Dive Brief:
- Companies that take a stand on climate change may be able to attract tech talent, according to a survey by Blind, a network on which professionals anonymously discuss workplace issues. Nearly half of the 629 employees surveyed at leading tech companies said that a company's efforts toward climate change affect where they want to work. The survey results were released Feb. 10.
- The survey was partly inspired by the news that Amazon allegedly threatened workers who spoke out about the company's climate policy, Blind said. Survey results showed mixed responses from Amazon workers on its discussion boards. However, most Amazon employees (73%) don't think the company should fire coworkers who speak out against the company's climate change policies. Nearly half of all respondents said their employers' efforts to address climate change affect their workplace choice.
- Microsoft employees (80.7%) were the most satisfied with their company's policies on climate change. Along with plans to reduce emissions, Microsoft has pledged to be carbon negative by 2030 and will launch a $1 billion Climate Innovation Fund to speed up carbon reductions and renewable technologies, according to Blind.
Dive Insight:
Employers may have to give the issue some consideration soon; climate change recently beat out a living wage as the top social issue affecting corporate brands, according to data from High Lantern Group's 2020 Brand Pressure Index. With their combined numbers, millennials and Gen Zers will soon make up the largest segment of the workforce. And with both generations' focus on climate change, companies may need to build the issue into their brand to attract and keep them. Various retailers, for example Patagonia and Lush, shuttered stores in solidarity with student climate strikes taking place toward the end of 2019.
Whether millennials or Gen Zers will pressure employers to address climate change is unclear, since a Clutch poll found that only 24% of employees think their employers' views should be aligned with their own. Still, many companies are aware of the impact their operations are having on the environment, and those that choose to address climate change through policy changes could be in a better position to compete for talent.
