The Netherlands

Abstract

This chapter explores how attractive features of corporate social responsibility (CSR) are to a generation of prospective employees in the Netherlands. As one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with a fifth of the country reclaimed from the sea, sustainability as a way of life is core to the Dutch psyche. It is also one of the best countries in the world to do business, with strong labour rights and social equality to balance the capitalistic agenda. Within this context, the Dutch government actively supports and encourages businesses to embrace responsible practices, which has resulted in the Netherlands achieving the second highest EU score for corporate sustainability reporting practices. The findings of this survey of 74 undergraduate students highlight that less than half of these students had taken a course on CSR and volunteering was not a dominant feature of their school activities. These future employees highly value workplace characteristics such as work atmosphere and personal career opportunities in comparison to other employer characteristics (such as employee responsibility, ethics and governance, company and socio-ecological responsibility, in that order) and rate workplace characteristics higher than the global average. For this sample, socio-ecological responsibility concerns were most lowly rated and in comparison to the global picture, the average score for socio-ecological responsibility was the lowest of all five work dimensions. Overall, future Dutch job seekers value a good work environment, opportunities for career advancement, a commensurate salary and employee-friendly policies.