hen GE teamed up with mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, in 2006 to float
an enticing challenge to U.S. college students, its motives weren’t completely altruistic.
The challenge to students was if $25,000 in grant money were on the line, could
they develop an environmental project to implement on their own campus?
The contest’s primary goal was to boost GE’s profile among
collegiate consumers, says Steve Canale, manager of recruiting and staffing services.
"But as a byproduct, we were helping to attract and recruit
students," he says. "It definitely helped with the overall image on campus of GE
as an employer."
The contest, called the
Ecomagination
Challenge, fielded more than 100 proposals, later winnowed down to
10
finalists.
Earlier this year, a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology won for
its solar-powered processor. Throughout the contest, a snazzy Web site detailed
its progress. On the lower left-hand side, a discreet link glowed in a moss-green
color, announcing: "Jobs at GE."
In the race to attract the most talented, innovative employees,
some companies like
GE are painting themselves in green—a rich environmental green—to boost their recruiting
leverage. An environmental pedigree, recruiting experts say, can help lure applicants.
In a
2006 Conference Board report, 78 percent of 198 multinational companies surveyed described corporate citizenship,
including good environmental practices, as very or extremely important in recruiting
and retention. And employees are paying attention: One-third reported that they
would prefer to work for an environmentally sensitive company, according to a 2007
Harris Interactive
survey of nearly 2,500 U.S. adults conducted for staffing firm Adecco USA.
Still, so-called green recruiting has only emerged in the
past couple of years, even among companies with ample reason to tout their credentials,
says John Sullivan, a human resources consultant and professor of management at
San Francisco State University’s College of Business. "If you want an advantage
in recruiting, here’s one of them," he says. "At this point, it’s not one that many
companies are using."
Grooming talent
Job applicants themselves are driving this recruiting shift, says Nicholas Eisenberger,
a managing principal at Green Order. The New York-based firm, which consults with
companies on environmental strategy, helped develop the Ecomagination Challenge.
At a law firm, Eisenberger says, it’s not uncommon now for
applicants to ask: Where does that wood paneling come from in the lobby? Paul Richard,
vice president of human resources at Shaw Industries, says younger applicants don’t
mince words, asking: What are you doing for the environment?
Midcareer professionals, those with a spacious office and
title to match, also may be searching for a new job, one with a higher purpose,
says Lisa Walker, a senior client partner at Korn/ Ferry International, the Los
Angeles-based executive recruiting company. Environmental sensitivity is one shorthand
way to assess how a company treats its employees, she says. "It shows that this
company cares for something more than just profits."
Burnishing your green ... credentials
Want to highlight your company’s green credentials? You need to offer potential
employees more than a hybrid car reimbursement, although that’s a good start, Sullivan
says.
Plug environmental successes wherever possible—in job descriptions,
recruiting advertisements and during interviews with applicants, Sullivan says.
Raise your stature as a "green" resource by getting quoted in the press. And maximize
the company Web site, Sullivan says. Don’t just describe your company’s recyclable
products, but also estimate how many pounds they keep out of the landfill.
On its Web site, GE does just that, touting that the company’s
wind turbines "prevent as much as 18.3 million tons of greenhouse gases annually,
an amount roughly equal to keeping over 3 million cars off the road." But there’s
always room for improvement, Canale says. An ongoing redesign of the careers section
will more prominently display such environmental information, he says.
Assessing results
To sell green recruiting to upper management, be sure to track data and measure
results, Sullivan suggests. A good strategy is to survey job prospects, once they
accept a position, to determine whether the company’s environmental record played
a role, he says.
During Shaw’s latest employee survey, conducted in late 2006,
a few environmental questions were added, Richard says. Shaw has a number of environmental
initiatives, including a recycling program projected to keep as much as 300 million
pounds of carpet waste annually out of the landfills.
The employee responses to the survey were overwhelmingly green,
Richard says, revealing a recruiting sweet spot. Of the 2,520 Shaw employees surveyed,
80 percent said they were very or extremely interested in environmental concerns.
Assessing the direct impact of green recruiting isn’t always
easy, GE’s Canale says. During the college challenge, job applications did increase,
he says. But those related to the challenge weren’t tracked separately from other
college recruiting activities.
Canale, however, doesn’t need to be convinced. To his recruiting
list, he’s added at least one member of MIT’s winning team.
Shaw’s Richard says, half-jokingly: "I hope that other companies
don’t catch on too fast, because that will continue to give us a competitive edge."
Workforce Management Online, August 2007 -- Register Now!
= Member Only
