A resounding majority of Americans may believe that corporations have responsibilities to their communities, but this doesn't mean that they are too fussy about an organization's social responsibility activities when it comes to evaluating job offers.
According to a survey by recruitment company Hudson, although fully three-quarters of U.S. workers view a companies attitude towards the wider community as important, a resounding seven out of 10 don't consider a prospective employer's corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs to be important when it comes to deciding whether or not to work for them.
In fact, fewer than one in 10 – just seven percent - of the 2,000 people polled claimed that they have ever rejected an offer based on the lack of a company's CSR program.
Nevertheless, while employees may not base their job decisions on CSR programs, almost half (46 percent) still believe it is important for organizations to have such initiatives in place.
Furthermore, they also seems to appreciate opportunities to invest in the community when they are given the chance. Among the 46 percent of workers who work for an organization with a CSR program, nearly two-thirds participate.
"While the ROI of a CSR initiative is tough to determine, employees expect their employers to give back to the community and value the opportunity to be a part of that," said Peg Buchenroth, senior vice president, human resources, Hudson.
"In addition, participating in a charitable activity not only builds strong team dynamics but also makes an individual feel like he or she is helping the organization give back to society."
Other research has suggested that employees who are satisfied with their organisation's CSR record are likely to be more positive, more engaged and more productive than those working for less responsible employers.
A strong commitment to CSR has an impact on a wide range of employee attitudes, according to work carried out by Sirota Survey Intelligence, fostering positive views about their employer in key areas such as its sense of direction, competitiveness, integrity and interest in their well-being.