More than half of employees would like their company to invest in more sustainable benefits such as electric vehicles and sustainable pensions, a survey has revealed.
The research from Zest, an employee benefits technology company, found that 53% of employees are keen to see more planet-friendly benefits on offer. This rises to 66% for workers between the ages of 18 and 34.
More than four in ten (44%) businesses said there had been an increase in the number of employees asking for sustainable benefits, and 53% said they had noticed an increase in the employees who care about sustainability over the last year.
Zest’s research also found that 51% of employees would like their employer to invest more in sustainability. This rises to 61% for younger workers.
Sustainable benefits
A third of workers between the ages of 18 and 34 think their employer does not care about sustainability. Furthermore, two in five workers (42%) aged 18-34 believe that poor sustainability initiatives have a detrimental impact on their morale at work.
Matt Russell, CEO of Zest, said that many businesses have been forced to put sustainability initiatives on hold because they face other financial pressures.
This echoes a survey last year that found fewer than half of companies have targets for sustainable business travel.
He said: “While many businesses will be focused on scope 1 and 2 emissions [direct emissions that come from the company and some outside their control], a key area that can be overlooked in sustainability is benefits packages, for example electric vehicle schemes or sustainable pension funds.
“Not only will a greater focus on this better meet individual needs, improving overall employee proposition and the ability to attract and retain talent, but crucially it will assist with the UK’s broader journey to net zero.”
Zest also found that only 29% of employees feel their company’s benefit plan currently meets their needs, and 39% would like their employer to invest more in its benefits platform to increase accessibility.
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