the how and why of making your workforce green CASE STUDY

Making green moves for the environment

Most employers recognise the many benefits that training can have on employee performance, from boosting staff morale to increasing customer satisfaction and avoiding costly mistakes. At the relocation company Smoothmoves Relocations, business manager Annie Larkin delivers training to all new employees by conducting a day-long induction program.

Inducting each staff member is vital to Annie’s business. Employee turnover is high across the freight and furniture handling industry and Smoothmoves is no exception. On average staff stay with the company from six to eight months. This means that spending a full working day training each new employee is a significant investment for the company.

The balancing act of training staff

Even small businesses like Smoothmoves, with four full-time staff and four casual staff, benefit by training staff in environmental skills and policies. All training is currently conducted in-house by business partners Annie Larkin and Brent McKee. Annie is cheerful about this task, “as a small business owner I am committed to providing a quality service.” She is also open to other forms of training in the future.

The induction program enables Annie and Brent to train their staff on occupational health and safety protocols. It’s also an opportunity to set out the company’s environmental ethos and practices and to discuss how being carbon neutral affects the way the business operates.

Training is worth the time

According to Annie, time spent educating staff is time well spent. “It gives our staff a compelling reason to do what they do.” Post- induction, Annie and Brent keep these environmental issues alive through a whole-company monthly meeting. The monthly meeting provides a forum for staff to discuss the business’s environmental management and talk through other issues too.

Green checks are done to all Smoothmoves trucks

Department of Education and Training Level 12, 1 Oxford Street, Sydney NSW 2010

Company:

Smoothmoves Relocations Pty Ltd

Business:

Commercial and residential relocation, packing/ unpacking and delivery services Workforce: 10 full-time staff and four casual staff

Address:

PO Box 246 Seaforth NSW 2092

Phone:

1300 122 007

Web:

http://www.smoothmoves.com.au

Business benefits

Annie says that being a green employer is a real plus for her employees. “Our staff are generally younger. They are in their twenties or thirties and they care about the environment.”

As for her customers, does being green influence their choice to use Smoothmoves? “Trust and price are probably more important for customers than being green.” That said, “for the most part”, Annie adds knowingly, “customers feel good about the choice they made on the day.”

By tackling her business’s carbon footprint head on, Annie has ensured that Smoothmoves is in a strong position to respond to the environmental challenges that the freight and furniture handling industry will face in the future.

StAFF ARe eNCOuRAged tO:

• Recycle customers’ rubbish – all drivers carry a list of which household goods can be recycled and where to dispose of them

• Reuse materials – Smoothmoves uses furniture protection wrap rather than disposable bubblewrap

• Vary delivery times so trucks aren’t caught in traffic longer than necessary

• Recycle all office consumables

For further information contact: T: 02 9244 5535 State Training Services F: 02 9244 5623

E: info@greenskills.nsw.edu.au www.det.nsw.edu.au