Ethical Workplaces Draw Young Employees
Fresh research has revealed that young Australians want to work for ethical companies and those that have a positive impact on the world.
Launched by SEEK, the Australian Charities Fund and Social Impact Hub, the research titled Young Australians; Motivations for Workplace Giving, also uncovered that young Australians are motivated by a genuine desire to make a difference and to assist causes and charities that resonate on a personal level.
Young Australians are also generally receptive to contributing through a Workplace Giving program, appreciating the convenience and tax advantages of these programs.
Daniel Ellis, Group Corporate Communications Director, SEEK Limited said, “We were very pleased to support this research. In addition, at SEEK, giving is part of our culture and we understand that our own giving program adds to the morale of the organisation by ensuring employees have purpose and meaning in their work.”
Younger working Australians are redefining employment in Australia and will comprise the majority of the workforce by 2030. It’s imperative that employers understand how to attract and retain this group.
Research Findings
The main motivations for Young Australians to engage in charitable giving generally and workplace giving specifically could be categorised under four broad themes:
- Emotional connection – being able to choose from charities/causes that align with personal preferences.
- Trust – giving to charitable partners that are seen as reliable, trustworthy and financially transparent.
- Visibility – being able to see the difference their donations are making.
- Financial concerns – giving being influenced by issues such as level of income, donation matching and tax effectiveness.
Recommendations for Employers
These key findings can be translated into some general recommendations for employers on how to increase participation of Young Australians in workplace giving programs. These include:
- Employers should ensure employee giving programs are well-publicised to make sure no potential participants are lost for lack of awareness.
- Charity partners should cover a broad spectrum of social issues to ensure emotional connection is fostered with employees and employees should be engaged in the selection of causes.
- Charity partners should include established and trustworthy organisations and regular reporting mechanisms should be in place so that participants can be confident that their donations are being productively spent.
- Employers should establish strong communication channels with charity partners so that participants can see the difference their donations are making and feel a sense of ownership over the projects and activities.
- Employers should consider matching donations to incentivise participation.
Jenny Geddes, CEO, the Australian Charities Fund said, “delving a little deeper into the giving motivations of young working Australians will offer business leaders greater insight into how important offering and fostering a culture of giving is to their emerging workforces.”
About the research
The quantitative and qualitative research was principally conducted with young Australians who have a giving program at their workplace and was undertaken from July to November 2015. Over 170 participants completed the 10 minute survey and ten face-to-face interviews were conducted with young Australians aged between 15 to 35. If you would like to have your say, please complete the survey by clicking here.
To access the full report: Young Australians Motivations for Workplace Giving