Young jobseekers increasingly considering ethics

The younger generation of jobseekers is increasingly selecting positions within businesses that hold similar ethical values to them, according to Mark Price, managing director of Waitrose and chairman of Business in the Community.

Price’s comments suggest that businesses now need consider sustainability and ethical issues in order to attract the best talents for positions within their companies. He explained that recent graduates joining the Waitrose graduate scheme had chosen the firm as much as Waitrose had chosen them because they identified with a business that had a strong set of values that closely matched their own.

Writing in the Telegraph, Price commented, “I am increasingly seeing this in other companies. Ethics are becoming as important in the recruitment of the young as salary or other benefits. This is a recent and potentially seismic change for the better.”

In November, research from LinkedIn found that Unilever, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, all of which place a strong emphasis on sustainability and responsible business practices, were among the top 10 most sought-after employers in the UK.

Price added, “The best businesses are a force for good and bear an important responsibility to the communities they serve. As chairman of Business in the Community I am constantly remained of the power of partnership between business and community and the fact that young people really grasp this as one of the most important shifts in the zeitgeist in recent times.”

Further reading:

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