Managers are the vital factor in the drive to make British business greener, according to The Sunday Times Best Green Companies survey.

Their pivotal role is revealed in a survey of employees conducted in all companies participating in the 2008 contest. They were asked 51 questions relating to their company’s environmental behaviour and practices, with 13 of the questions specifically looking at the role played by company bosses.

The survey showed a strong correlation between the behaviour and practices of bosses and their companies’ overall environmental performance in the eyes of employees. For the most part, the greenest companies had the greenest managers, with 37 of the top 50 companies achieving results for the 13 My Boss questions that lay within plus or minus three places of the ranking achieved by the companies overall in the employee survey.

“You can’t necessarily rely on policies and formal training to really drive key environmental messages home to staff – it needs to get personal,” said Will Ullstein, director of innovation at the market-research group Munro Global, the data analysts for The Sunday Times Best Green Companies.

“Bosses must lead by example and encourage employees to think about how their working practices may affect the environment.”

Asking staff to save the planet while bosses drive gas-guzzling cars is therefore out of the question. Firms should show staff what the environmental policy means in reality.

Good Energy, the renewable-power supplier, which notched up top marks in both the overall employee survey and the My Boss questions, achieved a remarkable 98% green score for managers encouraging staff to think about energy saving and being open to suggestions for environmental improvements. Green scores of 96% were gained for bosses promoting recycling and making the environment a high priority.

This environmental awareness was equally evident in companies not directly involved in a green industry. Berkeley Homes Urban Renaissance, formerly Berkeley Homes (Central London), ranked second in the UK on the My Boss questions and fourth overall in the employee survey. It achieved its highest green score of 94% for leaders regularly communicating with staff about environmental issues and 93% for encouraging staff to think about energy saving.

These businesses recognise the importance of employing managers who fully embrace the company’s green objectives and live by them.

Sarah Davidson, technical director of Bureau Veritas, the environmental consultancy and partner in producing the Green List, said: “If you look at some of the ground-breaking innovative environmental projects, you often see a visionary project manager or leader who has driven his ideas home and taken the team along with him.”

Good Energy’s chief executive and founder, Juliet Davenport, drives a carbon-efficient car if she has to drive to meetings, but opts for the train whenever she can and even takes her bike to reach her destination at the other end. “I am passionate about doing something about climate change and leading by example,” said Davenport, who encourages staff to be innovators.

Simon Challen, sustainability manager with Berkeley Homes Urban Renaissance, said the actions of managing directors at the firm made a statement to the staff.

There is plenty of that at coffin maker JC Atkinson & Son, Britain’s best green company in 2008. The factory is the embodiment of the managing director’s approach to the environment. The building was constructed on a brownfield site, the roof has extra skylights to reduce the need for lighting and rainwater is collected and used for flushing lavatories and cleaning vans.

Julian Atkinson’s green actions earn him scores of 93% for leading by example and 96% for being committed to the environment.

“Our staff are very proactive because they are directly involved with the changes,” said Atkinson. “The key is communication. Every day we make hundreds of coffins and every day we are on the factory floor, talking to our staff. On numerous occasions they have suggested changes. If they are for the benefit of the company these are actioned immediately.”

While the correlation between the My Boss scores and the overall employee rankings is close in the vast majority of successful companies, the survey results occasionally show management to be way ahead of the rest of the company in corporate greenness.

Hammerson, which runs London’s Brent Cross shopping centre, ranked 29th overall in the employee survey, but responses to the My Boss questions put it 16 places higher. In this instance, staff recognised the impeccable green credentials of managers, giving them 86% and 87% green scores for commitment to environmental improvements and openness to ideas respectively.

The data suggest that it is more difficult for the boss to set the example in large firms, which means the environmental message has to be reinforced at every level of management, said Ullstein of Munro Global. Entry is now open for the 2009 Best Green Companies contest. For details on how to enter, visit timesonline.co.uk/ bestgreencompanies . Registrations close on February 18.

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