Then, for those who made it to an on-site interview, sessions are time (and resource) consuming.
In the recruitment arena, virtual interviewing is revolutionizing the hiring process— becoming a best practice as employers realize that these “live” interviews significantly raise the likelihood of a better hire by giving them deeper insight into the candidate’s personality, in far less time.
More convenient for recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates alike, anyone with an Internet connection can participate. No, video interviewing will never replace an in-person meeting. But they’re an incredibly effective way employers and as well as job candidates can reduce travel expenses, save precious man hours, and help minimize environmental impact.
By the same token, video conferencing has made the old-school approach to “taking a meeting” a virtual thing of the past. Like martini lunches, costly flights and time and resource-consuming travel are roaming the way of the dinosaur—now that easy video conferencing options abound through software and Internet services. The savings in environmental burdens such as transportation fuels and emissions alone can also be enormous.
For forward-thinking jobseekers and employees. And for an ever-increasing number of companies seeking to not only help the environment but also bring significant value to their employer brand. Workplace greening is vital—and amazingly easy.