CSR Communication and its influence on employer attractiveness : Do millennials swipe right for German companie’s CSR Communication?

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is increasingly linked to enhance employer attractiveness (EA) when communicated correctly and to positively influence job pursuit intentions. However, a research gap has been identified concerning if the communicated CSR of companies matches the CSR expectations of the labour market. Therefore, research was conducted to investigate how companies communicate their CSR on the one hand, and on the other what the labour market expects from companies in terms of CSR in order to be perceived as an attractive employer. Hereby, the focus was on the millennial generation in Germany as they are a major part of Germany’s current labour force, and to identify unanimities or discrepancies between them and German companies. Based on a review of existing literature, CSR was categorised into five different dimensions: workplace economic-, legal-, ethical-, philanthropic-, and environmental responsibilities. These dimensions were applied to a quantitative online survey questioning German millennials, as well as a quantitative content analysis that investigated 20 German companies’ home- and career webpages. A confrontation and comparison of results showed that overall all five CSR dimensions significantly influence perceived EA, but that there is only a match for workplace economic responsibility among the communicated and expected CSR, whereas the other four CSR dimensions reveal discrepancies. Based on the outcomes of this study, it is recommended that companies expand and align their CSR communication on their websites to increase their EA and competitive advantage. Further qualitative research is needed to identify possible industry biased CSR categories and the frequency of CSR communication on corporate websites. Lastly, research should look deeper into millennials’ understanding of communicated CSR concepts.