Eco anxiety and your business

Eco anxiety is starting to affect business productivity and consumer habits meaning that companies that don’t address the rising issues will be less productive and less competitive moving into the second half of the 21st century. If you’re unconvinced, read on; this article covers 5 ways eco anxiety is affecting businesses across the board, and what can be done. 

Motivation Issues 
Some businesses are more aware of climate change than others due to consumer demands or internal climate change remits, but the clock is ticking and it is only a matter of time before businesses everywhere notice the increasing pressure to take action and protect their futures.  

Eco anxiety is not as well understood as social anxiety or general anxiety, but it is just as important and can affect the productivity of the business. Eco anxiety increases with awareness and affects the motivation of employees, so it is something to look out for in your workforce.  

Productivity Issues 
In recent years there has been a shift towards more compassionate workplaces as businesses recognise the productivity gains that can be made from looking after employees in the right ways. In the past, the issues were pain from long periods of sitting, but now it is mental health. 

Looking after employees mental health is not only the right thing to do, it is also the best way to ensure your business stays productive and profitable. As the issues around climate change become more prescient, business owners can expect lower productivity due to eco-anxiety. 

Meaningful Work 
Young people aware of the climate crises and worried about the future are changing their lifestyles, habits, and expectations in line with current beliefs and attitudes. In some cases, people will even avoid starting families because of a bleak world view and lack of life meaning.

Such extreme world views are becoming more common in a workforce that should be motivated to find solutions to the present-day climate challenges. When businesses make efforts to support climate initiatives, it makes workplaces more meaningful and reduces climate anxiety. 

Consumer Habits 
Eco anxiety can affect a business internally, but it can also affect it externally. As the effects of climate change become more visible in the natural world and the conversations become more frequent and prescient, consumers are thinking seriously about the effects of their buying habits.

Again, this is a result of eco anxiety. It might seem as though there is little a business can do to alleviate the effects of eco anxiety in their customer base, but that is also incorrect. In fact, internal changes to the structure of the business and supply chains affect consumer mindsets.  

Future Resilience
Businesses that don’t take action on climate change today could be setting themselves up for a difficult time in the near future. Net Zero efforts are to be stepped up in the next few years making non-compliant businesses less competitive; not only that, consumer mindsets are changing with more support for businesses that address eco anxiety internally and externally.

Image Credit 

​