If you still think Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is just about planting trees and handing out tote bags at events, it might be time for a strategic refresh.

As any one of the illustrious media recruitment agencies in London will tell you, recruiting skilled people for your business takes a bit more than just the right salary package and working conditions. In creative, media, sales and tech, the purpose and authenticity of an employer’s brand do influence candidates’ decisions in applying for roles and accepting job offers.

In other words, companies that live out their CSR values tend to be hiring magnets. If CSR principles are important to your clients’ customers, they’re important to the people you want to hire. And if you’re not seeing CSR that way, your competitors probably are.

Let’s pick apart what CSR really means for hiring in creative, digital and media businesses and why it could be the missing piece in your recruitment puzzle.

What Does CSR Actually Involve?

CSR can sound like a broad (and sometimes woolly) concept, but most strategies fall into a few key buckets:

Environmental responsibility

Reducing a company’s carbon footprints, using sustainable tech and supply chains, going plastic-free, switching to green hosting... the list is arguably endless. Basically, showing that you understand the planet isn’t an afterthought. It’s what you need to live.

Ethical responsibility

This includes treating staff fairly, enforcing strong DEI policies, ensuring supplier ethics, and calling time on outdated agency culture (no more unpaid interns making the tea, please).

Philanthropy

Whether it’s supporting charities, offering pro bono work, or getting teams involved in community volunteering, this one shows you give back to your community.

Financial responsibility

Sounds dry, but this involves pay equity, offering fair wages, and investing in people over ping pong tables. This is the ‘walk the talk’ part of the CSR equation that candidates will always be interested in.

In short, CSR is how a company behaves when no one is looking. And in a world of TikTok tirades, Glassdoor reviews, LinkedIn threads and eagle-eyed candidates, we can assure employers that people are always looking!

Why CSR Matters for Media Recruitment

In a 2024 survey of media professionals, 78% felt the industry was making good or excellent progress on ESG policies, a drop from 88% the year before. The dip suggests a growing awareness that delivering on bold sustainability pledges requires deeper transformation than many organisations expected.

Meanwhile, the professionals who are applying for creative, tech and media jobs today are making it clear they want to work for organisations that mirror their values. They’re looking to work for companies that stand for more than making profit and hitting KPIs.

These factors are the weightiest for younger professionals, who are quickly becoming the dominant cohort in today’s workforce. As one survey found, 76% of Gen Z workers rated CSR as “extremely important”, associating it strongly with career growth (80%), corporate values (76%), and flexible work options (70%). What’s more, 70% saw diversity as “extremely significant”, preferring inclusive work environments.

Let’s not forget the Millennials, too (many are now at management level). A British survey found 86% of Millennials would take a pay cut to work at a company whose mission and values align with their own. These are strong indications that organisation can’t afford to overlook CSR or let it slide.

How CSR Supports Talent Strategies

Let’s break down what a strong CSR strategy can do to improve and maintain high quality talent acquisition and HR practices:

Boosts your employer brand

Candidates will search for your company’s name in Google. They’ll scroll through your socials. If your public-facing values don’t match how you operate internally, they’ll know. And they’ll quietly ghost that final interview. On the positive side, practising what you preach about CSR can encourage existing employees to sing your company’s praises, making them brand ambassadors.

Attracts values-driven talent

Whether you’re hiring a digital designer, sales lead or events manager, people want to work for companies that reflect their personal ethics. In fact, a growing chunk of candidates won’t even apply without seeing some evidence of this.

Builds trust early in the hiring process

A company with a clear CSR ethos looks thoughtful, modern and people-centric. All these are major ticks in the eyes of today’s talent.

Why CSR-Aligned Hires Can Reduce Costs

Talent attraction is just one side of the people equation – the other is retention. A strong Corporate Social Responsibility framework does more than attract talent. It builds the foundations for a workforce that sticks around as well. In HR parlance, ‘sticking around’ is known as ‘employee retention’, and it’s highly consequential for any business.

When employees feel genuinely connected to their company’s mission, be it sustainability, social impact, or ethical business practices, their pay check will not be the only factor keeping them there. CSR can engender a stronger sense of loyalty.

There are benefits in the form of workplace culture, too. Shared goals can build stronger internal bonds within teams. Giving teams tangible goals to work toward, like mentoring underrepresented creatives or championing diversity in ad campaigns, can reduce the risks of employees disengaging with their work.

When teams are happy and purpose-driven, staff turnover is more likely to slow down. That means managers aren’t constantly scrambling to fill gaps. In short, CSR can make recruitment cheaper. It’s a classic case of spend smart now, save big later.

Ready to Make CSR Part of Your Hiring Strategy?

Looking to build a purpose-driven team that shares your values? As one of the leading media recruitment agencies in London, we specialise in connecting forward-thinking employers with talent that’s skilled and socially switched on. If you're ready to reach candidates who will embrace your mission, or just want to chat about what “good CSR” looks like in 2025, we’re here to help. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us a message.