Remember reading that stat that said most millennials would take a pay cut to work at an environmentally responsible company? I was, I’ll admit, a bit surprised—I too have felt the pull for purpose, but shrinking a salary for it speaks volumes about how much people truly care about the climate crisis. 

As Pawprint grows, the sentiment of that stat has stuck with me. Recently, I got to thinking about where we’re at now. Do employees still feel that strongly about their workplace’s eco agenda? Are they even more cut throat with where they choose to invest their talent? 

Fast forward a few conversations and a Pawprint-commissioned survey (of over 1000 people across the UK), and we’ve got ourselves some new answers.

Our survey found that 30% of millennials would consider changing jobs if their current employer was not doing enough for sustainability. Overall, 59% of employees say it is important or very important that their employer has a strategy to tackle climate change. Amongst Gen Z, that number rises to a whopping 71%.

What I take from this is that a good pay cheque or cushy benefits isn’t enough anymore; employees—particularly younger employees—will take their talent where they can satisfy their morals. For organisations, this makes setting and executing ambitious climate goals business-critical.

We also looked more granularly at how employees feel across different industries.

In the public sector, 70% of employees think it's important their employer has a strategy for tackling climate change. Professional services and construction tied for second and third, at 65%. 

Interestingly, when asked if they thought that  changing to be better for the environment would improve business performance, 45% of all employees said yes. 

This indicates that those who want their employer to do more to tackle climate change believe it will also be profitable; that investing in the planet goes hand in hand with investing in your business.‍

It’s not just employees that think that, though. It’s a belief that runs through all of us at Pawprint, too. We are here to help bring together your employees and corporate sustainability goals. Let us guide you and show you the way! ‍‍

Reach out to your CSM now.