Why vegan inclusion? 01. Hire great people and make them want to stay

Young people are increasingly likely to be vegan compared to previous generations, and they are also more likely to leave a job if they feel their values don’t align with their employer’s. Don’t give them a reason to leave over something simple to rectify. It could just be a matter of putting a carton of oat milk in the fridge.

As the workforce is increasingly dominated by Millennials and Gen Zs, employers need to adapt to meet evolving expectations. These groups in particular want their employer’s values to be aligned with their own, and they are prepared to leave their job or refuse work if they don’t.

Deloitte’s 12th annual Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey in 2023 found that almost 4 in 10 respondents (44% of Gen Zs and 37% of Millennials) have rejected work assignments due to ethical concerns, and more than a third (39% of Gen Zs and 34% of Millennials) have turned down employers that don’t align with their values. A 2023 LinkedIn survey found that 87% of Gen Z respondents would leave their current job for one at a company whose values were more closely aligned with their own.

Veganism is one example of a value system that is increasingly important to Millennials and Gen Zs (as well as other generations). Research conducted in 2024 shows that 8% of Millennials and Gen Zs are vegan and 26% and 22% respectively are meat-free, which represents a significant proportion of your young workforce. The same research indicates that this number will continue to increase, with a further 26% and 17% respectively intending to go meat-free in 2024. If these intentions are followed through, this could mean over half of Gen Z and almost 40% of Millennials will be meat-free by 2025.

Employers who want to attract and retain Millennial and Gen Z employees must take these values seriously or risk avoidable resignations and recruitment difficulties.

Get in touch with us to find out how you can make vegan inclusion part of your wider strategy to align your business with your employees’ values.