Well-being at work, diversity or even parity, when we look for a company in which we know we will feel good, certain criteria are more important to us than others.
For 3 years, Universum, a research firm specializing in recruitment, has been interviewing students and young graduates from major schools and universities (in bac+5) to better understand their perception of CSR, their expectations in relation to company commitments, the importance they give to these promises when looking for a job as well as the names of the employers perceived as the most committed.
Here are the main lessons.
The 5 most important criteria in terms of CSR
When applying to an employer, students and recent bac+5 graduates are primarily interested in commitments that will directly impact them, namely social commitments (safety and well-being, equal treatment, respect, etc.) because this will concretely influence their daily lives once in the company.
Well-being at work:
the company guarantees the physical and psychological safety of staff
Diversity:
the company is truly respectful of people, regardless of their culture, origin or sexual orientation
Parity:
Commits to equal pay and career opportunities between men and women
Ethics:
Committed to ethical economic practices (Taxation, fight against corruption, transparency of economic processes, anti-competitive practices, etc.)
Quality
: ensures the safety and quality of its products/services.
Two of the five economic criteria also appear in the top 5 priority commitments in the eyes of the candidates: the commitment of companies to ethical economic practices and the safety of their products and services gains respectively 4 and 6 ranks.
Also read: In business or engineering schools, 60% of students think that men and women do not have exactly the same professional skills
Conversely, four of the five environmental criteria lose a large number of places: the criteria Commits to waste management and promotes recycling (-8 ranks) and Seeks to transform its model to limit its impact on the planet (-4 ranks) thus recorded the largest declines this year.
Companies' commitment to the environment ultimately becomes rather secondary for a candidate when applying: this item has in fact lost 10 percentage points this year.
We can therefore be a citizen committed to the climate but a more down-to-earth candidate who puts his own interests first.
The 20 companies perceived as the most committed to CSR
No change in the top 3 compared to last year: Decathlon, Blablacar and Carrefour remain the employers perceived as being the most committed.
ArcelorMittal (33rd) and Eurofins (41st) recorded the strongest progress (respectively, +8 and 7 ranks).
Decathlon
BlaBlaCar
Carrfour
EDF
AIRBUS
Agricultural credit
BNP Paribas
Air France KLM
Doctolib
SNCF
ENGIE
Danone
Bouygues
L'Oreal
AXA
ORANGE
TOTALENERGIES
VEOLIA
Nestle
Accor
In 2023, Decathlon remains the employer that candidates consider to be the most committed to CSR in France.
With its site dedicated to its commitments (engagements.decathlon.fr), the mass distribution company clearly displays the objectives of its “2020-2026 transition plan” around the three main pillars: developing people, preserving nature and create lasting value.
BlaBlaCar, whose very activity is synonymous with commitment to preserving the environment, retains 2nd place in this Index with strong sympathy for this young innovative brand.
Also read: Employment: is it better to look for an impact box or have impact in a box?
The credibility of companies in terms of CSR is increasing from year to year: 41% of respondents now think that employers are truly committed (versus 28% in 2021).
Note, however, that women are a little more skeptical than men since only 34% believe in this commitment (compared to 48% for men).
Finally, 39% of students and recent graduates say they would decline a job offer if the company does not commit to these CSR issues, i.e. 12% more than last year.