If your organization is working on sustainability and you want to get your employees on board, you are probably looking to launch a behavior change campaign. These can be very effective – but you have to know what to watch out for. So here are the top five ways behavior change campaigns go wrong:
1) Too big a leap
Are you asking people to make too big a change right from the start? People don’t go from not thinking at all about waste to perfectly separating their recycling. If you want them to make a big change, make sure you are providing the education and tools to help make it happen.
2) Disconnected from existing patterns
There’s a big difference between asking people to toss recycling in a bin right next to where they are used to tossing trash, and asking them to walk it all the way to a dumpster at the other end of the building. Make sure whatever change you are asking for is building off existing habits.
3) Don’t understand employee obstacles.
Behavior change campaigns have to start with understanding the obstacles, which may vary from employee to employee. If you want to be successful, you have to know what your employees are facing and address it. This includes realizing that your employees likely have very different levels of knowledge when it comes to sustainability and climate change.
4) Don’t understand employee motivators.
Different people are motivated by different things. Some love competition, others love bonuses, others love a free meal. Find out what your employees prefer – or offer a mix of motivators! Keep track of your results so you’ll know which motivators worked best for your team. That way, you can be sure to use them next time!
5) No support from the top.
This one is crucial. Nothing guarantees your campaign will flop more than your c-suite not participating. (And by the way, grudgingly participating counts as not participating!) Either the leadership is supportive of the campaign – or it’s not worth doing.
Get started right
Behavior change campaigns are a great way to reduce your organization’s carbon footprint. To do them right, you need to be alert to the ways behavior change campaigns go wrong. The five issues above will get you pointed in the right direction.
Photo by Mark Fletcher-Brown on Unsplash