09 Oct Attractive Employers

We often talk about purpose, meaning, stakeholders engagement and community. As we have mentioned in our recent post also skills like the sense of community are becoming always more important. Which should we pay attention to such topics? Recruitment and retention are the answer. Gen Z for example plays a key role in the future of our organizations, and in order to satisfy them we need to know what it is most important to them. Candidates choose their employer considering what the organizations care about. Caring about people and the environment is becoming a must. Organizations who chose to become B Corp for example know it very well.

The B Corp movement is born with the intention of changing our economic system by making it inclusive, equitable, and regenerative and by ensuring that business brings benefits to all and the planet. In fact, organizations who are certified B Corp measure their entire social and environmental impact.

As we can read in the declaration of interdependence that these companies sign, they believe:

• That we must be the change we seek in the world.
• That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered.
• That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.
• To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.

Are organizations that show interest and active engagement in these topics more appealing and attractive for candidates? The answer is yes considering that Millennials and Gen Z share the same philosophy and concerns. In other words, sustainability is the key in terms of economic, social and environmental contexts.

Not only do these generations care when they buy and consume (find here a First Insight report) but also when considering different workplaces. In this article of The World Economic Forum you can read what worries Millennials and Gen Z and understand that business as a force for good is the key and the solution to most of their worries: climate change, mental health, work-life balance, flexible working patterns. As stated in the article: “They are values-driven, concerned about the environment, the state of the world, and the future they see developing ahead of them”. Therefore employers who share the same values become more attractive because they feel they can make a positive impact. But be careful: it is not a matter of communication but it is about truly believing in a better world and effectively putting into practice behaviours and policies. Organizations who only claim to care and actually do not act in such regard, will not be a choice for future employees.

We shall always remember that a recruitment process has two sides: on one hand it is the employer who chooses the candidate, on the other hand the candidate needs to like the potential employer, its values, its mission. So, is your organization attractive for those who want to make a difference?

Gaia Urati