Thousands of UK businesses could be missing out on hiring top talent by not doing enough to promote their company’s values to prospective candidates, according to new research from LinkedIn.

The study showed that 36% of the HR and recruiting professionals that were surveyed said that their values are missing from their company’s website. The report also found that many businesses fail to promote their purpose during the hiring process with 61% admitting that they don’t mention their organisation’s values when they interview candidates, and 27% mentioning them in job ads. 

Moreover, the study found that sharing an organisation’s purpose is now a deal-breaker for more than half of UK professionals (52%) when considering accepting a job offer, and the number is higher for younger workers (56% for 16-24 year olds).

LinkedIn states the problem could stem from a knowledge gap, with one in ten HR and recruiting professionals admitting that they are unable to articulate their own company’s values in the first place. One in five respondents also claimed that their company’s HR and marketing functions don’t work well together - or at all - to promote the company’s employer brand externally.

“UK companies risk falling into a values vacuum by not being clear on what they stand for or believe in,” Dan Dackombe, director of LinkedIn Talent Solutions said. “Today’s professionals are more informed and aware of the culture and purpose of potential employers, and are increasingly making career decisions based on these factors.”