Case study: Reps at a BT call centre organise a sustainability debate

Last year a lunchtime debate on sustainability was held at a BT call centre in Leicester. The ‘Let’s Talk’ event was organised between BT, the CWU and Prospect unions with the aim of getting employees to share their views about sustainability. People liked seeing that it was a joint event for BT with union colleagues and despite the restriction of a busy call centre environment 17 people were able to come — by the end of the session 16 of them said they thought the event was a good use of their time. Participants quickly demonstrated very strong sustainability knowledge (more than anticipated) and a keenness to learn more during the debate.

The session was led by a sustainability advisor from Ashridge Business School and also included a video, and activities designed to ensure people had fun. Lunch was also provided as the workers were giving up their lunch break to be there.

Feedback from the event showed that by the end of it, participants felt they had a stronger grasp of the wider issues around sustainability, and about their own responsibility towards the environment. More events like this are now being considered.