"I have never seen anything equal to sustainability as far as attracting, motivating, and bring people together."  - Ray C. Anderson, Founder and Chairman of Interface in AmericanWay Magazine, October 1, 2007

As the baby boomers retire, the US labor market is expected to tighten, as the new generation of workers is simply much smaller than the one it is replacing.  Indeed, by 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting a shortfall of 10MM workers in the US.   In such a tight labor market, employers will have to pull out all stops to continue to attract top talent.  One way employers are learning to differentiate is to market their companies to employees and prospects as green.

Indeed, green may be a powerful recruitment and retention tool.  According to an recent Ipsos Mori survey, 80% of respondents across 15 developed nations would prefer working for a company that "has a good reputation for environmental responsibility" - the figure was 81% in the US. 

Most interestingly, it appears that more respondents - across all countries surveyed - were more concerned about working for an environmentally responsible company than purchasing from one.  One potential reason: "employees feel a significant sense of responsibility and association with their employer's actions concerning the environment."

Preference for an Environmentally Responsible Company

Data from "Corporate Environmental Behavior and the Impact on Brands", Tangberg and Ipsos MORI survey, October 2007; n = 16,823; Green employment preference: % of respondents that agreed with the following statement: "I would prefer to work for a company that has a good reputation for environmental responsibility"; Green purchase preference: % of respondents that agreed with the following statement: "I would be more likely to purchase products of services from a company with a good reputation for environmental responsibility"

The study points out that German (and perhaps Japanese) workers have a seemingly low preference for working for an environmentally responsible company.  This may be a bit deceiving, however, as green may not be a differentiator in markets where strict environmental regulations are simply a threshold to compete.