Over half of US employers have deployed green programmes in the workplace, and are saving cash as a result.

A survey from Buck Consultants, a subsidiary of Xerox firm ACS, shows 53% of US firms have adopted green office working. As a result they have saved cash from reduced paper usage and electricity costs.

Buck’s second annual “Greening of the American Workplace 2009” survey shows green working deployments have increased from 43% to 53% in a year.

Among the organisations that have a formal green programme, more than half have implemented the following:

• Recycling and paper reduction (95%)
• Web and/or teleconferencing (85%)
• Healthy living and wellness (80%)
• Internal green communication program (78%)
• Online HR communications (72%)
• Green web site via organisational intranet (58%)
• Online summary plan descriptions (57%)
• Telecommuting (57%)
• Rideshares (52%)

“The survey indicates that more companies and their leaderships are not only deploying green programmes in the workplace but also realise the significant benefits to their business,” said Allison Artnak, director at Buck Consultants. “From increased employee involvement to costs savings, the survey is evidence that going green can boost morale and the bottom line.”

Companies surveyed identified favourable returns on investment from green programmes in their workplace. Nearly two-thirds of respondents reported cost savings related to paper use and electricity.

While 94% of survey respondents listed cost savings as the most desired return on investment from green programmes, 82% cited community goodwill and 59% mentioned improved stakeholder perception as additional ROI measures.

The survey analysed responses from more than 100 organisations in the US, representing a wide range of industries including financial services, manufacturing, health care, and non-profits.