A passionate HR Executive with over 25 years of experience, Claudine currently leads the people team at Enova.
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Some companies are mission-driven, others are values-driven and some focus solely on financial success. However, matching their personal motivations with their company culture is increasingly important among employees. It often means looking at a company's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) approach to understand how diversity and belonging are encouraged. While many companies claim to have implemented DEI strategies, not all have succeeded. In the post-pandemic era, employees are more aware of their values and lifestyles and seek organizations whose culture aligns with them.
According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, salaries are no longer the main draw for prospective employees—they're looking for discernible plans and processes around diversity, the environment and healthcare. These employees have been dubbed "belief-driven" employees. In fact, 61% of surveyed employees in seven countries left their jobs and avoided or chose certain organizations based on the employer's beliefs and values. This statistic is not just a wake-up call but a clear indicator of the evolving expectations employees have from their workplaces.
So what does this mean for organizations striving to attract and retain talent in this new era? The answer lies in looking beyond traditional benefits and pay scales. While competitive salaries and a commitment to social issues are important, creating a supportive workplace culture is key to employee satisfaction and retention.
The Importance Of Impact
One of the significant ways organizations can connect with employees and their beliefs is by paying attention to the company's impact on people and the community. Investors sometimes also track these efforts through environmental, social and governance (ESG) reports. Most importantly, belief-driven employees look for companies with clearly stated values that they act on.
Employees expect to see leaders living those values as they consider the impact of their operations on the environment; their relationships with employees, suppliers and customers; and how they handle their internal governance and leadership. Belief-driven employees seek companies whose values align with their own values and that demonstrate tangible, equitable actions and improvements over time.
Cultivating Belonging In A Corporate Culture
Providing a strong and positive corporate culture takes focus and effort. Companies must deliver competitive salaries and benefits to attract top talent, but more than that, they must provide a culture that encourages engagement and productivity. It is not only desirable but also essential.
It's not enough to offer high salaries to attract the best talent. Organizations must provide an environment where employees can learn, grow and feel valued to retain that talent. Without these opportunities, employees can become disengaged and stagnant, leading them to seek more fulfilling opportunities elsewhere. There has been a shift from work-life balance to life-work balance, resulting in employees and company leadership doing more to ensure that people feel a sense of belonging in the workplace, whether working together in an office or across remote work locations.
The Edelman Trust Barometer further underscores this trend, showing that employees have left jobs due to misalignment with their values and pursuing a better lifestyle fit. This finding challenges organizations to rethink their strategies and corporate philosophies to create a culture that attracts and retains talented employees.
Embracing Change For Future Success
Many changes have happened to how work gets done over the past few decades, driven mainly by technology advancements. Still, coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been many socially driven changes.
Having belief-driven employees who can choose where they want to work and ESG tracking and reporting on companies are part of the changes employers must embrace and adapt to if they hope to be recognized as great places to work. Most people-team leaders bring essential knowledge and passion to building a company culture that welcomes employees with different needs and values while encouraging the productivity and performance shareholders demand. Those who can successfully achieve this can attract top talent and set new corporate excellence and social responsibility standards.
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