Glassdoor Survey Finds Four In Five Americans Believe Employers Have An Important Voice In Politics And Society

MILL VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Employees want companies to take a stand on important political and social issues, according to a new survey conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Glassdoor, one of the world's largest and fastest growing job sites. Nearly four in five (84 percent) U.S. workers¹ believe companies have an important voice in proposed legislation, regulation and executive orders that could affect the employer's business or the lives of employees. With a highly charged political climate, the Glassdoor survey reveals employee expectations and preferences around employer engagement on timely political and social issues.

Younger workers are most passionate about employer commitment to hot button topics: 75 percent of those ages 18-34 expect their employer to take a stand on important issues affecting the country and their constitutional rights, including immigration, equal rights and climate change, more than any other age group: 67 percent ages 35-44 and 49 percent age 45 or older. In turn, the data suggests that employers who pay attention to taking a stand on such issues may have a recruiting advantage.

"Today's informed candidates want to work for companies that are actively engaged on topics that directly impact their lives and align with their beliefs. The question is how and when employers should approach hot-button topics without damaging their employer brand or recruiting success," said Dawn Lyon, Glassdoor chief reputation officer and senior vice president of global corporate affairs. "Employers should know that taking action is not a one-size-fits-all model. When determining how and when to engage on timely issues, it is important for employers to keep the company's mission and core values top of mind to guide decisions. The big takeaway for employers is that today's candidates, especially younger job seekers, want to work at companies that take a stand and take action."

Immigrant Workers Critical to Business Success; More Men Agree than Women
The Glassdoor survey also finds that more than half of employees and job seekers (58 percent) believe legal immigrant workers at their company are critical to the overall success of their business. Interestingly, more men (63 percent) than women (54 percent) feel this way. Across the nation, employees in the West (66 percent) feel this way more than those in the South (54 percent), Midwest (55 percent) and Northeast (61 percent).

Community and Volunteer Opportunities Matter, Especially to Millennials
Giving back is also important to employees these days. Three-quarters (75 percent) of U.S. workers expect their employer to support groups and individuals in need in their respective communities, either through donations and/or volunteer efforts. This is much more important to younger workers, as 81 percent of those ages 18-34 expect this from their employer, more than any other age group: 76 percent ages 35-44, 68 percent ages 45-54, 73 percent ages 55-64 and 66 percent age 65 or older.

In addition, volunteering for social causes is no longer limited to outside of working hours, as half of workers (51 percent) expect their employer to allow employees to use work time and resources to advocate for positive social change, regardless of political affiliation. Consistent with other age group trends within the survey's findings, younger workers expect this more  (ages 18-34; 72%) than any other age group: 56 percent ages 35-44, 37 percent ages 45-64 and 26 percent age 65 or older.

Currently, many employers across the country are finding ways to give back to their communities that align with their mission and values. For instance, at Glassdoor, employees receive three paid days off each year to support nonprofit organizations of their choice, and they are given five job postings per year to donate to a nonprofit of their choosing. Both employee benefits are part of Glassdoor's commitment to the Pledge 1% movement and align with Glassdoor's mission to help people find a job and company they love.

More Data + Images + Interviews
For more data, including breakouts of survey results by age, gender and location, to request data images, and/or to speak with a Glassdoor spokesperson, please contact: [email protected].

¹ U.S. workers refers to adults who are either employed or unemployed but looking for a job

Methodology
Survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Glassdoor from March 30 - April 3, 2017 among 1,329 U.S. workers (who are employed or unemployed but looking) ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].

About Glassdoor
Glassdoor is one of the largest and fastest growing job sites in the world today. Set apart by the tens of millions of reviews and insights provided by employees and candidates, Glassdoor combines all the jobs with this valuable data to make it easy for people to find a job that is uniquely right for them. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like job advertising and employer branding products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for approximately 700,000 companies in more than 190 countries. For labor market trends and analysis, visit Glassdoor Economic Research. For company news and career advice and tips, visit the Glassdoor Blog and for employer-related news and insights to help employers hire, visit the Glassdoor for Employers Blog. Visit Glassdoor.com or download our apps on iOS and Android platforms.

"Glassdoor" and logo are proprietary trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc.

SOURCE Glassdoor

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