How important is employer branding? In fact, what is
employer branding?
Fundamentally, it’s the reputation and experience of an
employer among employees, job seekers, and key stakeholders. Put simply, it’s
what they REALLY think of you. And it’s extremely important.
If you want to recruit and retain the most talented people,
you need to build and employer brand that is seen as an ’employer of
choice’ rather than one out of many possible employers. In other
words – you need to stand out from the crowd. And that’s where
employer branding comes in.
What Makes an Employer Brand Great?
Culture is what employees do and how they behave when no one
is watching. The same principle goes for your employer brand. You can’t make it
up. Just because you list some values, like being brave or we
value innovation in your employee guide, this doesn’t mean these
things are true. There are three basic strategy tiers that all great employer
brands have in common.
1. Values
We don’t mean generic sentences listed on your about
us page. Rather, you must ensure your company is striving for more
than just pure profit if you wish people to perceive you as a great employer
brand. Think of Tony Chocolonely and Innocent Drinks. Do they want to expand
and make a profit? Sure, they do and, next to that, they’re fighting to abolish
slavery and raise awareness on issues of social injustice and criminal labor
malpractices.
2. Benefits
Most people work for the money and benefits that come with a
job. However, part of our reasoning for doing so is not tied to finances. Some
great employer brands are small and can’t compete with salaries and bonuses,
but they can offer a greater work-life balance, a remote-first setting,
flexible hours, permanent contracts, and more breaks.
3. Practices
Then, companies with great employer brands practice what
they preach. They set their employees up for success and provide them with
opportunities to learn, grow, and explore their interests. Great employers give
people the tools they need to execute their roles to the best of their
abilities. Companies avoid micromanaging, and they make clear, strategic, and
transparent decisions.
In the list of examples outlined below, we’ll look at
companies whose employees work in junior positions, on minimum wage. The work
is repetitive and physical – still, employees rank their employer well. How
have they achieved this? Employees:
- Are
trained well, with a personal development plan in place
- Respect
and are respected by their company and colleagues
- Have
goals to work towards that matter to them and their employer
So what makes a strong employer brand
It is always important for an employer to ask themselves
just what exactly they can bring to the table for employees and candidates.
Unless you can pay every employee top dollar more than your competitors, you
must recognize that you will need to build your brand based on things other
than compensation, such as flexible hours, innovative technology, workplace diversity,
remote work opportunities, or your package of office perks and benefits.
Whatever it is, make sure it resonates with everyone in your organization, and
that it is something that is truly of value to them. This is what will help you
define what your employer branding message is going to be.
Open communication is an absolute must in order for an
employer to listen to authentic, candid feedback from their employees in order
to achieve a greater understanding of the employee experience. By maintaining
an awareness of how your team is doing and how they feel about the culture,
compensation packages and their roles in the organization, there will be more
of an opportunity to engage your talent base.
Employees need encouragement and recognition. When employees
do something right, show your appreciation by recognizing it. Congratulate
them. Show them that you see their hard work. However do not praise employees
for everything they do, only when they do something out of their daily work
task, or when they complete a large project.
Social media is a great tool for companies looking to
strengthen their employer branding. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn
aren’t merely platforms for publishing branded product they are also venues for
growing your network, and for sharing inside stories that will show off your
strengths as an employer and drive engagement with the kind of talent you’re
hoping to attract.
In this day and age, if will take more than posting job
openings or designing a fancy Careers pages on your website to create a brand
that resonates with job seekers. In the evolving landscape of recruitment and
HR, companies with a strong employer brand will always stand out in the eyes of
top candidates.