September 21, 2012

Corporate Reputation Matters Most: Unemployed Americans Will Not Consider Working for Companies with Tarnished Corporate Images, New Survey Reveals — 75 Percent of Americans Would Choose to Remain Unemployed

Corporate Responsibility (CR) magazine, in conjunction with Allegis Talent2, this week announced the findings of the publication's first corporate reputation survey, which found that 75 percent of Americans would not take a job with a company that had a bad reputation, even if they were unemployed.

In advance of its annual COMMIT!Forum, on October 2-3 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, CR Magazine commissioned a poll of over 1,000 employed and unemployed Americans to gain insights into how both corporate reputation and transparency can impact job decisions.

"The results of the new survey underscore American's desire to align themselves with organizations that do more for society than increase their bottom line. Even during a time when Americans face many fiscal challenges, most people would rather continue their search for employment than work for a company that has questionable business practices or ethics," said Elliot Clark, CEO of Corporate Responsibility magazine, in a news release. "The survey results demonstrate that there is a cost of bad business behavior, which significantly affects the ability to attract and retain people. At the COMMIT!Forum, we bring together companies to explore best practices and examine the costs of bad behavior and the endless opportunities that result from ethical business practices."

The findings also revealed that of the people surveyed that were currently employed, 58 percent would take a job with a company that had a bad reputation if they were offered more money. However, on average, these individuals would only consider the job if it offered to double their current salary.

In contrast, the vast majority, 87 percent, would consider leaving their current jobs if offered another role with a company that had an excellent corporate reputation. In fact, most people would only require a 1-10 percent salary increase to consider such a move.

"A positive corporate reputation is extremely high on the list of must-haves for the American workforce, especially as they examine career paths or future employment opportunities," said Randolph Gulian, executive vice president and general manager of AllegisTalent2, in the release. "Today's chief executives at companies across the globe, regardless of size, continue to put more energy and resources behind the improvement of their corporate responsibility and sustainability programs. More than ever, they understand that these efforts trickle down to sales, save money and improve asset values."