Employer brand
What is an employer brand?
An employer brand reflects how an organization is perceived by both current and prospective employees as a workplace. It involves all of the activities an organization does to make it a great place to work for its employees, including establishing a strong work culture, sticking to its core values, creating employee-first policies, building a strong presence on social media, and designing a great candidate experience.
Who owns employer branding in an organization?
Employer branding initiatives are owned mostly by the organization's HR team along with the input of C-level leaders. Sometimes, marketing teams pitch in, too. But, in reality, nearly all stakeholders—including employees, C-level leaders, managers, and partners—play a significant role in establishing an organization's brand.
How they interact with other individuals, how they showcase the company's culture, what they say about the organization, and how they share their experiences—everything contributes to shaping an organization's employer brand.
What are the benefits associated with employer brand?
Here are some of the key benefits associated with building an employer brand.
It attracts top talent:
When an organization's branding initiatives showcase an organization's positive culture, values, and mission, position it as a great place to work, and highlight other benefits associated with working there, talented candidates will be attracted to apply.
It simplifies the hiring process:
A strong employer brand will attract engaged and relevant candidates without having to spend a lot of time and effort creating and placing advertisements. This lowers recruitment costs significantly and makes the hiring process go faster.
It improves its reputation among customers:
Organizations that treat its employees well will have a good reputation among their customers. When employees feel that they're being taken care of, they tend to work efficiently, which will in turn be beneficial to customers.
It reduces the turnover rate:
Because employer branding initiatives provide employees with the benefits that they want and need, employees will feel valued which will reduce the chances of them leaving the organization.
What are the key elements of an employer brand?
Here are some of the key elements that organizations should focus on to improve their employer branding strategies:
Company culture:
This encompasses the vision, mission, shared beliefs, and attitudes that define the organization.
Employer value proposition:
These include the benefits employees receive for their contribution towards their organization's success.
Company reputation:
It's how the organization is perceived by employees, customers, and others in general.
Compensation and benefits:
This includes salaries, bonuses, prosperity sharing plans, and insurance plans.
Overall workplace experience:
It's how employees feel about working at the organization.
Career development opportunities:
These encompass upskilling and other training programs organizations can offer their employees.
Social media presence:
This is how an organization is visible on different social media platforms.
How do you establish your employer brand?
There are several things you can do to establish a strong employer brand for your organization:
- Build a positive and thriving work culture that upholds diversity, inclusion, open communication, recognition, career development, and more.
- Understand your employees' expectations and define your organization's employer value proposition. Highlight your culture, compensation, benefits, employee experience, and other perks.
- Make your existing employees brand ambassadors for your organization. Let them share their positive experiences within their circle of influence and on other platforms.
- Let your career site be consistent with your culture. Keep posting on social media to build a strong presence.
- Keep your entire hiring process candidate-centric. Write clear job descriptions, keep the application process simple, and make employees aware of the key updates.
- Collect feedback from your existing employees on a regular basis to address their concerns and keep improving.
What is an example of employer branding?
Company X is a dynamic and employee-centric workplace that values innovation, transparency, independence, growth, and well-being. With flexible work policies, continuous learning programs, family support policies, and a culture of diversity and inclusivity, it empowers its employees to grow both professionally and personally. Through an authentic careers page, employee spotlights, and a strong employer brand presence, Company X attracts top talent and fosters a workplace where people feel valued, motivated, and inspired to make an impact.