The Latest on Talent & Employee Trends
According to a poll conducted by Morning Consult, on behalf of BSR, social policies on a state-level, and brand advocacy in relation to social issues are important considerations for people thinking about relocating for employment.
These social issues include paid family and medical leave, abortion access, racial discrimination, climate change, and gun violence. Furthermore, minorities and higher educated employees are more likely to be influenced by state policies and the way companies respond to these issues when considering relocating or staying with their current organization. This highlights the need for employers to consider state policies and their approach to social issues as a potential threat or opportunity to acquire and retain the best talent.
Report Key Takeaways
Talent Mobility and Relocation Consideration
Per the study, which surveyed 2,208 adults online in February 2023, 73 percent of respondents believe it's important that they understand state-level social policies when considering relocating to a given state, with 33 percent of respondents saying they agree strongly. The consideration is even greater among Black adults and adults with bachelor's degrees, with 81 percent of Black adults and 80 percent of adults with bachelor's degrees expressing a need to understand the social policies of an area before they consider relocating there. Furthermore, nearly 89 percent of respondents who accepted a professional opportunity in the past year that required them to relocate to a different state considered social policies in their decision to move. Conversely, 67 percent of adults who declined the role took social policies into consideration.
Expectations for Companies
More than 37 percent of employed adults say their company's response to social issues has an impact on their decision to stay at their current organization. This feeling is intensified among younger employees with generation Z and millennials being nearly twice as likely as older generations to share this sentiment. Black and Hispanic employees are also more likely to consider their company's response to social issues compared to their white counterpart.
According to the report, 24 percent of Black employees, and 20 percent of Hispanic employees say their company's response to social issues has a major impact on their decision to stay at an organization, compared to 12 percent of white employees. Higher educated employees also appear to be more conscious of their employer's response to social issues with 21 percent of workers with post-graduate degrees saying it has a major impact, compared to 11 percent of employees with bachelor's degrees.
Promoting Social Justice
Employed adults — especially generation Z, millennial, and Black adults — say they would be more likely to work for a company that takes actionable steps to promote social justice both internally and externally. According to the study, only 12 percent of employed adults say they would be less likely to work for a company that promotes social justice internally, through workplace policies and practices, compared to 51 percent who said it would make them more likely. Moreover, working adults are four 51 percent more likely to work for a company that promotes social justice externally, through investments, donations, and advocacy, compared to 9 percent who said it would have the adverse effect.
What Social Issues Employees Are Concerned With
Among the social issues employees feel companies should respond to are paid family and medical leave, racial discrimination, gun violence, climate change, and abortion rights.
Paid Family and Medical Leave
According to the study, 73 percent of employed adults agree that companies should provide workers with paid family and medical leave. Moreover, 71 percent believe that companies should advocate for these programs to be mandated at the federal level. Paid family and medical leave policies are a greater consideration for generation Z and millennials thinking about relocating for work. Sixteen percent of generation Z, and 14 percent of millennials said these programs were the most important consideration when thinking about their decision to move to another state compared to other social issues.
Abortion Rights
According to the study, 48 percent of working adults agree that companies should oppose legislation restricting abortion access. Fifty-four percent also agree that companies should cut back on political donations to elected officials that are working to restrict abortion access. Among adults likely to relocate in the next two years, 48 percent say they're more likely to move to a state that protects abortion rights. This is an especially important consideration for generation Z and females, with 69 percent of generation Z saying it is important that their state have social policies that promote social justice related to abortion rights and 65 percent of women sharing the sentiment. In addition, 61 percent of employed Black adults are more likely to support companies fighting for abortion access, compared to 48 percent of white employees.
Gun Violence
Eighty-two percent of adults say it's important that their state have policies that promote social justice related to gun violence and mass shootings. Sixty-eight percent of working adults believe companies should respond to these issues. Among adults likely to relocate in the next two years, 59 percent say they would be more likely to move to a state with restrictive firearms laws. Black adults are especially influenced by social policies related to gun violence and mass shootings with 87 percent saying it's important to them.
Climate Change
Four-in-five working adults say the incidence of extreme weather events is important when thinking about moving to a different state. According to the study, Blacks (77 percent), and Hispanics (70 percent) feel it's more important that their state has social policies that promote social justice related to climate change than whites (64 percent). Sixty-two percent of respondents said they would be most likely to move to a state with policies to address climate change, and two-thirds say companies should respond to climate change and adopt sustainability practices.
Racial Discrimination
Sixty percent of employed adults believe companies should speak out against events of police brutality and racial injustice. Compared to 67 percent of white adults, 78 percent of Black adults report greater support for companies responding to racial discrimination. Moreover, 70 percent of Black employees also support teaching about the impacts of slavery compared to 48 percent of white employees, and 50 percent feel they should respond to efforts restricting these teachings.
Conclusion
In short, this Morning Consult's 2023 study reflects the need for companies to be more socially conscious. If brands want to foster a younger and more diverse workforce, they need to take action against social issues both internally and externally, and consider the social policies in the states they have offices in.
The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the ANA or imply endorsement from the ANA.
Dominick Fils-Aimé is a manager of editorial and content development at ANA.