We show you how to establish green recruiting in your company, what the difference is to green job recruiters and how to avoid greenwashing.
We show you how to establish green recruiting in your company, what the difference is to green job recruiters and how to avoid greenwashing.
Awareness of climate protection and sustainability is increasing in our society. It is permeating more and more areas of life and is also affecting the choice of employer. Companies can respond to this - with green recruiting. We have put together tips on how you can establish the "green" concept for recruiting staff and avoid greenwashing.
Green recruitment is primarily an employer branding measure designed to convey to candidates the company's commitment to the environment. This is a crucial factor in convincing the growing number of applicants who want to work and live sustainably and who therefore attach great importance to their employer's environmental awareness.
Since employees of all ages are becoming increasingly aware of issues relating to climate protection, companies can score points not only with the younger “Fridays for Future” generation.
Also read: Employer Branding: 11 ideas for a strong employer brand
Green recruiting can be used in any industry, including companies that do not primarily offer sustainable jobs. Such “green jobs” (for which there are also special job boards such as GreenJobs.com or SustainableJobs.de Green jobs (which exist) include activities that directly pursue goals related to environmental protection, for example in the energy sector. Green job recruiters are tasked with filling corresponding positions, while green recruiters are tasked with filling any position in a sustainably operating company.
How can green recruiting be established in the company? We have summarized the most important tips.
71% of applicants would like companies to focus on environmental protection in their Career Page position. This has a study of the “Job Change Compass” of 2021. 51 % would like to see the attitude towards the climate issue also given weight in job advertisements.
The result shows that candidates do not want to spend a long time researching whether their employer is compatible with their ecological mindset. Instead, they expect the employer to take a position of their own accord and make it clear that the issue is important to them and that their employees can, in the best case, contribute to climate protection with their areas of responsibility.
Interviews via Zoom, Teams or Skype can replace face-to-face meetings. The advantage from an ecological point of view: There is no need to travel to and from the appointment, which also eliminates unnecessary CO2 emissions.
Since Corona, virtual job interviews have become more established and are considered normal by many candidates.
According to Bitkom study 12 million tons of CO2 can be saved in the area of work and the economy by 2030 with accelerated digitization. In order to reduce the high consumption of paper and its harmful effects, it makes sense to digitize the application processes as much as possible.
This means: enable applications to be submitted via email or online applicant management tool. Many candidates will probably prefer this anyway, as it is usually quicker and there are no costs for application folders, printouts, paper, envelopes and postage.
The right working environment can also score points with environmentally conscious candidates. This means more than just putting a few plants in the office.
Sustainable offices can be set up using various measures. These include, for example, intelligent lighting systems, concepts for reducing office space to reduce energy consumption, purchasing green electricity, using energy-efficient work equipment or office equipment made from recyclable materials.
Employee benefits increase the attractiveness of the company, but they must be adapted to the green recruiting approach. Employee events and shared lunches are among the previous Corporate Benefits? That's all well and good, but the event should be more of a group hike than a party in a rented party bus, and it might be better to cook lunch together rather than ordering from a fast food restaurant.
There are many possibilities for ecologically sensible benefits. Home office, especially if there are long commutes, regional food in the canteen or free tickets for local public transport are just a few examples.
Authenticity is extremely important in green recruitment. Communicating environmental awareness that is not actually practiced in the company is called greenwashing. Countless well-known companies from IKEA to Nestle to H&M have already been criticized for this. As soon as candidates see through the deception, they abandon the application process and the company's image is massively damaged.
The rule is: only those who are truly leading the fight for climate protection can claim the green label and thus convince applicants.
By making recruitment green, the company's image will improve because candidates and customers are increasingly paying attention to the ecological footprint of companies. But those who only focus on their own (economic) advantages have not understood the climate problem. First and foremost, green recruiting is an ethical decision and another small step to counteract the global environmental catastrophe.
(Cover image source: kiuikson – Shutterstock.com)
