Research: What Consumers & Employees Want From UK Businesses

New research conducted by facilities management specialists Direct365 reveals that people want clean, green, safe, and responsible environments. More than one in four UK employees want their company to introduce more eco-friendly policies. 18% of workers said they wanted more first aid training. Most consumers want to see strong CSR policies from businesses that they deal with.

Responsible businesses

27% of consumers said that any business they deal with needs to have strong corporate social responsibility policies. Direct365’s research also showed that 26% of employees want to see more environmentally-friendly processes being introduced by their employers.

As the UK government pledged to reduce harmful emissions by 80% by the year 2050, it is in everyone’s interests to operate in a way that doesn’t damage the environment. Every business can take simple steps to become more environmentally efficient, starting with policies such as recycling and effectively managing waste, installing automatic lights and switching off appliances when not in use.

Safety first

26% of the consumers surveyed revealed that the health and safety policies of businesses are most important to them. Health and safety processes should be reviewed and implemented by every business, no matter what industry they are in. The research also revealed that almost 10% of employees wanted stricter health and safety policies, while 18% of workers said they wanted more first aid training.

Although the UK has one of the strongest workplace health and safety records in Europe, there’s always room for improvement and it’s vital that businesses do everything in their power to protect their staff and the general public.

Keep it clean

The research also revealed that 25% of consumers think that cleanliness is the most important factor when buying goods or services from a business. Some 21% of employees would also like to see cleaner, more hygienic washrooms in their workplace, the survey confirmed.

Installing automatic soap dispensers, hand dryers and toilet flushers are easy and cost-effective ways to reduce the amount of contamination from germs that could be easily spread around your work environment. As well as being much more hygienic, these automatic devices are more energy efficient, so you can save money and the planet at the same time.

Emma Gilroy, Brand Development Manager at Direct365, commented on the research: “Our research shows that businesses simply must take their social and environmental responsibilities seriously if they are to be successful. Even when times are hard for companies, it’s imperative that they don’t lose sight of these things.

“It’s clear that consumers are increasingly conscious of who they buy products and services from, and with so many businesses competing for our money, those that earn a positive reputation for being a caring, ethical company that looks after its employees and local community will ultimately fare the best.”