The green sector is growing fast. New organisations are starting up. Existing teams are expanding.
And while that growth is exciting, a common growing pain that expanding businesses face is how to effectively manage new talent.
Specifically, how to:
- Attract the right people
- Onboard them effectively
- Keep them engaged
- Help them grow with the business
You might be scaling up quickly, taking on more projects or moving into new markets. Maybe you have funding to hire new team members but no clear system for onboarding. Or perhaps you already have passionate people on board, but no real structure for helping them progress?
And unlike the biggest corporates, smaller green businesses don’t always have an extensive HR, Recruitment or L&D departments for support. So the whole talent management process of recruitment, induction and development often lands on the shoulders of busy founders, managers or team leaders.
Sound familiar?
This is a challenge we hear about all the time from organisations across the green economy. But what’s the answer? How can you build better onboarding, inductions and development for new team members? And why is it important?
Why it matters
The people coming into the green economy want to build a career, not just have a job. That means they’re looking for development, direction and opportunities to grow.
But in the rush to meet targets and deliver impact, these needs often get deprioritised, especially in small and fast-growing teams.
If organisations lose sight of people development, they risk:
- High turnover — which slows down progress and increases recruitment costs
- Lost potential — where great people get stuck or frustrated
- Burnout — from unclear expectations and lack of support
These people problems are avoidable. And you don’t need a corporate training programme or fancy onboarding software to improve what you can do. A bit of structure, intention and focus goes a long way.
5 practical ways to support new team members
1. Map the first few months
Creating a simple structure for a new hire’s first 90 days builds confidence, reduces overwhelm and confusion, and sets the tone for success.
Think about:
- Week 1: How can you help new starters feel welcome and clear on their role? Do they know who to go to with questions? Have they been introduced to the right people?
- Month 1: How can you help them achieve some early wins? What tasks or small projects can they work on that will help them build momentum and confidence?
- Month 3: Are they finding their rhythm? How are they contributing? Are you checking in to review progress and set direction?
2. Make learning a part of everyday work
Yes, training programmes are very useful for development – but most learning, particularly for new team members, happens on the job. Embed learning into daily tasks as much as possible:
- Shadowing: Let new team members observe how others do things, from client meetings to site visits.
- Mini projects: Assign small, purposeful tasks that build a specific capability (like presenting data or leading a short meeting).
- Reflective practice: Regularly ask questions like “What went well?” and “What would you do differently next time?”
- Peer learning: Pair up team members with different experience levels. Often the best lessons come from informal support.
The key is to keep development active, visible and integrated into real work, rather than it being something that’s saved for an annual review.
3. Prioritise human capabilities
People are often drawn to green businesses because of the mission. But the reason they stay is because of the culture and day-to-day experience of their job.
Culture is built through everyday behaviours, and peoples’ soft skills make all the difference. These include:
- Active listening
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Having honest conversations
- Managing time and energy
- Working collaboratively under pressure
These human capabilities shape how teams work, handle change and stay resilient. They also make change and uncertainty (which the green sector sees a lot of!) easier to navigate.
If you’re developing people, don’t just train technical skills. Make sure you also focus on people skills. It’s these ‘soft’ skills that keep everything running smoothly and make your organisation a positive, productive environment where people want to work. This is key for retaining new team members.
4. Equip your managers
In small or growing teams, managers often wear many hats: coach, business analyst, chief fire putter outer! One of the best ways to support growth is to equip managers with a few foundational tools.
Help them feel confident in key areas like:
- Running meaningful 1:1s
- Giving constructive feedback
- Supporting performance without micromanaging
- Spotting potential and encouraging growth
It doesn’t take much, sometimes just a few short sessions or prompts, to turn your line managers into stronger people developers. And when leaders operate with intention and empathy, it filters through the whole business and everyone benefits.
5. Keep it simple and consistent
You don’t need glossy handbooks or elaborate onboarding portals. What matters most is:
- Setting clear expectations from day one
- Making sure people know where to go to for support
- Giving feedback regularly (not just when something goes wrong)
- Creating small, repeatable processes that make things simpler for everyone
Start with what’s sustainable for your team. That might mean a short welcome checklist, a monthly team learning session, or a buddy system for new joiners. The goal is to be intentional and consistent so people feel valued, supported and set up to succeed.
Final thoughts
If we want to close the green skills gap, there needs to more than recruitment drives and technical sustainability training. Companies need to develop people after they begin their role and offer continued support to the team members already inside their organisation.
That starts with small, practical steps like effective onboarding, more focused development and a culture that prioritises learning.
It also means not forgetting the team members that have been with you for a while. Over time, people can lose focus on why their role matters; make sure that every team member can clearly explain how they are contributing to the business, and also understands how the organisation helps the planet. This clarity about individual and collective purpose is a massive motivator!
Need support with developing your new (and exisiting) team members?
At wayvie, we help green sector organisations build their skills in key business areas like leadership, negotiation and sales. If you want to support your people so they can better deliver your mission, we’d love to help. Get in touch at hello@wayvie.co.uk.
