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Employer’s social commitment is essential for staff recruitment

17 May 2022

Press

Alongside salary, appealing work and personal development, a company’s social commitment is becoming increasingly important when choosing a job. An active CSR policy can make all the difference, especially now that the labour market is extremely tight and employees often have plenty of choice. A majority of employed Dutch people consider it important to work for a company with an active CSR policy. These are the findings of a recent survey conducted by online pension administrator BeFrank.

Expressed in numbers: 66% of respondents value the fact that their organisation has a CSR policy (CSR = Corporate Social Responsibility). Most of them expressly feel that their employer actively involves them in that CSR policy. Some of them are even given the opportunity to do voluntary work during working hours. Furthermore, a large majority (62%) believe it is important that their pension capital is invested in socially responsible investments. These are some of the most notable findings of the April 2022 survey.

CSR policy and employer selection
An active CSR policy is a factor in choosing a new employer. When looking for a job, no less than 30% consider CSR policy to be a significant factor. More than 50% said they would not want to work for an employer who makes little effort in this area. In addition, almost half (48%) would like to make an (even greater) contribution to the world through their work. 15% of those questioned are prepared to give up salary for this if the effect of the salary sacrifice is particularly large. For companies in need of staff, there are opportunities here.

Socially responsible pension
Jan Hein Rhebergen, Director of BeFrank, is enthusiastic about the survey’s findings. “It’s great to see that more and more Dutch employees are so consciously engaged with CSR. We have been actively involving our employees in our CSR efforts for years. The recent move to a circular office was a step that made a real difference. For the office furnishings, we opted exclusively for recycled materials. For example, we had chairs upholstered with old jeans from the BeFrankers themselves.” Rhebergen also believes it is positive that the majority of respondents want their pension administrator to select only socially responsible companies for its investments. “A sustainable future for everyone is very important to us, so we adapt our investments accordingly. Because pensions involve large sums of money, the impact is also great.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emphases within CSR policy
BeFrank’s survey also zoomed in on how best to put CSR policy into practice. It found that employees value the fact that companies generally place an emphasis on combating environmental pollution (42%), on a transition to sustainable energy (40%) and on the reuse of materials (38%). When asked to what extent their own organisation is socially responsible, the employer’s focus appears to be different. Within their own organisation, the highest priority is particularly given to diversity and inclusion (28%), a healthier lifestyle (28%) and the promotion of decent work and working conditions (24%). In short, there are plenty of opportunities for organisations to close the gap and to better align the implementation of their policies with the employees’ wishes.

Win-win
Rhebergen is enthusiastic about the fact that the survey shows that a sound CSR policy – in which the employer actively involves the employees – strengthens the employer’s position. “No less than half of the respondents are convinced that CSR helps companies attract new staff. And a striking 60% of the respondents believe that such policies give employees extra satisfaction. In other words, it cuts both ways: both the world and the company benefit. Hopefully this will inspire even more companies to commit to and promote their CSR policies.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the survey
BeFrank commissioned Panelwizard to conduct a survey in December 2022 among 1,164 employed Dutch people aged 25 years and older.