What is ‘Green-Quitting’ and How Can Employers Avoid It?

Hot on the heels of other trending employment terms such as ‘The Great Resignation’ and ‘quiet-quitting’, ‘green-quitting’, or ‘climate-quitting’ are the latest buzz-words doing the rounds across LinkedIn and employment news outlets. With data released by KMPG earlier this year showing that a third of young people have rejected a job offer due to weak ESG (Environment, Social & Governance) credentials, the term is one for employers to take note of, with a disregard for this shift in priority for workers having potentially significant repercussions.

KPMG’s statistics (taken from a survey of 6000 workers) show that prioritising a company’s ESG status is a particularly high priority for the Gen Z workforce, who are undeniably the generation who will see the greatest impact of today’s actions. The survey does, however, show that the ethics of a company have influence on the employment choices of nearly half of all UK office workers.

This contingent are looking to work with, and for, organisations who are vocal about their commitments to the environment and the community, and will have no qualms about rejecting a job offer, or leaving a business if the values, or lack thereof, do not align with their own.

How can you avoid ‘green-quitting’ in your organisation?

It’s not always an easy feat to implement major change within an organisation, but by committing to clear and tangible actions and implementing sustainable employment benefits, employers will set themselves up to combat the ‘green-quitting’ movement, recruiting and retaining vital talent to enable their business to continue to thrive.

Assess how you can authentically embed sustainability and transparency into your company culture and brand values
From the out-set, share this sustainability strategy within your interview process to ensure this aligns with factors important to your potential employee
For existing employees, consider how flexible and remote working can reduce the impact commuting has on the environment
Where employees are travelling into an office location, think about how the organisation can empower them to make positive travel choices, for example, by implement the Cycle to Work Scheme or support with public transport costs
Drive involvement with social causes which directly align with your sustainability strategy
Encourage the use of more sustainable products within your organisation such as reusable coffee cups or water bottles
Implement more eco-friendly technology within your working environment such as motion-sensor lighting

Have you seen the impact of ‘green-quitting’ within your business or hiring process? We'd love to hear about your experiences!