Yahoo Finance One in 10 Brits considering switching jobs to 'go green'
Just over one in 10 Brits have considered leaving their job due to concerns about its environmental impact, a study suggests.
A survey of 1,864 people by Perkbox Insights found the majority of UK adults experience “green guilt” – the feeling that they could, and should, be doing more to help the planet. And this guilt strikes most commonly at work, with 61% of adults feeling guilty for the environmental impact of job or the industry they work in.
Because of this, over one in 10 (12%) Brits have considered changing their jobs due to the effects that their work has on the environment.
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Almost a quarter (23%) of employed adults said their workplace doesn’t focus on acting sustainably, and 83% admitted they, themselves, act more sustainably at home than they do at work.
When asked why this is, one in 10 said their “colleagues don’t act sustainably so it doesn’t feel worthwhile” – showing that Brits might be a little too easily swayed when it comes to their environmental efforts.
Meanwhile, 14% feel it’s hard to make a difference as their company doesn’t ask for feedback. A third said they simply don’t have the means to be as environmentally friendly as they would like to at work.
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On an industry level, the retail, catering and leisure industries are most likely to cause their employees to experience green guilt. Four in five of those who work in these industries feel guilty about the impact their work is having on the environment.
The number of people who have considered changing their job due to its environmental impact jumps to over one in five in these industries. This is followed by 18% who work in the travel and transport industry.
In contrast, a quarter of Brits don’t experience any feelings of guilt, as their work tries to minimise its environmental effects, while just 6% said that they work in a sustainable industry.
