The importance of sustainability and ESG for employee engagement

When you think of sustainability, you immediately think of extra costs, regulations and effort? Those times are over! Instead of an extra expense, sustainability is now the competitive advantage for your company.

Steven Knaack

October 24, 2022

 - · 

4 min read

Sustainability is a sensitive issue. Preserving our livelihood is important for society as a whole. But achieving this goal requires individual effort. However, the effort takes place primarily on a personal level. Especially for companies, this leads to a conflict. What if the competition gains a competitive advantage through lax sustainability regulations. Will my company be able to stand up to them? Sustainability can be your competitive advantage. Through sustainable commitment, you clearly stand out on the applicant:internal market, increase the motivation of your employees and the corporate image.

Here we have collected three advantages that you will soon benefit from!

  1. Sustainability attracts top talent

The shortage of skilled workers has reached even the most sought-after sectors. Instead of the labor market, we are now talking about an applicant market. In concrete terms, this means that there are more vacancies than applicants. Career starters and young professionals in particular attach great importance to corporate culture and values. A clear positioning on the topic of sustainability clearly sets your company apart and gives you an advantage over the competition. This is also confirmed by the GoodJobs x kununu Sustainability Check 2024: 62% of employees surveyed stated that sustainability is important to them when choosing an employer. For one in four, it is even the most important selection criterion. A study by the Gallup Institute also confirms the positive effects of on employee retention: Employees who identify with a company's values - e.g. sustainability - are 27% less likely to resign than those who lack this value match. You can find talented people who want to use their working time for something positive quickly and easily with GoodJobs.

  1. Sustainability increases employee engagement

Corporate values, culture and an authentic sustainability strategy increase the satisfaction of your employees. In addition to the pure activity, above all the feeling of meaningfulness and appreciative treatment is a decisive influencing factor on productivity. The basis for this is provided by a simple psychological effect. People act the way they are treated.

  1. Sustainability improves the corporate image

Instead of buying only from established brands, consumers are attaching more and more importance to corporate culture, communicated values and image. This applies to both the B2C and B2B sectors. Companies that have committed themselves to certain sustainability criteria prefer business relationships with companies that are also sustainably oriented. A sustainability strategy therefore not only has an internal effect. The improved corporate image opens up new business relationships and sets you apart from the competition here as well.

Sustainability is therefore not only good for humanity, but also for business. It attracts top talent, increases employee engagement and improves your company's image. If you want your company to be successful in the long term, sustainability is not an option, but a necessity.

Three easy ways to get started:

  1. Sustainable office equipment: notepads, pens or coffee. There are already inexpensive sustainable alternatives for their daily consumables. It's that simple to get started.
  2. Offer incentives: How about a commuter allowance for cyclists, a subsidy for job bikes or subsidizing sustainable purchasing decisions of your employees?
  3. Relying on service providers: The market for sustainable services is booming. Just look for the right offer.

If you have any questions regarding the implementation of an employee benefit platform, please do not hesitate to contact us! More than 300 companies already rely on our ESG Employee Engagement Platform. Book a free initial consultation here and learn more about FutureBens

FutureBens provides a personalized platform. Your employees can select the appropriate discounts from up to 120 fair, sustainable and lucrative offers. This way, you send a clear signal for the sustainable orientation of your company and have no additional effort in the process. We take care of the processing, regularly attract new partners and improve the user-friendliness!

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