The research findings, published yesterday (20 January), also revealed that 12% of employees believe that their business acts in a way that is not aligned with how it promotes itself.
In order to build trust around ESG promises, HR professionals should promote transparency and communication, Tom Lakin, global practice director at future of work advisory Robert Walters told HR magazine.
“The primary rule for ethical and impactful ESG promises is to avoid opaque or generic statements,” he said. “Almost all meaningful ESG commitments are measurable – be it carbon emissions or executive pay or compliance – so setting clear targets and communicating transparently is essential.”
Read more: For real ESG change, we must empower employees
Lakin added that employers should communicate, even when progress has been below target.
“It’s also important to remember that meaningful targets can sometimes be difficult to achieve, and so it’s essential to flag when targets have not been met and detail the interventions and approaches underway to ensure they are met in the future,” he said.
Half of the workforce (48%) think ESG is important, rising to 54% among workers aged 18 to 34.
A third (32%) would leave their job if their employer’s commitment to environmental, social and ethical principles were not aligned with their own. This number rises to 43% of 18-to-34-year-olds.
Meanwhile, 19% of workers strongly agree that they would like their business to focus more on making a positive ESG impact, with more than half (54%) of those aged 18 to 34 stating they agree, compared to only one in three (34%) of workers aged over 55.
Read more: ESG removed from UK Corporate Governance Code
ESG credentials are important for employer branding, said Lakin: “In-demand talent, often those with higher levels of education and living in major cities, are even more likely than average to prioritise ESG, which provides a compelling rationale for HR leaders to invest in their employee sustainability proposition”.
Creating a sustainable business would particularly help attract younger generations, Scott Lane, founder and CEO of ESG and sustainability reporting company Speeki, told HR magazine.
He said: “We’re seeing a preference for green businesses among Gen Z. Given this generation is the future of the workforce, this is going to become an increasingly important issue for HR departments over the coming years.
"HR leaders can drive change. They can drive the behavioural adaptations that are needed to steer an employee base towards a more sustainable future.”
Opinium surveyed 2,000 UK adults aged over 18 between 15 and 19 November 2024. Results have been weighted to be nationally representative.