员工环保，公司买单

It irked Greg James to see some of his employees roll up to work in hulking, gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles -- often driving more than 40 miles a day round trip.

So in 2005 he finally did something about it.

The chief executive and founder of Topics Entertainment Inc., a Renton, Wash., DVD and software publisher, Mr. James established an incentive program that offers its 55 employees $1,000 to trade in their automobiles for one with fewer cylinders in the engine. Buying a hybrid or biodiesel vehicle earns them $2,500, while car pooling at least three days a week pays $300 annually split between the ride sharers.

Ten employees have claimed the auto-purchase bonus so far. Mr. James estimates that by getting those new vehicles and boosting their gas mileage an average 10 miles per gallon, employees cut last year's gasoline consumption during commutes by 2,400 gallons.

'You don't need a big gas hog to drive one person to work in the morning,' he says.

Many companies, large and small, have become greener by reducing office waste and pollution or buying so-called carbon credits, which companies purchase to offset the impact of their pollution. But a growing number of small companies like Topics also are seeing value in encouraging employees to make environmentally friendlier choices as well -- at home, at work and in their commutes.

Among the incentives: giving bonuses to employees who buy more fuel-efficient vehicles and outfit their homes in more energy-efficient ways, as well as helping employees support environmental causes. Even low-cost measures, such as letting employees purchase energy-efficient light bulbs at the employer's bulk price, are making a difference in employees' behavior and energy use.

In an era when more young workers are seeking out employers with a socially responsible mission, such green incentives can help bolster recruitment efforts and foster goodwill. At small companies especially, green benefits can be an easy and effective way to ingrain a workplace's eco-friendly mission.

'I think employers are just beginning to understand that, to have an environmentally conscious work force, you need to help them in their everyday lives,' says Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz.com, a Web site devoted to businesses' use of environmentally friendlier practices.

Many early adopters are socially responsible companies that see it as a way to extend their mission and marketing. But Mr. Makower says he wouldn't be surprised to see many of the practices spill more broadly into mainstream businesses as employers realize the environmental benefits -- and good publicity -- such programs can create.

Lindsay Collins, the company's DVD product manager, says the bonus plan prompted her to start thinking about the fuel efficiency of the car she was driving. So, she sold her six-cylinder Volkswagen Jetta and bought a four-cylinder Hyundai Elantra. Ms. Collins says the switch, which she wouldn't have done without the $1,000 assistance from Topics, has boosted her gas mileage to about 37 miles per gallon on a highway, from the Jetta's 24 miles per gallon. 'It's just made a world of difference in how often I have to get gas,' says the 27-year-old.

Another company helping employees switch to more fuel-efficient rides is Clif Bar & Co., a Berkeley, Calif., maker of organic energy bars, with 212 employees. Clif offers forgivable loans of as much as $5,000 so employees can buy vehicles that get at least 40 miles per gallon. With the forgivable loans, employees don't have to pay back any of the money if they stay with the company for generally five years; a certain amount is forgiven each year.

The company also rewards points to employees who commute by public transportation, car pool, walk or bike. The points can be exchanged for cash or rewards like gift certificates to Whole Foods Market and free massages.

This week, Clif is introducing two new benefits -- one giving employees as much as $1,000 annually for making energy-saving home improvements, like buying more energy-efficient appliances and home compost kits; and one offering as much as $500 to buy or retrofit a commuter bicycle, like installing a basket to hold things.

So far, about 75 employees have participated in some way in the environmental benefits, says human-resources manager Jennifer Freitas, and the company has spent roughly $100,000 on those benefits. Some employees have gotten ambitious by finding colleagues to car pool with on their routes to work and turning fuel savings into something of a sport.

Ms. Freitas says the company sees the program not only as a good employee motivator but also as helping serve one of its core missions -- 'sustaining our planet.'

At NRG Systems Inc., a Hinesburg, Vt., wind-measurement manufacturer with about 85 employees, people who buy a Toyota Prius get a $1,000 bonus each year. About 26 employees have purchased the car so far. NRG also holds monthly meetings on various environmental and alternative-energy topics. And it has a white board where it keeps track of employees who've taken advantage of the company's various green incentives.

Some companies find that the participation of even a few employees can have an impact. Green Mountain Energy Co., an Austin, Texas, renewable-electricity provider, lets employees buy renewable-energy credits to offset their carbon-dioxide emissions. It also matches donations to environmental groups made through payroll deduction, up to $10 per two-week pay period.

In addition, the company hands out prizes like gift certificates based on points that employees rack up by finding alternatives to driving to work, such as biking or taking public transportation.

Though only about 25 of Green Mountain's 150 employees participate in the commuter program, the impact has been substantial, with those people collectively driving about 21,000 fewer miles in 2007, says Gillan Taddune, the company's chief environmental officer.

'People in general get overwhelmed when they hear about glaciers melting,' she says. 'I think companies can help [employees] do things in ways they can sustain.'

