Polishing the image your business projects can help attract the best and brightest
Nowadays, it seems that competitive wages and generous employee benefit programs are not enough to attract first-class talent. 1970’s type neoliberalism claims that the only real goal and responsibility of businesses is to generate profit. Another, more modern mindset, that is more in line with our current way of life, is that of the socially-responsible business. We need to keep in mind that today’s businesses must remain competitive while continually demonstrating their ability to innovate in order to attract young talented workers. How does this work?
Socially responsible
Social responsibility is a vast concept, which is not really defined by any specific rules or convention. What can be established at this point are the different basic principles that must be respected in regard to being socially responsible, such as: Workplace health and safety, protecting the environment, human rights, sound human resource management practices, community involvement, work-family balance, consumer protection, etc.… we must keep in mind that businesses also need to be good citizens, and consider the social and environmental aspects of its leaders’ business decisions.
Environmental consciousness
Today’s high-school students have a totally different mindset than those in the 80s. Not only do they actively promote environmental protection, they actually have a genuine preoccupation in regard to pollution and climate change. Therefore, tomorrow’s new recruits and job-seekers will be impressed with employers who share their values and implement solutions such as reducing greenhouse gases, utilizing recycled paper and ”green” cleaning products, and other such initiatives. These initiatives can have a positive impact on the mindset of current staff and management, and make the business more ”attractive” in the eyes of future employees.
Work and family
This is a hot topic, but few businesses are actively engaging in this issue. Being active workplace participants can be rough-going for young parents. Government daycare initiatives help, but they are too few and far between. Certain passionate and talented workers would appreciate reducing the work-week to thirty or so hours, allowing for a more balanced family life. Many business owners are spooked by the ”concept” of part-time work, but from our vantage point, this concept hides quite a few benefits. While the employee benefits from having more time for their home life, interns, newer employees, or other staff members who are looking to evolve in the company can also benefit from this situation. Companies that can spare the appropriate space might consider opening a daycare center for their staff. This is a huge draw for potential employees, and can be more than enough for them to choose you over other employers!