Polish typical workplace employees rate their employers’ ESG efforts over 10 percentage points worse than their European counterparts. This applies to both environmental and social issues, as well as governance. These are the findings from a global survey of typical workplaces conducted by Great Place To Work®. At the same time, interest in sustainable development is also growing in Poland. Polish employers must not only intensify their ESG efforts but perhaps also analyze the reasons for such a low assessment of their endeavors.
ESG non-financial reporting regulations will soon cover almost all companies. The results of these reports will have a significant impact on the market situation of organizations: from access to capital, through competitive position, to retaining talented employees and customer loyalty. Meanwhile, it seems that many Polish companies still have a lot to do in terms of ESG.
Earn the trust of their employees
Great Place To Work® conducted a global survey in May 2024, which covered over 26,000 typical workplace employees in Europe alone, including Poland. How does a Polish typical workplace employee differ from his European peers? Above all, he is much more skeptical and distrustful towards his employer. When asked about the degree of trust in decisions made by superiors, 70 percent of European employees rated it as great and very great. In Poland, only 53 percent were willing to trust their employer to the same degree. Therefore, it is no surprise that the evaluation of the fairness and ethics of business actions taken by the company in Poland was worse compared to Europe. While 60 percent of European employees are convinced of the company’s fairness and adherence to business ethics principles, in Poland only 47 percent think so. A critical evaluation of the company in terms of overall trust in it and belief in adherence to the highest ethical standards in business may be the key to understanding why ESG actions are also more critically evaluated in Poland by employees.
Sustainable development is not just a green transformation
Sustainable development criteria in the ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) approach are not only focused on ecology, as environmental issues are just one of the three pillars of this concept. However, typical workplace employees in Europe showed the greatest skepticism towards their companies’ efforts to protect the environment: only 43 percent of European respondents were willing to agree that their organization, when making business decisions, considers their impact on the environment. Among Polish employees, this percentage was even lower, as only 36 percent declared so. It is possible that this is a consequence of many companies abusing the green message, especially when it is not reflected in actual pro-ecological actions.
In the Great Place To Work® survey. typical workplace employees were also asked about social issues, which are strongly emphasized in the ESG concept as a necessary element of a company’s sustainable development. The statement that the company’s business decisions have a significantly positive impact on society was agreed with by 50 percent of employees in Europe. As for the opinions of Polish employees, they showed greater reserve, as only 38 percent agreed with such a statement. Votes were similarly distributed when asked about the significantly positive impact of the company’s actions on human well-being. While in Europe 50 percent of employees agree with such a statement, in Poland there are only 36 percent.
ESG is no longer a trend, but a matter of credibility for a modern organization
Responsibility for the environment, respect for human rights, and equality in treating other people are gaining more importance in the private lives of many people who not only expect that employers will share these values, but also want their decisions to have a real impact on the environment. According to the latest SEC Newgate ESG Monitor report<[1]>, sustainable development issues are important to over 60 percent of Poles, and nearly 75 percent expect companies to take actions that have a positive impact on the environment.
Increasingly, the management team also realizes that considering all ESG areas in management is essential, even if the company is not yet directly covered by the upcoming reporting regulations. The challenge for employers will be not only to develop solutions focusing on social and labor relations covering aspects such as: working conditions and safety, diversity, inclusion policy and equal treatment, transparency, ethics, or the application of corporate governance principles. With such a high degree of distrust from employees, the most important thing will be to convince them that the company’s proclaimed vision and strategy is reflected in everyday reality. At the moment, only 43 percent of typical workplace employees in Poland are willing to recommend their workplace to friends, and 25 percent have categorically stated that they will start actively looking for a new job this year.
<[1]> SEC Newgate ESG Monitor: https://secnewgate.com/esg-monitor/reports/poland-report-2023/.
Source: https://managerplus.pl/blisko-polowa-pracownikow-w-polsce-nie-ufa-decyzjom-podejmowanym-przez-przelozonych-84450
