Forbes: advance ESG and DEI to increase engagement.

When the pandemic transformed the labor market, the social contract between employer and employee shifted: Today’s workplace is employee-centric. As a result, companies are making employee engagement and well-being top priorities through remote work, coaching and other perks. 

But people still want and expect more from their employers. According to Rebecca Henderson’s recent article in Forbes, in 2021, “U.S. employee engagement fell for the first time in a decade … with just one-third feeling invested in their work, and 16% declaring they were actively disengaged.”

Employees also want a more meaningful workplace. “Workers – and society in general – believe employers can create meaning and impact in the workplace.” As companies focus on workforce satisfaction, the environmental, social and government (ESG) movement is rapidly expanding at global enterprises. 

ESG encompasses efforts to drive societal impact, environmental sustainability and inclusive growth through diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). But ESG expands beyond the workplace. Investors are telling organizations to pay more attention, and ESG assets are expected to grow from $35 trillion to $50 trillion by 2025, according to Bloomberg Investments. 

So how do companies advance inclusive and sustainable ESG efforts and improve engagement? Increasing commitment to DEI is one way. Data from the Randstad Workmonitor Report shows that nearly half (49%) of respondents aged 18 to 24, and 41% of all respondents, wouldn’t take a job with a company that isn’t actively improving DEI. 

Learn more about advancing ESG efforts to increase employee engagement in Forbes, then get your copy of Randstad’s Workmonitor Report here.