Whether it be for increased productivity or to gain competitive advantage, all companies aim to attract top talent to drive their enterprise towards success. With employee needs changing, many companies are shifting away from offering high compensation packages, with demanding working hours, towards a more holistic approach with a strong employer brand at the center. In this article, we explore all aspects of employer branding, why it is important and what companies can do to improve their employer branding.
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What is an Employer Brand?
Employer branding is essentially the position and identity of the employer, which it aims to communicate with employees and potential employees. Employer branding is not built upon what an employer says, but rather through how an organization treats employees and the work environment it creates.
Employer branding has become more important than ever before due to the vast amount of competition. In today’s times it is essential for employers to illustrate a positive brand, as employees have more power and options available to them.
Why Is Employer Branding Important?
Hiring the right talent has become more important for companies who have a long term vision. When a company has a reputation for attracting and retaining high level, skilled individuals, it doesn’t only make them more attractive to customers, but to investors and potential employees as well.
The effect of strong employer branding has a knock on effect and has been essential for companies who want to build strong internal and external brands. Examples of companies with strong employee branding include Google, Nike and Starbucks. Many more companies are following the trend to not only attract the right staff but also retain staff members who contribute towards a company’s success.
Understanding Employer Branding
A large number of people confuse employer branding with the more common corporate branding. While they may be at times confused there is a clear distinction between the two.
Corporate branding is centered around the way a brand presents itself to the public. The public in this context applies to external perception and may include customers, stakeholders and investors. It encompasses elements such as the name of the company, the company’s slogan, logo, advertising and website, among other visual elements of the company.
Employee branding, on the side of the coin, refers to the way a company is perceived by its employees, therefore it is an internal perception. This is centered more around the company’s values, the company culture, how it treats employees, the environment created for employees and more.
Both corporate branding and employee branding are important for driving a business towards success and therefore both require different strategies.
How to Build a Strong Employer Brand
- Conceptualize how you want the organization to be perceived: The top team of a company should define how they would like to be perceived by their employees and persons outside the organization. By defining this they can create a strategy of how to reach their desired outcome.
- Align your vision and mission: organizations should clearly outline their vision and mission and use this as a central point for their strategy. The values central to the vision and mission will create the underlying structure of the employee value proposition and overall employer brand.
- Create the employee value proposition: structure the value proposition to reflect to employees and potential employees the clear message which you want to illustrate. Align all your marketing activities and internal communications to rebrand and structure the employer brand.
- Readjust management and organization practices: once you have defined the underlying structure, you can then work on aligning management practices to fit the employer brand you want to create.
- Evaluation: assess whether the employer brand correctly fits your organization, its practices and its people.
Benefits of Having a Strong Employer Brand
- Attracting top talent
By having a strong employer brand your company can attract the best and most skilled workers for a particular role. If a company develops a strong reputation as a good place to work, job seekers will constantly be motivated to work for your organization.
- Increased employee engagement
Employees who are proud to work for a particular organization are likely to be motivated to work and deliver better performance. This can lead to higher productivity and a better work environment.
- Enhanced customer perception
Having a strong employer brand can improve customer perception of a particular company. Employees that are motivated and engaged can have a positive impact on companies they work with, which can lead to a greater level of customer satisfaction.
For employers who want to create a strong employee brand there are several things they should consider:
- Strong company culture and values - brands should reflect the company’s culture, values and vision in the way they interact with employees. This can be communicated through various channels such as direct interaction, through social media and employee testimonials.
- Develop a positive work culture - employees should work hard in creating and fostering a positive work environment. The environment should promote employee engagement, the development of employees and well-being. This may include fair and competitive compensation, additional benefits, opportunities for development and creating an inclusive environment.
- Empower brand ambassadors - Employers should encourage and empower their employees to be strong brand ambassadors. They can do this by providing them with the right tools and resources that allow employees to represent the company in a positive way. This can include employee training, branded merchandise, company initiatives and more.
- Measure the effectiveness of your employee branding - just by saying you have an employee brand, it does not mean you have one. Your company needs to objectively evaluate the effectiveness of employee branding efforts. Your business can do this by conducting internal surveys and looking at retention rates.
As a leading recruitment agency and career coaching company, Career Pond is ideal for helping companies find candidates who perfectly fit their brand. Choose a company that operates in Asia, with an international approach, we are experts in connecting top talent with leading organizations. Get in touch with us today!
