Technology news

Tue, 31 May 2011

SuMo desktop app drives sustainable office habits

CloudApps has launched a desktop app for employers who wish to engage staff in sustainability initiatives, with the aim of also reducing workplace costs.

Based on tools designed to record, manage and analyse an organisation’s carbon footprint, Sustainability Momentum (SuMo) can be installed on workers’ computers, enabling them to monitor and update their contribution to sustainability goals.

Employees are provided with real-time progress updates via scores that indicate if an employee will meet their target. These might include reducing their carbon footprint, energy consumption, waste, or by inputting the number of hours they have committed to volunteering.

The programme also provides employees with tips on how to meet goals and a facility to add their own suggestions on which colleagues can vote. These include steps such as using video conferencing rather than travel, car-pooling schemes or reminding workers to switch off computers overnight.

Staff, teams or departments can be ranked by the app to encourage a competitive approach, while managers are able to add motivational messages.

Peter Grant, chief executive of CloudApps, said the software helped organisations achieve their sustainability goals because staff could not avoid being reminded about unsustainable practices.

‘SuMo is allowing organisations to accelerate their sustainability initiatives by combining the more traditional topdown methods with a bottom-up approach that engages every employee,’ said Grant.

‘As well as unlocking significant cost savings, it is further helping organisations to attract and retain the best talent.’

SuMo is currently in a trial phase after being released in February this year.