This step is relevant to sections 4.2.1, 4.5.2 and 4.5.3 of the ISO 50001-2011 standard.
Creating organizational awareness about energy is an important part of getting buy-in to your energy management system (EnMS). It is top management’s job to communicate the importance of energy management and to support the participation of employees in using energy effectively. Top management takes the first steps in conveying this message which is then supported by ongoing processes for internal energy communications (see Step 3.4).
How to do it
There are two tasks associated with creating initial organizational awareness of the importance of energy management:
At this early stage of EnMS implementation, the goals of the initial EnMS communication to employees are to:
announce your organization's commitment to energy performance improvement,
announce the undertaking of EnMS implementation,
encourage active participation and input by employees, and
set the stage for ongoing energy-related communications.
Information that can effectively deliver this message generally includes:
What are we doing? (Implementing an EnMS)
Why are we doing it? (Business drivers)
How will an energy management system help us? (Benefits)
Who is leading the effort? (Management representative, Energy team)
Who else is involved? (Everyone!)
What energy commitments have we made? (Energy policy)
Why do your actions matter? (Impacts of energy behaviors)
What's next? (Expectations)
Developing the content for this initial communication is usually done by the management representative and the energy team, with input from top management
1.8.2 Deliver the message
Once the content for the communication has been developed, a decision is needed on how the information will be formatted and delivered to the workforce. Regardless of the method(s) used, it is critical that it be top management who delivers this initial message. Top management sets the strategic direction for your organization and provides the resources for organizational initiatives, so it is top management who must establish energy as an important organizational priority. The active participation and visibility of top management also sets a positive example for employees.
Common approaches to formatting and presenting the message include:
slide presentations
videos
voice recordings
closed-circuit TV
newsletters
brochures
all-hands email
paycheck inserts
If print communications are used, you need to ensure it is clear that the message comes from top management. Live events led by top management such as a kick-off activity, employee luncheon, or all-employees meeting tend to be more effective in delivering the message and garnering employee attention and support than more passive approaches.
As indicated in Overview, creating initial organizational awareness of the EnMS and your organization’s energy commitments is just the first step in developing a process for ongoing energy awareness. As you move forward with EnMS implementation, there will be a need to expand the topics in energy awareness and implement energy awareness among your onsite contractors and suppliers (see Step 3.4).
Resources & Examples
These resources can help you develop content for initial EnMS awareness communication by top management:
The following resources provide information needed to understand EnMS documentation and make decisions on what documents and records are needed for your EnMS.
