Almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of North American employees feel it’s important that a potential employer has strong corporate social responsibility practices, according to a survey by Interac Corp. and the Upside Foundation.
Among the 72 per cent, four per cent said it’s critical a potential employer has CSR or charitable programs in place, while 29 per cent ranked it as important and 39 per cent viewed it as somewhat important.
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“In the past, people believed a company’s sole responsibility was to make a profit, and I think those days are long gone now,” says Jennifer Couldrey, executive director of the Upside Foundation. “People definitely see business as a vehicle for doing good in the world and making the world a better place. But I think there’s a bit of disillusionment with this . . . they don’t want to spend 40 hours a week of the majority of their life doing something they feel is making somebody else money.”
Couldrey noted there’s evidence that millennials feel strongly about this issue. Indeed, the survey found 64 per cent would take a pay cut to work for a company they feel is socially responsible. The retention rate for employees who feel like they’re working for a company with good social responsibility is 2.3-times higher, she says.
“There’s this desire from people to want to know the companies they’re working for and the place they’re spending all their time does care about people.”
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