It’s not only "Generation Greta": Older Employees Attach Just As Much Importance To Climate-Friendly Employers As Younger Ones

• Survey shows that sustainability is an important factor for job satisfaction across all generations
• The majority of all respondents across all age groups look specifically for sustainable employers during their job search – with older employees even more than younger ones
• Green creates Green? Young employees are more convinced that sustainable companies are economically more successful

Whether it's the "Fridays for Future" movement or activists of the "Last Generation" - the headlines of recent years lead us to believe that it is younger people in particular who are interested in protecting the environment. However, a new study by The Stepstone Group has revealed that the issue is equally important to all generations in the Germa workplace. For the survey, the global recruiting platform asked around 2,500 employees in Germany in May and June 2023 what role sustainability plays for them in their job search and in their job. The results are representative of the working population in Germany.

The Stepstone analysis of the different age groups shows that when it comes to deciding on a new job, the generations apply similar standards. More than half (57 percent) of those over-30s and 52 percent of the under-30s both said they would specifically look for jobs at sustainable companies in the event of a job change. Almost three out of four respondents in both age groups (74 percent each) would also be more likely to apply there. Consequently, 65 percent of the older and 62 percent of the younger employees would like to receive further information about the company’s approach to sustainability during the application process.

"Sustainability is one of the most important topics for the future of business and is also becoming increasingly important for employee recruitment and retention," says Dr. Tobias Zimmermann, labour market expert at The Stepstone Group. "People can increasingly choose between several good offers. When salary, career development etc. no longer make the difference, sustainability can be the decisive factor. This explicitly applies not only to young people such as apprentices, graduates or young professionals, but to everyone. Companies that invest in sustainability should therefore make their commitment visible not only to certain target groups and job profiles, but to everyone."

The generations are also largely in agreement on other issues: 77 per cent of the younger and 80 per cent of the older employees see their employer as responsible for behaving in a climate-friendly manner. Seventy-two per cent of both groups are of the opinion that sustainability in the company has a positive effect on employee loyalty. There are only minor differences when it comes to the question of how more sustainability in the company affects the economy: 65 percent of the young respondents believe that more sustainability improves the company's performance, the figure for the older ones is slightly lower at 56 percent.

69 percent of the younger workers also assume that sustainable organisations benefit from a higher productivity of the employees, whereas the older ones are somewhat more restrained with 58 percent. "For younger people in particular, the topic of sustainability is naturally linked to business, innovation and thus also economic success. After all, the topic has been increasingly in the spotlight in the business world for some years now," Zimmermann emphasises.

Further results of the study:The Stepstone Group study: Three out of four employees would rather apply at sustainable companies (thestepstonegroup.com)

About the sustainability survey by The Stepstone Group

The job market is changing. More and more employees are recognising the importance of responsible and environmentally friendly business practices. What do employees think of sustainability and how can employers live up to it? The Stepstone Group investigated these questions in an online survey. In May and June 2023, 2,500 people took part in the survey. Of these, about 24 per cent have leadership responsibilities, while about 15 per cent work in recruiting. The results listed are representative of the working population in Germany.

Note to editors

On The Stepstone Group's recruiting platforms in Germany, Austria and Belgium, companies can draw attention to themselves with their sustainability strategy. The ‘Sustainability Box’ offers companies space in the profile of their job advertisements to focus on climate protection activities or social commitment and thus become even more transparent and attractive for job seekers. More information: https://www.thestepstonegroup.com/en/press/press-releases/the-stepstone-group-puts-the-focus-on-employers-sustainability/