Only 40% of employees say their business is ethical

While employers that adhere to corporate social responsibility and environmentally-friendly business practices show better rates of employee engagement and retention, only two out of five UK staff believe that the organisation they work for behaves ethically.
 

These are the findings of a survey undertaken among 1,000 personnel by the Kenexa Research Institute (KRI), a subsidiary of HR software provider, Kenexa. The study was based on a representative sample of workers surveyed for KRI’s Worktrends 2010 annual report of employee opinions.
 
The report indicates that if staff members have a positive view of the corporate social responsibility efforts of their employers, it has a significant and positive impact on the pride they take in working there, their overall satisfaction and their willingness to recommend it as a good place to work. They are also more likely to state an intention to stay.
 
Anne Herman, a research consultant at KRI, said: “Our research clearly indicates that organisations operating with a strong corporate responsibility climate have more engaged, confident and customer-oriented employees.”
 
She added that there was also evidence that such businesses outperformed those that did not go down this route “on important financial metrics such as diluted earnings per share”.
 
“Corporate social responsibility activities increase the overall job satisfaction of employees, particularly those in upper and middle management roles,” Herman said. “Having a strong corporate social responsibility climate can play a key part in helping organisations achieve their retention targets.”