Faculty 5: University Award for the Best Master Thesis 2021

Increasingly, companies are legally or socially committed to corporate environmental responsibility (CER) to address prevailing environmental problems. A research deficit is the study of the influence of CER on employer attractiveness and its components.

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of socio-demographic characteristics (gender and age) on environmental and sustainability awareness and employer attractiveness in relation to CER. To this end, a quantitative and empirical survey was conducted using a standardized online questionnaire. A sample size of 287 data sets with participants from Germany was collected using the snowball method and analyzed through statistical evaluations.

The results of the study indicate a significant positive correlation between environmental and sustainability awareness and increasing employer attractiveness by CER. It was shown that women have a higher environmental and sustainability awareness than men and consider all variables related to environmental responsibility as more important. The same situation is reflected in employer attractiveness by CER. Males rate the factors salary and opportunities higher than females. When looking at age (broken down by generation), significant differences between generations can be seen. In order to increase employer attractiveness in times of a shortage of skilled workers and a statutory quota for women in management positions, concrete recommendations can be made for improving employer branding. The study provides important insights at the individual level for attracting and retaining the most qualified employees for a company.