3 THEY HAVE A CLEAR PURPOSE AND VALUES

In a world of political instability and economic uncertainty, working for a company with a clear purpose and values that serve the greater good in society has become more of a priority for today’s employees, particularly those from younger generations. Pharmaceutical company Roche often tops polls of great places to work and, according to head of recruitment Andrew Armes, the company has always put purpose before profits but is now “articulating” this philosophy more to attract and retain the best marketers: “We’ve always believed in doing great work in the service of wider society. And believing that if Roche does great work, then the commercial element will follow. People were always interested in it [a sense of purpose] but, in the literature of employee engagement and careers, it wasn’t articulated as

clearly or succinctly as now. Younger generations, particularly, want to make sure that, if they’re applying their brilliance and bringing their whole selves to work, they are in the service of something bigger than themselves.”

Barry agrees that “today’s marketers are purpose-driven and looking for qualities in an employer that have more to do with core values than with perks”. He speculates that the reason J&J featured in the top ten companies that millennials most want to work for, in a survey by Yougov last year, is largely because of its “clear purpose which resonates with employees’ own values” and the fact that it’s “a corporate brand they can take pride in being part of”.