In a competitive labor market,
companies are trying to woo and
ensnare top-notch talent by offering inducement, such as a
wide palette of benefits and jaw-dropping salaries. For good measure,
companies are also putting a premium on employee's work-life balance.
So, what is new? One may wonder. Practically, every company is doing
the same. So, what gives a company that "decisive" edge? Do the
companies have enough competitive arsenal in their war-dreary armory?
Questions such as these may abound and answers to those may be elusible.
But, not anymore. What may be touted as the next big wave in recruiting
is currently here and is grabbing the employers by their collar and
demanding attention. Many of the employers, and by natural
corollary, many companies are already on to it. Employers are thinking
about green big time. In recent times, a growing number of big
companies are brandishing their environmental records to, not only the
enlightened general public but also to the potential hires. Welcome to
the world of green recruiting. Today's young graduates are powering
this recruitment shift. Today's young job seekers are savvy, street smart,
confidently-poised, energy-driven and wear the social, environmental
and political issues up their sleeves. The most critical and hotly-debated
issue that is receiving greater attention today is environment.
Young people are seized with environmental issues that are dominating
the political discourses across the world. It is not a rarity to see Young
Turks look in the eye of the employer and question, "where did you get
that exquisitely carved wooden door installed in the entrance?", while
the employer may be gasping for his/her breath. But that is the way
the cookie crumbles. Young applicants have no second thoughts
speaking their mind and without any hesitation ask, "what have you done
to protect and conserve the environment?" It is a fallacy to think
that only young graduates raise such disconcerting questions to the
interviewer. Professionals in their mid-career are strong votaries of
good environmental practices and may religiously look for a job that
fulfills a greater sense of purpose. They may always strive hard to check upon
the environmental track record of the company before they look for a
position in the company. Employers may wonder if this is for real. In
their frantic bid to attract the best of the talents, employers are
painting themselves in verdant "green"
and brandishing their environmental records to bolster their
recruitment pitch. Companies are increasingly giving their "go green"
blitzkriegs and pro-environmental initiatives importance in the recruitment
process, on a level that was scarcely seen before. Employees, both current
and prospective, expect employers to amply demonstrate their
sensitivity towards pressing environmental causes. A deeper sensitivity to
environmental causes is a sure shot way of figuring out how an
organization treats its valuable assets, namely employees. An
employer who follows the line, "I deeply care for my people and can see
beyond the bottom line" can always attract top-notch talent in hordes.
Green recruiting is still in its infancy, being in vogue for only the past
few years. John Sullivan, a HR Consultant and Professor of
Management at the San Francisco State University's College of
Business, quipped, "If you want an edge in
recruiting, green recruiting is the way forward. Time is ripe for
companies to go in for a kill as many organizations have not taken to it
currently".
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