More than half of employers currently practice strategic environmental management

More than half of employers currently practice strategic environmental management, a survey released today indicates.

The Greening of HR Survey,â conducted by Buck Consultants, an ACS company and one of the worldÇs leading human resource and benefits consulting firms, finds that 54 percent of respondents incorporate environmental management into their business operations.

The survey analyzed responses from 93 organizations in the United States, representing a wide range of industries. The research was conducted during the fourth quarter of 2008, and examines the types of Ñgreenâ initiatives employers are using in workforce management and human resources practices.

Whether they are part of a strategic business plan or a one-off practice, some common green human resource initiatives include:

Using Web or teleconferencing to reduce travel (78 percent),
Promoting the reduction of paper use (76 percent), and
Implementing wellness programs to foster employeesÇ proper nutrition, fitness, and healthy living (68 percent).

ÑMany employers now recognize that green programs in the workplace can promote social responsibility among workers and help retain top talent,â said Don Sanford, managing director of BuckÇs Communication practice who directed the survey. ÑMore than 60 percent of survey respondents have made environmental responsibility part of their organizationÇs mission statement.â

The survey found employee involvement in green programs dramatically increases when organizations appoint an individual to lead the efforts. For companies with at least three-quarters of their employees actively involved in green programs, 71 percent have appointed individual leaders whereas only 29 percent do not have such a leader.

Among companies that provide rewards to encourage green behaviors, 77 percent provide special employee recognition, 36 percent give prize incentives, and 14 percent provide a monetary reward.

ÑThere is still much more that organizations can do,â said Sanford. ÑWe expect to see future growth in green training programs, environmentally responsible investment options, and recruiting employees with green skills.â

Buck Consultants, an ACS company, is a leader in human resource and benefits consulting with more than 1,500 professionals worldwide. Founded in 1916 to advise clients in establishing and funding some of the nationÇs first public and private retirement programs, Buck is an innovator in the areas of retirement benefits, health and wellness programs, human capital management, and employee communication. News and other information about Buck Consultants are available at www.buckconsultants.com. Buck is an independent subsidiary of Affiliated Computer Services, Inc.

ACS, a global FORTUNE 500 company with approximately 70,000 people supporting client operations reaching more than 100 countries, provides business process outsourcing and information technology solutions to world-class commercial and government clients. The company's Class A common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ACS. Learn more about ACS at http://www.acs-inc.com.

The Greening of HR Surveyâ report is available to the media by contacting Ed Gadowski at 201-902-2825. It is available to other interested parties at no cost from BuckÇs Global Survey Resources, 500 Plaza Drive, Secaucus, NJ, 07096-1533. Telephone 1-800-887-0509. It also can be ordered online at www.bucksurveys.com.