Deloitte survey shows majority of employees consider an organisation’s purpose before choosing to join

• Purpose influenced over a fifth (21%) of respondents when it came to deciding between job offers

• 84% of people said it’s important to work for an employer that provides meaningful work

• 41% say they have left their organisation due to its stated purpose, lack of purpose or another purpose related reason

A Deloitte survey of over 4,000 respondents* found that over half of employees (62%) consider an organisation’s purpose before deciding to join, with over a third (36%) saying that an organisation’s purpose was just as important as their salary and benefits package.

Over a fifth (21%) of respondents stated that purpose had helped them to decide between job offers, indicating that purpose does carry an influence in attracting new talent to an organisation.

The survey found that 84% of respondents valued working somewhere that provided meaningful work. Feeling proud to work for an organisation (83%) also scored highly. Respondents also thought it was important that organisations actively play a role in securing a better future for the next generation (80%).

Payal Vasudeva, partner and consulting people & purpose leader at Deloitte, commented: “In a competitive talent market, employees are more attracted to organisations where they can find purpose in the work they do. Looking at these findings, we can see that organisations need to show genuine commitment to purpose if they want to retain and attract employees.”

Gen Zs and millennials most concerned about purpose
The survey found that over a third (37%) of 16-44 year olds considered an organisation’s purpose before they applied. In comparison, only 21% of 55-64-year-olds and 24% of 65-75-year-olds had considered an organisation’s purpose before they applied.

Over a quarter (29%) of 16–24-year-olds also said they left their organisation as they felt it was ‘not true’ to its purpose and 17% of this group left their organisation as they didn’t feel aligned to its purpose. In comparison only 8% of 55-64-year-olds and 11% of 65-75-year-olds cited not being true to its purpose as the reason they had left their organisation. Only 4% of those aged 55-75 say they had left an organisation because they did not feel aligned to its purpose.

Understanding purpose
While purpose was important for the vast majority of respondents, the survey also revealed that less than half (48%) of employees know a lot about their organisation’s purpose, while 84% say they marginally understand it.

Vasudeva added: “There is an opportunity for organisations to do more when it comes to investing in how they will attract, develop and motivate their employees.

“Employers can help people understand and live their company’s purpose by going beyond lip service and properly embedding purpose into every aspect of the organisation – from strategy and decision making, culture and behaviour, to brand, products and stakeholder relationships.”

Inconsistency leads to employee resignations
47% of respondents said they have left an organisation due to purpose-related reasons, such as an organisation being inconsistent in its purpose and not providing a supportive workplace culture. Employees want work with meaning that makes a difference.

Vasudeva concluded: “Employees need to see purpose reflected in their day-to-day work. When they work for an organisation that they know is effectively practising what it preaches, it drives them to work harder and smarter.”

Ends

Notes to editors

Methodology
* Deloitte’s Power of Purpose survey sampled over 4,145 employees within the UK across different sectors and industries in June 2022. The survey was carried out online.

The overall aim of the research is to learn more about the gap between an organisation’s purpose and how purpose is integrated into employee’s experiences. This survey's sample demographic consisted of employed adults aged 16 to 75 living in the UK - respondents were divided in the criteria of age, gender and social grade.

When the term ‘purpose’ is mentioned, Deloitte’s definition is: “An organisation’s explicit drive to create value beyond profit, specifically for our planet and the people on it.”
 

About Deloitte
In this press release references to Deloitte are references to Deloitte LLP, which is among the country's leading professional services firms.

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The information contained in this press release is correct at the time of going to press.

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