Improve the Environmental Impact - Assignment Example

Name Institution Course Tutor Date Part A: Environmentally sustainable work practices The environmental impact caused by the workplace The environmental impact occurred in an Australian insurance company where every employee is very busy serving customers and doing normal insurance transactions. Transactions are operated using computers and other machineries that are likely to cause environmental impact. In the workplace, employees have different characters, such as making noise, smoking, etc. In the office, there is high experience of background noise from the footsteps of people wearing noisy shoes, telephone ringing as customers call the office to enquire about insurance covers and other insurance related enquiries, as well as interruptions from customers demanding to be served even when employees are serving other customers. Customers demand to be served without considering their reporting time and the urgency of their issues, while others do not respect the interests of other customers in the company. Some of the employees do not obey the company rule of keeping personal phones silent, thus high rate of interruptions from ringing mobile phones and people making noise in offices as they talk to their friends and relatives. Some of the machines in the workplace operate at high sound, such they disrupt employees as they serve customers. It is apparent that, some of the computers in the workplace make noise as they are started and as they are shutdown, thus attracting many people’s attention. Some employees have a habit of smoking from the workplace toilets, and the smell of tobacco spreads to several rooms, thus disrupting workers and giving customers discomfort as they come for service in the insurance company. Smoking tobacco is bad for human health and this might affect the workers and customers not smoking tobacco indirectly as they inhale the contaminated air. The company kitchen also produces noise form handling of utensils and food smell going to other offices because of its poor location. Ways in which to improve the environmental impact identified It is necessary for all employees to follow workplace ethics and values, as they work, that is be keen about the shoes they wear at work, whereby they should wear flat shoes and shoes that do not produce any sound as one walks. It is important for workers to respect the workplace and stop smoking in order to create a comfortable place for customers to seek for service in the insurance company and for workers to work from a health and friendly environment. All employees should be responsible and ensure they keep their mobile phones silent and avoid talking to their friends and relatives at office hours. Employees should be invited for a general meeting to be reminded about their principles and the workplace rules, regulations, and they should be urged to follow them strictly for improvement of company’s performance, as well as environment in general. The office telephone should be set in a manner that they do not make high ringing noise. Moreover, customer service officers should learn how to talk at low tones to avoid interruption of workers from other offices as they receive telephone calls loudly. Because of noise from the computers and other machines used in the company, the management should ensure that they operate silently when starting and when shutting down. It is clear that noise in the workplace is capable of damaging hearing, thus reduction of machine operational noise would improve workplace health and relationship among the workers in the company, as well as customers. The company should locate the kitchen in a location not near the offices to avoid kitchen noise and disruption of customers and employees from the food smell. Part B: Participate in a group discussion that brainstorms additional ways to improve the environmental impact Assessor: Me Discussion group members: five classmates Other ways of improving the environmental impact Student 1; the company requires purchasing other office equipments, such as advanced computers that are appropriate to serve the necessary tasks without interruptions or disturbance to the employees and customers. The telephones should be advanced in order to enhance calm and healthy office environment, and customer service officers should be trained on the best skills of communication whereby they talk at a low tone as long as they communicate their message to the caller or the client to the company. Student 2; It is necessary for the company to purchase office carpets to prevent disruption from shoes, as customers move from office to office and as employees move around the company. This would help in reducing the background noise, and improve concentration of workers as they play their roles in the company. Student 3; There should be effective communication between workers and customers to prevent arguments and customer complaints, as they demand for service inappropriately. Customers should also be addressed to understand the protocol followed when they are served and the method of presenting their cases to prevent interruptions as they complain to employees claiming they do not receive the expected service. Student 4; it is necessary to have good management in the workplace whereby supervisors and managers monitor what is done by employees and how they conduct they duties and how they adhere to the rules and regulations of the company. There should be strict monitoring on how employees conduct themselves as they receive calls in the workplace. The management should also ensure that all office machines and computers are in good condition at all times and ensure there is proper maintenance of all company equipments. It is also necessary to deal with burnout that occurs at workplace because of working long hours and being stressed by hard and difficult cases. This would reduce employee complaints, thus improvement of environmental impact in the workplace. Student 5; to improve the workplace environmental workplace, it is the responsibility of every stakeholder, employees, customers, and the management team to ensure there is health and friendly working environment. The management has the mandate regarding company decision making in relation to various issue, thus the need for informed decision-making when improving the environment, and solving problems claimed to lead to distractions in the workplace. Because of technological advancement, the company should adapt the latest technology that would allow performance and avoid environmental impact in the workplace. Environmental checklist Inspector ------------- Date ------------------ Condition Comments (o) satisfactory (x) requires action Floors Slippery x Equipments Noisy x Customer service Good O Management Fair x Conduct of customers Harsh x Workers behaviour fair x Work cited Epstein, Marc J., and Adriana Rejc B. Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and measuring corporate social, environmental, and economic impacts. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2014. Read More