Hiring greener

Workplace flexibility, better benefits and higher pay are not the only causes of the current so-called 'Great Resignation'. While employee turnover is nothing new, the regularity with which people are moving roles is increasing, because their motivations are changing.

It wasn’t that long ago that jobs were a simple transaction – do the work and get paid. Motivations have been of a ‘carrot & stick’ nature for many generations. However, it has been reported recently that almost two-thirds of people would prefer to work for a company with effective environmental policies, and many millennials would actually accept a pay cut to do so. Quitting because of a mismatch between personal values and an employer’s was relatively rare but now it is not that unusual.

Employees don’t just want higher salaries, although they will of course demand them, they also want investment in their and society’s future. They want a collaborative endeavour, a shared sense of identity, and common purpose towards a greater good. It’s important to them that they have a genuine, though not necessarily an in-person ‘connection’, with their co-workers and their employer.

A strong ‘green’ ethos within an organisation is a key factor for many candidates when choosing where to work. Recent studies by Deloitte and McKinsey have highlighted the climate as the single biggest issue younger workers care about and this is consistent with the underlying trends we see in the media. Sustainability really is important if your company is to win the best talent out there. The current experience of many employers might not yet reflect this because a large proportion of management are Generation X, of whom only 17% feel the same way. As soon as 2025, Millennials will account for 75% of the global workforce, so understanding their mindset is an immediate issue, demanding attention a