Job Seekers Prefer Sustainable Companies: Here are The Reasons Why
There are many reasons why companies are successful: access to better markets, better technology, advanced production and manufacturing capabilities, and more. Still, there is only one factor that competitors cannot copy over time — the quality staff.
Despite the latest technology and market advantages, if an organization isn’t populated with reliable workers, it is certain to fail. That’s why hiring the best candidates for a job in your organization is so critical.
Today’s recruits are smart, capable, ethical, and concerned about the environment like never before. It’s in a company’s best interest to make sustainability a part of their organizational ethics and invest in green technologies. In this article we’ll explain why sustainability is so important to Millennials, so you’ll understand how to recruit the very best of this generation to your organization.
Why Sustainability Matters
The largest generation today, Millennials, care about sustainability more than previous generations. As a result of the environment in which they were raised, they are more ethnically diverse, socially conscious, and tech-savvy. These are all traits of character openness, and such individuals are more likely to care about their communities and seek ways to improve them. With this in mind, it isn’t hard to understand why sustainability is so important to this generation.
1. A Sustainable Company is a Caring Company
A company that promotes sustainability cares. It is concerned about how it impacts the environment and its community. This is a good indication for job candidates that the company cares about its staff as well, and is more likely to look out for their best interests. Inversely, an organization that doesn’t prioritize sustainability is more likely to use them up and throw them away, as is done with so many natural resources.
Workers want to work for a company that has their best interests in mind, not for one that fires them when it’s convenient in terms of the bottom line. In these uncertain times, job security is important. Thus, it is important to promote sustainability in your company to show candidates that you care about their future and you’ll attract those who care about your company’s success.
2. Candidates Want to Work for Companies with Similar Values
Everyone wants to feel like they belong where they work. Potential employees want to identify with your company’s mission and values. By promoting sustainability in your company, you will attract candidates with a sustainability mindset and high moral values. Such candidates are more likely to be loyal employees and work to better the company rather than undermine it.
On the other hand, it’s difficult for people to commit to a company that doesn’t have a larger worthy mission. Some candidates may want to work for you simply because your company pays a better salary than the competition. Be wary of this fact and take the time to question your candidates about their values, as well as look into their work and personal history for any evidence to the contrary. Success is easier to achieve if all members of the team are there for the right reasons.
3. Employees Care About Their Company’s Reputation
As members of your company, employees are affected by your organization’s actions. Whether good or bad, workers share a sense of responsibility for what happens in the company. So if your organization conducts its business ethically and sustainably, your workers will be proud to work for you and applaud your sound decisions and policies.
By promoting sustainability in the company, potential employees will be all the more motivated to work for you and share in your organization’s stellar reputation. A good testimony of corporate responsibility would be regular sustainability or esg reporting that can easily be managed using a sustainability reporting software. Not only will this make your organization more sustainable from the inside out, but it will also impress potential candidates and investors.
4. Current Candidates are More Conscious
Compared to previous generations, millennials are more health, financially, and spiritually conscious. They understand that a healthy diet and lifestyle are the keys to a higher quality of life and longevity and eat a higher ratio of healthy to fast food than the boomer generation.
Millennials are more financially conscious and prefer to share services, such as transportation, instead of buying them. Whereas every boomer had to have their own vehicle, this generation understands the value of shared services. Lastly, they are a more spiritually conscious generation, few of whom identify with any organized religion and instead believe in self-improvement through meditation and other spiritual practices.
For these and other reasons, Millennials care more about their own well-being and that of the environment and want to preserve it for future generations to enjoy. Sustainability is already a big part of their identity.
Conclusion
A company is only as good as the members that make it up. Values change from generation to generation, and the current dominant generation cares about sustainability. As the people group with the largest buying power, companies and brands are adapting to Millennials’ values. If you want to appeal to the modern recruits, it is time for your company to follow the lead.
Originally published at https://thriveglobal.com.
