Undergraduates look for positive CSR policies

Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) is now a crucial factor for undergraduates when
they consider potential employers, according to the latest research.

A
survey, by graduate recruitment firm Flag, found that students regarded
positive CSR polices as just as important as a good financial package when
looking for work.

The
poll of 100 undergraduates found that 20 per cent would not work for an
employer perceived as unethical, 12 per cent would not consider a
discriminatory company and 26 per cent would not work for a firm with poor
work-life balance.

Alison
Heron, director of graduate communications at Flag, said that companies making
CSR mistakes are often tainted for years in the minds of graduates: "Many
of the students we talked to were passionate about the need for employers to
act responsibly on environmental issues, diversity and health and safety.

"Undergraduates
have long memories and a company’s unattractive behaviour becomes like folklore
– passed from one generation of students to the next."

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Reasons
cited for joining an employer included: an attractive culture (19 per cent)
demonstrating CSR (15 per cent) and good work-life balance (9 per cent).

By Quentin Reade