September 2014
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TD Magazine

Corporate Environmental Policies Can Attract or Repel Talent

Monday, September 8, 2014

Intelligence9
A lack of environmentally sound business practices can scare talent away from your organization. A survey from TD Bank and Angus Reid Public Opinion, which polled more than 2,200 employees, found that 36 percent of survey respondents said they consider a company's environmental impact when seeking employment, and nearly one-fourth said they would turn down a job if they thought the company was irresponsible in this regard.

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"Implementing a strong and innovative environmental program is not only the right thing to do, it is an effective way to attract, inspire, and retain the best and brightest employees," says Diana Glassman, head of environmental affairs at TD Bank.

This is especially true if an organization is after Millennial talent. Millennials are significantly more likely to weigh an organization's environmental policies than employees from other age groups (49 percent of Millennials said they do so), and are slightly more likely to walk away from a job offer if they are dissatisfied with them (28 percent).

Sixty-four percent of total survey respondents (and 72 percent of Millennials) said that they would contribute financially to improve their own environmental impact on their workplaces. Ninety percent said that they would participate in environmentally friendly activities if offered by their employers, indicating that employees are slightly more supportive of environmental programs with their time and effort than with their cash.

When evaluating an organization's environmental impact, potential employees are most likely to look for a recycling program and efforts to conserve energy.

About the Author

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is a professional membership organization supporting those who develop the knowledge and skills of employees in organizations around the world. The ATD Staff, along with a worldwide network of volunteers work to empower professionals to develop talent in the workplace.

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