Corporate Social Responsibility: Why CSR Matters So Much to Generation Z

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Contents

• Why Generation Z's opinion matters so much
• What is Corporate Social Responsibility? A definition.
• Why CSR plays such a big role for Generation Z
• Transparency toward talent is everything
• Conclusion
• Frequently asked questions

TL;DR

For Generation Z, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a central factor when choosing a job. They expect real commitment from employers on diversity, sustainability and social responsibility, and they research it deliberately before they apply. Companies that do not communicate their CSR activities transparently on their career page, job postings and social media risk that Gen Z will pass on applying. Authenticity is the deciding point here: real photos and concrete measures instead of stock images and empty words.

!Symbolic image of Corporate Social Responsibility: Generation Z values diversity, sustainability and social commitment when looking for a job.

Author: Dominik Becker · Published: 10 November 2021

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Looking for meaning and open to the world. That is how the youngest generation of workers ticks: Generation Z. From an employer, Gen Z expects more than interesting work, a good work-life balance and an innovative environment. They also place the highest value on diversity, sustainability and honest social commitment. That last point, under the banner of Corporate Social Responsibility, is becoming an ever more important factor when people look for a job.

Why Generation Z's opinion matters so much

Generation Z is the youngest generation of workers currently entering the labor market. The oldest of the so-called Zoomers were born in 1995 and are now in their early twenties. Employers are already competing for them, and even more so in the future. Because as early as 2025, according to a study by Prognos, the German labor market will be short of 2.9 million skilled workers.

Young people looking for a job at that point will be able to pick their employer freely, and employers will have to fight hard for them. All the more reason for companies to think intensively, right now, about which arguments in their employer branding will win the youngest generation of workers over. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plays a special part in this. Because Gen Z cares about it deeply.

What is Corporate Social Responsibility? A definition.

What does Corporate Social Responsibility mean? It describes responsible, sustainable and resource-conscious behavior by companies. Toward their employees, toward society and toward the environment.

CSR covers a wide range of aspects:

• an employee-focused and diversity-friendly HR policy
• social commitment
• active protection of the climate and the environment

Why CSR plays such a big role for Generation Z

That Generation Z cares so much about CSR in all its facets is only logical. Take diversity as an example. Digital natives have been used to a diverse, richly mixed culture since early childhood. That was not the case for earlier generations, because our society has only become steadily more diverse over the past few decades.

For Generation Z, living diversity is therefore a given. So they expect it from their employer too, with fairness and equality at the top of the list. Whether woman or man, whatever someone's skin color, sexual orientation or cultural background, everyone should have the same career opportunities. Respectful treatment of one another and fair pay for everyone are a must as well. These are the findings of a recent study by the career portal Monster, the Monster Insights Report.

Another reason Gen Z insists so firmly on CSR is the idea of sustainability, which often goes hand in hand with Corporate Social Responsibility. More than any other generation, Zoomers are affected by climate change. Every step taken now to protect the environment and the climate is essential for their future.

Transparency toward talent is everything

For these reasons, Generation Z researches very deliberately when job hunting to find out how an employer handles the topic of CSR. If they find no relevant information, for example in job postings or on the career page, that can, according to a study by McKinsey, genuinely be enough for them to decide against applying. A missed chance.

So much for the theory. But what does that mean for you as a CSR-minded employer who is currently looking for young talent? Quite simply: talk about your many measures and activities in recruiting. That is how you spark enthusiasm. Not sure exactly how? We have a few tips for you.

1. Put a stronger focus on CSR on your career page

Take a look at your career page first. Does it already say anything about CSR? No? Then you should change that quickly and add a tab labeled "Corporate Social Responsibility". Describe here, as concretely as possible, what your company does to promote fairness and equality in the workplace, for example. Have you trained your HR team in non-discriminatory candidate selection? Is there a diversity employee group that works for even more inclusion at work? Excellent. These are the topics that move Gen Z.

On these topics, add not only text but also videos or appealing photos to your career page that show your richly mixed workforce. One thing is important, though: the photos have to be real. Stay away from stock images. Talent can tell very precisely whether the material comes from a real company or is retouched material from an image database. The latter leads to disappointment: clearly the employer is putting on a false front.

2. Talk about Corporate Social Responsibility in your job postings

Maybe you have also run one or two environmental initiatives in your company. Do you live the idea of the paperless office to conserve valuable resources? Do you support various climate projects? Excellent. Document activities like these at the various touchpoints where candidates come into contact with your company while job hunting.

Besides the career page, job postings are still an important source of information for talent. Admittedly, a job posting gives you less room to highlight your CSR activities. But with a little creativity you can fit a lot of worthwhile detail in here too. Why not, for example, include a more CSR-focused video instead of a classic recruiting one, in which you and your colleagues describe your initiatives in detail? As we all know, pictures say more than a thousand words.

3. Fill your social media channels with appealing content

There is one more channel you should not forget. Your company presence on Facebook or Instagram. Here too you can offer authentic CSR insights from your everyday working life. Post photos or self-shot clips regularly that show not only your company's mixed workforce or your environmental activities, but also, for example, your social commitment.

Does your organization regularly release employees for missions with disaster relief or the fire brigade? Wonderful. There is no better subject than showing employees clearing streets of fallen trees with heavy equipment, for instance. Or removing an oil spill to keep road users safe. And do not worry. Even if the photos are a little blurry sometimes or the videos a bit shaky, that does not diminish how powerful your posts are. On the contrary. Small imperfections make them feel all the more authentic. Everyone knows this from their own experience, that not every shot comes out perfectly.

Conclusion

CSR will become an ever more important topic in recruiting over the next few years. What matters is talking about it authentically with candidates. On your career page, in job postings and on social media. Do you have questions about putting it into practice? No problem. We are always happy to listen.