Why is Employer Branding Important?

Today, we invited one of our HR partners to provide insight into employer branding and the crossover between the worlds of HR and Marketing in 2022. Let’s look into and fully understand why is employer branding important with guest blogger Zuzanna Mikrut, HR and Recruitment Assistant at Sapphire HR.

Contents

• What is Employer Branding?
• Why is Employer Branding Important?
• How to Develop an Employer Brand

Currently, unemployment has hit a record low of 3.5% in the quarter up to August 2022. Therefore the way employers position themselves in the labour market and engage with passive job seekers is essential in the war for talent.

Employers cannot now expect to be able to find the best people through the use of job boards alone. Now more than ever, recruitment is becoming a business marketing campaign in itself.

What is Employer Branding?

Employer branding is how the organisation is viewed by potential applicants, current employees and key stakeholders. Every organisation has an employer brand, no matter whether they have consciously worked on developing one or not.

The brand is based on the organisation’s identity and reputation. The identity is grounded on your organisation’s mission, beliefs and values. Organisational reputation depends on how the company is seen in terms of a ‘place to work’. This is largely based on the opinions of recruits and current or previous employees

Why is Employer Branding Important?

All organisations should have a strong employer brand to differentiate themselves from their competitors across the labour market. Employers should incorporate the company’s identity into how they present their organisation. This will allow them to attract candidates with similar views.

Having positive employer branding can help the company create a stronger talent pool and improve retention rates due to higher employee engagement. Employees will be more passionate about their employment if they are working in line with their values.

Additionally, presenting your organisation as an employer who cares about your employees’ needs and development is vital. This will encourage experienced and knowledgeable candidates to apply for positions within your organisation allowing you to build a stronger workforce.

Having negative employer branding can severely hurt not only the company’s image but the company as a whole. Suppose your existing employees are unhappy at your organisation. In that case, they will be more likely to seek employment elsewhere, increasing employee turnover and recruitment marketing costs.

Why is employer branding important? The employees can often be seen almost as an advert for your company. This is a key reason to ensure your employee well-being is being prioritised. Negativity from unhappy staff expressed on social media, forums or in social circles could discourage future candidates from applying for roles. This would result in a reduced talent pool.

Additionally, presenting your company as an average employer means you will be less likely to attract exceptional candidates. This will slow down your company’s development.

One real-world example of this is how Google has positioned itself in the labour market by promoting its unique benefits. Things such as an on-site launderette, free haircuts, pool tables, and swimming pools. Google uses these employee benefits to distinguish itself as an employer of choice.

How to Develop an Employer Brand

To understand how others view the organisation, it may be worth conducting an audit. This can include looking at reviews from employees and customers on popular websites. This audit gives you a good idea of what the company is seen as by people from the outside, e.g. customers and past employees.

The next step would be asking employees for feedback and acting on it. Focus particularly on dealing with the issues that are frequently mentioned. It is also important to note that asking for employee feedback should be a regular activity, which will promote continuous improvement.

Furthermore, your policies and procedures should align with your organisation’s identity. For example, suppose you would like to be viewed as a company that promotes personal development. This should be reflected by your induction policy, training and development policy, and the way you manage and reward performance.

Suppose the way the company is running is not aligned with the organisational identity. In that case, employees may feel they cannot trust the employer and their needs are not met, leading them to disengage.

Social media is key in today’s society; you should promote your organisation on various platforms, like LinkedIn or Facebook. Social media is not just a good way for your customers to notice you, but it can also attract potential candidates. Create regular posts, including blogs, employee experiences and exciting activities undertaken by the team. Content like this can provide insight into what it is like to be a part of your company’s workforce.

For support with your HR services and recruitment get in touch with Sapphire HR.

Alternatively, if you are interested in providing a guest post for ROAR Digital Marketing, send an email to info@roardigitalmarketing.co.uk