Half of younger workers aged 18 to 34 say that sustainable benefits are the most important work perks for them, according to an Opinium survey.
The survey, conducted on behalf of benefits technology provider Zest, found that 51 percent of employees want their employer to invest more in sustainability in general, and this desire rises to 61 percent for younger workers.
Yet a third of younger workers in this age group believe that their employers do not care about sustainability.
More than half (53 percent) of employees would like to see their company invest in more sustainable benefits such as electric vehicles and sustainable pensions. The demand for such benefits rises to 66 percent for the 18 to 34 year old group.
Interestingly, the survey found that 42 percent of workers in the 18 to 34 age bracket say poor sustainability initiatives have a detrimental impact on their morale at work. Zest warned that as well as demotivated staff, businesses that don’t meet the demand for greater sustainability are at risk of failing to attract fresh talent.
Businesses are taking note with 44 percent reporting an increase in the number of employees asking for sustainable benefits, and 53 percent reporting an increase in the employees who care about sustainability over the last year.
Matt Russell, CEO of Zest, said: “It’s been a difficult few years for businesses, and the reality is that many – often not by choice – have been forced to put their sustainability initiatives on hold.
“Yet with the next generation increasingly populating the workforce, many of whom are naturally engaged in sustainability initiatives that will support their future, businesses must adapt to these changing demands. While many businesses will be focused on scope 1 and 2 emissions, a key area that can be overlooked in sustainability is benefits packages, for example electric vehicle schemes or sustainable pension funds.
“Not only will a greater focus on this better meet individual needs, improving overall employee proposition and the ability to attract and retain talent, but crucially it will assist with the UK’s broader journey to net zero.”
Zest advocates greater benefits personalisation, flexibility and access to more sustainable options and emphasised that employee benefits technology help. Employee data and insights can be used to send targeted communications that take changing demands and individual needs into account.
However, the research showed that just 29 percent of employees believe that their company’s benefits platform supports their individual needs and 39 percent of employees would like their company to invest in their benefits platform more to increase accessibility.
