One would think that in the capitalist economy all that employees might be bothered with, when it comes to deciding on a job, would be salary packages and good working conditions as well as lifestyle maintaining incentives like a good travel allowance, rent allowance etc. However, environment and ethical reputation have also been included in the list of good working conditions.

It has emerged that employees are much more conscientious as one would perhaps expect them to be. Gaurav Gupta, Founder and Director, Climate Project India had come up with the concept of 'Green Jobs' for India in September this year. He had mentioned in an interview that for masses to get involved in environmental projects, an incentive such as job security was required to ensure active participation. This is how he had justified a need for 'Green Jobs'.

It is interesting to note that recent findings revealed that on the contrary, employees are willing to accept a pay cut and even consider a demotion just in order to work with an organization with a sound corporate reputation, which is incomplete without the incorporation of ethics and environmentally conscientious as well as other social issues. In fact, concerns regarding ethical behaviour outweigh concerns pertaining to environment across all generations when deciding where to work.

The Kelly Global Workforce Index obtained the views of nearly 1,00,000 people in 34 countries including almost 5,000 companies in India. The survey finds employees across all age generations gravitate to organizations considered ethically and environmentally responsible, with older workers including Gen X (aged 30-47) and 'baby boomers' (aged 48-65) more discerning than their younger Gen Y (aged 18-29) colleagues.

Almost two-thirds of all workers, which include 62 percent of both Gen Y and baby boomers and 62 percent of Gen X employees, are prepared to accept a pay cut or a demotion in order to work for an organization with a sound corporate reputation.

Kelly Services MD, Kamal Karanth said, "Employees take pride not only in what they do while at work but in what their organization stands for and how it is perceived by the entire community. It provides a sense of fulfillment to be part of an enterprise that is focused not only on performance outcomes but also on larger social goals. Firms that develop a culture of social responsibility send a powerful message about the type of talent they want to attract and the organizational norms they want to cultivate. They serve as a benchmark as to what is expected."

DQC NEWS BUREAU

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