PHOTO EDITED BY WE REP STEM.

Nearly 60 per cent of job seekers consider corporate culture to be as important as pay when looking at job prospects, according to a new survey from Hinge Research Institute.

“In today’s crisis environment, potential hires are taking a hard look at whether prospective employers’ values are aligned with theirs, while recruiters are putting a premium on maintaining a healthy workplace culture,” Lee Frederiksen, Managing Partner of Hinge Research Institute, says in a statement.

“Companies should pay as much attention to their employer brand as they do to their financials. Their reputation as a workplace is crucial to attract and keep the people they need to deliver on their brand promise and get through any disruption.”

The survey collected responses from 1,034 recruiters and job seekers across ten industries and several countries.

Respondents were segmented by industry, career stage, and whether or not they were actively looking for work. There does not appear to be any information about participant gender, sexual orientation, race, or disability status — information that could be useful, given the fact that people with intersecting identities are more likely to be victimized by a toxic work environment.

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FINDINGS

According to the survey:

  • 57 per cent of respondents said work culture was as important as salary when evaluating a job offer.
  • 39 per cent said strong leadership was important.
  • 75 per cent of talent evaluators said the top criteria they use for evaluating talent was a cultural fit.

A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT IS GOOD FOR THE BOTTOM LINE

The findings echo that of a large-scale survey of 1.7 million employees from 32 companies conducted in September 2019. It found employees had more favourable opinions of senior leadership, and a better opinion about their work/life balance, in organizations that support women.

There’s also evidence that inclusive workplaces perform better, and that a welcoming professional environment isn’t just right from a moral standpoint. Supporting all minority groups — including people of colour, individuals with disabilities, and those from the LGBTQ+ community — can help a company’s bottom line, allow employers and schools to develop untapped talent, and give institutions a competitive edge.

Read more about the Hinge survey here (link is a PDF download from Hinge Marketing).

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