看到手下有些员工每天开着体积庞大、油耗极高的运动型多用途车(SUV)上下班，往返一次常常要开40多英里，格雷格•詹姆斯(Greg James)对此感到非常苦恼。

所以，他终于在2005年开始采取对策了。

詹姆斯现任DVD及软件发行公司Topics Entertainment Inc.的首席执行长。该公司总部位于美国华盛顿州，由他一手创立，现有55名员工。詹姆斯在公司里推出了一项环保激励计划：如果员工把车换成排量更小的车型，可以获得1,000美元的补贴；如果买混合动力或是生物柴油车，可以获得2,500美元的补贴；而对于每周拼车至少三次的员工，每辆车每年可以获得300美元的奖金。

到目前为止，该公司已有10名员工申请了购车补贴。据詹姆斯估计，通过购买节能型车、使每加仑油平均多跑10英里，今年员工在上下班途中消耗的汽油量会较去年减少2,400加仑。

他说，如果你早晨是独自一人开车去上班，就不需要开很费油的大车。

很多公司──无论规模大小──都已经通过减少办公消耗、降低污染或是购买所谓的“碳排放信用额度”而变得更加环保。公司可以购买碳排放信用额度来抵消自己对环境产生的污染。不过，越来越多像Topics这样的小公司也开始意识到，鼓励员工在家里、在办公室甚至在上下班的途中更加环保能产生怎样的价值。

这些环保激励措施包括：为购买节能型汽车或是家居布置更节能的员工发放奖金，帮助员工支持环保事业。即便是一些低成本的措施，比如以公司的批发价帮员工购买节能灯泡，也都改变了员工的行为和能源使用习惯。

现在，越来越多的年轻人希望能在一家富于社会责任感的公司供职，这样的“绿色”激励措施有助于改善招聘工作，提高公司的商誉。尤其是在小公司，这种激励措施可能会简单而有效地使公司环保使命深入人心。

GreenBiz.com网站专门为企业提供环保咨询服务。该网站执行编辑乔•马考沃(Joel Makower)说，他认为公司现在才开始明白，如果想拥有一个有环保意识的团队，你需要在员工的日常生活中为他们提供帮助。

很多最早采取环保激励措施的公司都很有社会责任感，它们认为这可以使公司的使命和营销得到延伸。马考沃表示，随着各个公司开始意识到激励计划带来的环保效益和良好的宣传效果，很多激励措施都在主流企业中被广泛采用，他对此丝毫不感到吃惊。

Topics的DVD产品经理林赛•科林斯(Lindsay Collins)表示，公司实施的奖金激励计划使她开始考虑车的燃油经济性。所以，她卖掉了6缸的大众捷达，买了一辆4缸的现代伊兰特。科林斯说，如果没有公司给的1,000美元补贴，她不会想到换车，现在她的车开高速每加仑可以跑37英里，而捷达每加仑只跑24英里。现年27岁的科林斯说，这大大减少了她加油的次数。

另一家帮助员工改用节油车辆的企业是加州有机能量食品公司Clif Bar & Co.。该公司共有212名员工，每名员工最高可从公司获得5,000美元可宽恕贷款，用以购买油耗至少达到40英里/加仑的车辆。员工一般在公司工作五年以上，就不必偿还这笔贷款了；每工作一年贷款金额就会被豁免掉一部分。

该公司还向乘坐公共交通工具、拼车、步行或骑自行车上班的员工提供点卡奖励。点卡可以兑换现金，或是获得Whole Foods Market的礼品券及免费按摩等奖励。

本周Clif推出了两项新福利：一项是每年提供给员工至多1,000美元用于进行家庭节能装修，如购买节能家电和家用堆肥机等；一项是提供至多500美元用于改造上班用自行车，如安装盛物用的篮筐。

该公司人力资源经理詹尼弗•弗雷塔斯(Jennifer Freitas)说，迄今为止，已经有大约75名员工以某种形式参加了这些环保福利，公司为此已支出了约10万美元。一些员工对与同事拼车变得更加积极，他们将省下的油钱用于体育健身。

弗雷塔斯称，公司不但将这个计划视为鼓励员工的良好手段，还希望它能帮助公司实现一项核心使命──保住我们的地球。

佛蒙特州测风仪制造商NRG Systems Inc.共有约85名员工，凡是购买丰田普锐斯(Prius)混合动力车的员工每年都能获得1,000美元奖金。至今约有26名员工购买了这款轿车。NRG还每月举行会议，讨论各种环境和替代能源问题。该公司还设有一个白板，专门跟踪参与公司各项绿色奖励计划的员工。

一些公司发现，即使只有少数员工参与，也会产生深远影响。德州可再生电力供应商Green Mountain Energy Co.让员工购买可再生能源信用以抵消其排放的二氧化碳。这家公司为员工代扣代缴环保捐款时也会追加一部分，每两周10美元。

此外，该公司员工还可以通过放弃驾车上班──如改骑自行车或乘坐公共交通工具──获得点数，公司则根据点数发放礼品券等奖励。

该公司负责环保的主管吉莲•塔顿(Gillan Taddune)说，尽管Green Mountain的150名员工中只有大约25人参与了变换上班方式的行动，但其影响却是巨大的，这些人在2007年共少驾驶了约21,000英里。

塔顿说，当人们听到冰川正在融化时，他们通常都会感到震惊。她认为公司能帮助员工以他们能够坚持的方式做点贡献。