We’re currently in the age of the Great Resignation, a phrase that sends a shudder down most employer’s spines. Since the start of the pandemic, people have had the opportunity to rethink what they really want to do with their careers and what they want from their employers. Simultaneously, the recruitment market has seen incredible growth over the past few months as businesses look to catch up on lost time, flooding the jobs market with exciting new opportunities.

With so many businesses hiring and talent reassessing their current roles, how will your company, including your recruitment strategy fair during the Great Resignation? We take a look at why people are looking to move, what candidates really want from their employers and how you can retain and attract the right talent for your business.
 

What do your people really want?

Climate change is at the forefront of everyone’s mind, and with that, employees are now looking less to new perks, and more to sustainable practices from their employers. According to research commissioned by BusinessWaste.co.uk, 67 per cent of employees now expect their employers to become more environmentally friendly, and put this into action.

As people move back to the office, expectations for businesses to play a bigger role in reducing their impact on the environment is becoming more prominent. Of the 1,500 UK employees surveyed, a staggering 84 per cent felt that their company wasn’t doing enough to fight climate change. The question that begs to be asked is, how serious are companies in their commitment to improving the environment? (That’s another blog for another time.)

What do job seekers want?

But it’s not just employees expecting more, those looking for new opportunities are taking the same approach towards prospective employers with one in five job seekers now taking environmental issues into consideration for their next role.

Of those searching for new roles, it’s Millennials who are leading the way with 82 per cent citing sustainability as a key priority. A further 21 per cent of survey respondents admitted to leaving a role due to a lack of action on the company’s part in regards to sustainability. 

As businesses look to bring employees back to the office and attract new talent, the benefits, rewards and company values that businesses espouse are going to have to be rethought. It’s not enough to create a sustainability policy, or to commit to recycling (although that’s a good place to start), more needs to be done.
 

The benefits of being a sustainable business

So, with the above in mind, how do businesses protect themselves from losing talent and attract new talent? The answer is two-fold. Sustainability and employer branding.

Last year, IBM Institute of Business Value conducted a survey which showed that 71 per cent (combined employees and job seekers) of participants perceive companies who are environmentally friendly more attractive than those who aren’t. 

But, why? For both employees and job seekers, they feel they’re working for a greater cause and that their work contributes to the wider world, not just the company bottom line. Since the financial crisis in 2008, personal and company values have played a big part in deciding where someone works. Now, 14 years later, this desire to work for a company that matches personal values, is even stronger, and towards the top of the list of values, if it’s not at the top.

Being sustainable isn’t all about spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on new branding and shiny new initiatives. Here are a few quick and easy ways of incorporating sustainability into your place of work.

• Sustainable work-from-home programmes
• Educating employees on sustainability
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• No print policy
   

How are you engaging your people and prospective talent? 

If you want to be the employer of choice and to attract the best talent. Ask yourself these questions:

• What does your company really say about you? We all may think we’re sustainable, but are you just saying it or are you doing it? Your messaging is what prospective employees look to first.
• How are you integrating your sustainability commitments into your job descriptions, advertising and online presence? 
• Do you include sustainability as part of your discussion at the interview stage? This is a great opportunity to use this as part of why someone should choose your company over your competitors.
• Are you prepared if a candidate asks about sustainability practices?
• How are you engaging your current workforce in sustainable practices and activities? Could you create a sustainability committee and combine this with your CSR commitments and volunteer for environmental charities?

If you’re one of the many companies hiring right now, standing out from the crowd is more important than ever, and the way to do that is by becoming sustainable.