How Important is Sustainability for Employer Branding?

Sustainability is a hot topic in every industry nowadays – and with global temperatures rising, rightly so!

But when it comes to recruitment, how much do candidates?really?care about a company’s green credentials? Doesn’t salary trump all other factors?

If you want to build an employer brand that really speaks to today’s candidates, here’s what you need to know about sustainability.?

Do current and future employees really care about sustainability??

How often do your candidates ask questions about sustainability during their job interview? Maybe never. But that doesn’t mean they don’t care.?

A global survey found 65% of candidates and employees want to?work for a company with a social and environmental conscience.?This means that if your green credentials aren’t up to scratch, candidates might not even apply in the first place.?

And concerns around climate change aren't only impacting your recruitment goals - they’re?keeping candidates awake at night. In fact, more than a?third of executives interviewed, found that climate change is affecting their employees’ physical and mental health.?

So, it’s important to show your employees that you care about the environment too! If you don’t, you might lose them. After all, a whopping?40% of candidates?would quit?if their company’s values weren’t in line with their own!

Does a sustainable employer brand improve recruitment??

The good news is, if you get sustainability?right, you’ll be rewarded. Among companies with a strong sustainability policy,?44% say that it makes a positive difference to recruiting and retaining top talent. Teams who can be proud of their company’s sustainability record are more motivated and more loyal.?

Plus, when it comes to recruitment, sustainable employer branding can give you a real competitive edge: even if you can’t compete on pay, you can attract top talent with green policies.

What’s causing the rise of sustainable employer branding?

It’s clear candidates today really care about sustainability - but what’s changed in the last decade to make this such a big priority for today’s workforce??

Gen Z candidates entering the job market

Have you noticed how job candidates are getting younger? It’s not you getting older (well, not just that!), there really are more young candidates. By 2025,?27% of the workforce?in OECD countries will be Gen Z, born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s.?

These younger employees care a lot about the state of the planet. Remember Greta Tunburg’s Fridays for Future protests? That’s a Gen Z movement.?

Around?three-quarters of Gen Z and Millennials?believe the earth is at a tipping point, and that companies could do more. Their expectations are changing the conversation, and smart companies are listening and adapting now.

Labor shortages mean the young can pick and choose

As more young people are joining the workforce, Boomers are retiring. And this exodus is leaving labor shortages: there’ll be?13.5 million fewer working-age?people in Europe by 2030.

And as Gen Z will have their choice of jobs and workplaces, you’ll have to work harder to attract and retain them, another reason why sustainability is a key issue for employer branding.?

Candidates have higher expectations of brands?

People are more educated about sustainability than ever before. And as they learn more, their expectations of brands’ commitments to sustainability are increasing.?

To many, sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a ‘must have’. The standards have simply changed. If you’re not striving to be sustainable, you’re behind the times.

But be aware, adding an eco-label to your LinkedIn won’t cut it anymore.?

Candidates and employees expect companies to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to sustainability. So, how can you start to build a more sustainable employer brand??

What are 3 ways to create a sustainable employer brand?

Continue reading our article on our blog to learn the 3 ways of creating a sustainable employer brand.