HR must take a more strategic role and lead the push for corporate ethics as
potential staff increasingly look for values-led employers.
George Starcher, secretary general of the European Baha’i Business Forum,
which promotes ethics in 48 different countries, said firms are too slow to
take the ethical message on board, despite a strong business case.
Speaking to the International Business Forum, the former director of
McKinsey consultants said that HR should seize the opportunity to tackle the
issue, which would soon take centre stage as more young workers preferred to
join companies with ethical business practices.
Recent Totaljobs.com research found that 43 per cent of candidates would not
work for a firm that didn’t have ethical and environmental policies – even if
the employer offered £10,000 more than a responsible firm.
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"We read about the Shells, the BPs and the Bodyshops taking the lead,
but there are another 60,000 companies that are not reacting in this way,"
Starcher added.
He said younger employees were causing a paradigm shift in employment as
workers sought self-satisfaction over profit, with value-led companies
attracting better staff.
