Businesses must be socially responsible if they want to attract and retain the best staff, new research suggests.
According to a poll by BT, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a deciding factor for many young people looking at which companies they want to work for.
More than a third of those surveyed said working for a caring and responsible employer was more important than the salary they earned.
A further 44% said they would discount an employer if they did not have a good CSR reputation, and 48.5% said it should be made compulsory for companies to have a CSR policy.
A third of respondents believed the environment was the most important CSR area for businesses to focus on.
With a quarter of those polled believing that businesses have the most influence on the future of the planet, it is perhaps not surprising how important CSR ranked for young people choosing where to work.
“These results [show] that young professionals are increasingly looking at CSR when considering which companies and brands they might work for,” said Alison Garner, CSR communications manager at BT.
“Not only is it important to have a solid CSR policy, but it is also increasingly important for companies to communicate what they are doing as it is an area which can undoubtedly provide competitive advantage.”
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