Employees who are satisfied with their employer's concern for the environment are more likely to take pride in their jobs -- a key factor in increasing the engagement of workers, according to research by Sirota Survey Intelligence.
However, the level of employees' satisfaction with their employers' environmental policies decreases further down the organizational ladder, with senior-level executives the most satisfied, hourly employees the least favorable and middle managers' views falling in between, according to the survey.
Key findings are as follows:
-- 82% of employees who are satisfied with their organization's concern for the environment said they are proud to work for their employers
-- Only 55% of employees who view their employer's environmental positions unfavorably express pride in working for their organizations.
-- 93% of senior-level executives are satisfied with their employers' environmental concern, while 85% of middle managers and 70% of hourly workers look favorably toward their employers' environmental policies
"An organization's environmental efforts originate at the top, and senior-level management's participation is vital to achieving success," said Douglas Klein, president of Sirota Survey Intelligence. "Lower-level employees may not be as involved in planning, or in carrying out, these endeavors -- or even know about them -- because they haven't been effectively communicated to all organizational levels."
Environmentally-friendly policies are considered a key component of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Other research by Sirota Survey Intelligence showed that employees who are satisfied with their company's commitment to social responsibility have high levels of employee engagement, and positive views about their employer's competitiveness, integrity and interest in their well-being.
Of those who are satisfied with their employer's CSR commitment:
- 86% have high levels of engagement
- 82% feel their organization is highly competitive in the marketplace
- 75% feel their employer is interested in their well-being
- 71% rate senior management as having high integrity
