Environmental policy

Date Approved	Body	Review Date
April 2026	Sue Maskrey Chief Executive	April 2027

 

You can also view our Environmental Policy, set out on the webpage below, via PDF here.

Introduction

At Working Options (WO), we are committed to reducing our environmental impact and promoting sustainable practices within our organisation. This policy outlines our strategies and initiatives to minimise our carbon footprint and encourages our team to adopt environmentally conscious behaviours.

Our aim is to contribute to a healthier planet while inspiring others to follow our example.

Reducing energy use

As a remote-working organisation, we still want to play our part in tackling climate change even though we don’t have a physical shared base.

We will focus on reducing our overall energy consumption through efficient and mindful power use.

To conserve energy, as an organisation we will:

• Ensure that when laptops and screen are replaced, we are buying ones that are as energy efficient as possible.
• Prioritise public transport, where possible, for our work journeys.
• Encourage digital meetings over in-person ones.
• Use green web hosting services for our new website, when launched.
• To conserve energy, we require all employees to:
• Turn off laptops and other electronic devices when not in use, particularly overnight.
• Enable power-saving modes on laptops, monitors, and other equipment.
• Use audio calls rather than video calls, where possible and appropriate.

Use Teams over email to reduce our footprint by:

• Keeping email for formal information.
• Minimising attachments by sharing files via cloud storage.
• Deleting unnecessary files, old files and clearing emails and Teams messages.
• Creating Teams channels for specific topics or projects to reduce mass emails.
• Avoiding unnecessary reply all emails.

Paperless

• We will try to be as paperless an organisation as possible by:
• Digitising documents and using electronic signatures.
• Storing files in the cloud to reduce paper use.
• When printing is necessary, using FSC-certified or recycled paper.
• We will use green web hosting services that rely on renewable energy sources, thereby reducing our digital carbon footprint, when we are able to update.

Employee education

We will educate our team about sustainability practices through team training on energy conservation, waste reduction, and eco-friendly habits. Training will be included within our monthly team meetings and will occur at least once per year.

Supporting local businesses

We will support local suppliers and vendors whenever possible to reduce transportation-related emissions, where possible sourcing from business committed to green practices.

Review and continuous improvement

This policy framework undergoes annual review to update the information within it, responding to any new discoveries that can help to improve our overall environmental impact.

Policy adaptation

We actively encourage employees to think of new and innovative ways we can all be improving our environmental impact and encourage all ideas to be shared via Teams with the Chief Executive, who oversees this policy.

Conclusion

By adhering to these guidelines, WO aims to significantly reduce its environmental impact and set a positive example for other organisations. We are committed to continually improving our practices and supporting our team in making sustainable choices.