Fast Company recently published an article citing the top three things that prospective employees are looking for when it comes finding their future work “home.” Do you know what they are? We’ll save you the suspense: office culture, benefits and a company who truly works at attaining its Mission Statement. If that’s what today’s employees are looking for, how attractive is your company?
It’s all about supply and demand. However, with anything, demands change over time. In today’s world what employees want is value. There was a time, not too far long ago, when a consistent paycheck, basic health insurance, and 30-minute lunch break was not only accepted by employees— but appreciated. We now live in a world where successful businesses are selling themselves 360 degrees— not only to clients or consumers, but to potential new hires. “This new working generation wants more than what our parents wanted.” Says, Rachele Genhofer, the Director of Marketing at GYMGUYZ. “It comes down to values. Many prospective employees are looking for a career*, not a job, that not only supports them financially, but enriches them and also does what it says it’s going to do— meaning, they are ethically responsible.”
It all happened about 4 years ago, when being “transparent” earned you not only respect for being “real”, but also earned the trust of those who knew about you, and their support (socially and financially). Now, more than ever, transparency is celebrated and those who practice seem to be golden. It almost felt like it happened over night, but companies started to ask themselves: “how can I do better?” And that question changed things. If anything, for many, it was the metaphorical heartbeat inside of the Grinch that caused a firestorm of social good, philanthropy and awareness programs that have swept through social media platforms, and the internet alike. “It seemed like for the first time collectively in our working generation, companies and individuals alike wanted to feel like they were doing something good for the world, other than earning a paycheck,” Genhofer states. While change like this is arguably for the better; it also puts pressure on companies to up the ante when it comes to what they bring the table in terms of moral responsibility and how much they are giving all around.
We are from the school of thought that companies and individuals should continuously ask themselves how they can stimulate healthy and positive growth; as values are just a result of that answer. Usually when you have good values as a company, you also have a great culture and believe that your employees should have a pretty good standard of living (because the happier your employees are, you’ll have better employee morale and, chances are, if your employees like where they work, they will work harder, longer and more efficiently for you). We get that and so does Fast Company, we hope you do too.
