How To Use Your Sustainability Work to Boost Team Motivation

While staffing issues have been more challenging since the pandemic, the hospitality industry has long had problems with high turnover. Here’s where your restaurant’s sustainability work can play a big role — not only in keeping people on board but in building a workforce that is engaged, motivated and purposeful. 

We asked some of the businesses in our network about the role sustainability plays in boosting engagement and motivation. 

What do sustainability commitments have to do with team motivation? 

These days, the sustainability of your business makes a big difference when it comes to both recruitment and retention. Research by IBM found that 67% of survey respondents were more willing to apply for jobs with environmentally sustainable companies in the first place. A large-scale study by Great Place to Work — analysing over 350,000 employee surveys — showed that those who felt their employers were making a positive impact on the world were: 

Much of this has to do with a feeling of purpose and direction. The impact of covid-19 led many people to re-evaluate what they want from their working lives — and, for many, the answer is purpose. Where people feel like their work has real meaning and is more than ’just a job’, engagement and retention soar.  

Many of the studies around this focus on its importance for Millennial and Gen Z employees; according to 2025 research by Deloitte, roughly nine in 10 people from these generations consider a sense of purpose to be important to their job satisfaction and well-being. However, purpose does matter to older employees, too: in fact, Great Place to Work’s 2023 ‘Drivers of Retention’ survey found that finding meaning and purpose at work is the biggest predictor of retention rates across all generations — more than promotions, recognition or even wages.  

Creating formal initiatives that get your staff involved in your sustainability work and encouraging them to make real contributions to your overall impact is a great way to build this sense of purpose. 

Sustainability starts with your people  

No sustainability programme will get far without having your team on board — and the success of your business itself will always be limited if your team isn’t thriving. “Our people are our biggest asset, and their skills and future are worth investing in,” says Cathy Storr, Sustainability Manager at Vacherin. “Sustainability protects things we all care about: our food, our communities and the natural world that sustains us. We can't wait for the perfect conditions in politics, the economy or the food industry — we're better off cracking on with what we can do now.”  

Cathy shares that embedding this attitude into operations at Vacherin has indeed made a difference to job satisfaction, engagement and motivation. “I've seen great engagement with our trainings and programmes, and increased motivation to seek out client and customer support for sustainable behaviour change.” 

Let’s look at how you can bring a sense of purpose to your team by embedding sustainability initiatives into their roles. 

How to boost engagement through sustainability work 

1. INSTALL ‘GREEN TEAMS’ OR AMBASSADORS 

The hospitality industry faces unique challenges in communicating sustainability initiatives: high staff turnover, diverse workforces and busy environments can render traditional communication methods ineffective. Without structured engagement, important sustainability efforts can get lost in the noise. 

Whatever you choose to call them — sustainability ambassadors, sustainability champions, eco committees — green teams are a tried-and-tested way of getting your staff involved with your sustainability work. Green teams act as a bridge between leadership and frontline teams, translating sustainability goals into practical actions. When well-supported, they help make sustainability part of company culture, rather than an add-on or afterthought. 

“Our Planet Ambassadors are a long-running green team comprised of senior leadership, chefs, managers, kitchen porters, baristas, receptionists and more,” shares Cathy. “We meet regularly throughout the year to discuss sustainability topics and share best practice — what works for one person might be worth trying elsewhere. Sustainability is embedded into their day-to-day work, not a separate extra-curricular activity.” 

2. INCLUDE EVERYONE 

A diverse green team ensures broad representation. Avoid limiting participation to sustainability professionals; grassroots engagement is key. Include both senior and frontline staff to balance strategic oversight with practical implementation, and focus on long-term, career-driven employees to maintain consistency. “Senior leadership support increases the validity of your programme, but they can't be the only voices in the room,” Cathy says.  

Similarly, at Hawksmoor, their Green Team includes representation from all levels. “I am proud that this isn’t something that is just ‘top down’ or siloed,” said Will Beckett, Co-Founder at Hawksmoor, in a previous conversation with us. “The Green Team is a key part of how we embed this thinking across the company as a whole.” 

3. SET GOALS AND REWARD PROGRESS 

Setting team or individual goals around sustainability and offering incentives for meeting these goals can be powerful ways to encourage action. “At every sustainability training session, volunteering day or Planet Ambassadors meeting, I ask participants to set their own goals and intentions,” says Cathy. “The reason for this is that I want them to take ownership of action and to be proud of the outcomes of their efforts. We are all at different stages, and I don't expect someone new to the programme to be setting the same goals as someone who is a frequent participant.” 

Team-based incentives are another way to encourage collective responsibility, and encouraging participation through competition can be highly effective; this works especially well for measurable metrics like food waste reduction. For example, at Hawksmoor, they leverage their data collection to foster some healthy competition among the restaurants. “We even calculate the amount of cling film we use per customer per restaurant,” said Will. “Suddenly, each restaurant wants to be the top of the leader board for minimising cling film usage!”  

4. KEEP LEARNING! 

Ongoing training and education will not only ensure your sustainability initiatives are well informed, but continuous learning is also an important part of building job satisfaction. Make sure your team is receiving enough training — we’d suggest at least quarterly sustainability training on specific topics — and don’t be afraid to bring in the experts when needed. 

“Find the specialists and ask for their support, like our stage programme with the low-waste restaurant, Silo,” advises Cathy. “If there's someone doing it well, go and learn from them. We've seen fantastic uptake for the programme, and excellent results across our culinary team applying their knowledge with confidence.” 

5. MAKE IT FUN, KEEP IT EASY 

To be successful, your Green Team initiatives must feel accessible and attractive for employees, rather than simply adding extra work. “Make it fun! We try to get out and about as much as possible,” says Cathy. She also notes the importance of remembering that this is part of the workload. “Allow people the time and space to get involved; don't expect them to 'fit it in' to their busy days.” 

6. GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY 

Volunteer work is another way of boosting enthusiasm, encouraging bonding and motivating your people while also giving back to the community. At Vacherin, the team volunteers together. “Last year, for example, we volunteered with the Soil Association at Woodoaks farm on nature restoration projects, and this year we are continuing our litter picks for Surfers Against Sewage,” says Cathy. “Getting out into nature is such an important part of connecting with our community and food system.” 

Follow us on social media for more insights and advice on making sustainability work for your restaurant business! If you’re interested in learning why social sustainability is an important pillar of the Food Made Good Framework, you can learn more here. For a quick snapshot of your own sustainability progress, take our five-minute ‘Food For Thought’ quiz!