ONLY 20% of workers believe the majority of UK businesses act responsibly, according to research published this week by Ricoh, the global IT company.
Conducted by YouGov, the research found that employees say they value company culture over money. Over half (51%) said they ranked the creation of a positive working culture with good colleagues above the need for regular pay rises (35%).
The responses indicated that values are more important than profits with 29% of workers saying that profitability is important while 43% believe firms should choose their customers and partners based on ethical principles, and 57% that businesses should reduce environmental impact as much as possible.
Over three quarters (77%) of workers believe that businesses must also treat employees well, and pay the right amount of tax (76%) to be considered a responsible business.
The survey of 1,226 workers also found that 52% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from companies that act in a responsible way, even when compared with cheaper competitors.
