A strong employer brand needs to clearly reflect your company’s values, it will attract talented people whose values are aligned with yours, and it will foster a two-way flow of flexible, friendly communication to develop your most expensive asset - your people.
Are you finding it challenging to recruit and retain talented, passionate, workers? Maybe you’re struggling to make your voice heard over the clamour of competing employers? If so, a marketing strategy to amplify your employer brand is the corporate tonic you need to take.
Recruiting in Times of Permacrisis: The Challenges for Employers and Employees
This period of uncertainty in the world is referred to by economists as ‘permacrisis’. Whether you’re an employer or an employee, we are all navigating a cost of living crisis which is impacting homes and businesses up and down the country, and the threat of recession looms. Employees are nervous about job security while being forced to approach their employers, cap in hand, for more money to make ends meet. Couple this anxiety with the very public, lay-offs some of the world’s largest tech companies have been experiencing, and the result is a somewhat perfect storm for recruitment.
A quarter of firms in the UK are expected to make redundancies at some point in 2023, but this doesn’t mean it’ll be easy to pluck the right people from the right talent pool. In times of economic uncertainty, organisations want to create ‘stickiness’ and hold on to their high performing current employees who consistently deliver for the business. By the way, you can learn more about this in our latest blogpost on Is Your Organisation Sticky and Sweet?
The employees themselves are deterred by the cost of living crisis to risk a move, with a recent poll finding that 62% of people in full-time employment reported that they were less likely to look for a new job in 2023 than they were last year. The result? A talent pool that’s rapidly drying up under the heat of the economic climate.
All these factors equate to a recruitment crisis in the architecture, engineering, construction and sustainability sectors.
So, when all your competitors are facing the same hardships, and jostling to recruit the same candidates, how do you make your business, your story, stand head and shoulders above the rest? Inspiring employer branding - that’s how.
What is Employer Branding?
Simply put, your employer branding is how you market your identity as an employer and therefore how your company is perceived by your employees - past, present and potential. It’s a very fluid construct that requires careful planning, nurturing, and iterative fine-tuning to resonate with the specific subset of job seekers your company aims to attract and retain as employees.
It’s important to note that, while interwoven, your customer branding is a different kettle of fish to your employer branding. Take Amazon’s retail empire for example. Everyone shops at Amazon, but they also have a reputation as being very difficult to work for. So, their customer-obsessed outward branding is great, five stars Jeff! But their employer branding is a huge challenge for them.
Employer branding encompasses everything from the company culture, values, mission, and the employee experience to the recruitment process, benefits, and compensation packages. It’s about creating a positive perception of your company as a great place to work, not just for the employees, but for potential candidates as well. A strong employer brand can help attract top talent, reduce employee turnover, and ultimately contribute to the overall success of your business.
To develop an effective employer brand, it’s crucial to understand what motivates your employees. Is it monetary rewards, opportunities for career development, a flexible work-life balance, or a sense of purpose and mission? Conducting employee surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews can help you gain valuable insights into the drivers of employee engagement and satisfaction. By aligning your employer brand with the values and needs of your employees, you can create a culture that fosters loyalty, commitment, and high performance.
Why is it so Important?
Your employer brand is the reason people will apply to your open roles. It’s also the reason they won’t. It’s the reason they’ll stay for the long haul, and it’s often why they might cut and run.
Poor employer branding has the potential to hang over your business like a grim cloud repelling potential candidates, demotivating existing employees, and ultimately causing your recruitment efforts to fail. On the other hand, good employer branding has the power to bolster your workforce with fresh, passionate talent that will drive success, and grow your tribe.
Understanding what motivates your people is key to developing a strong employer brand that resonates with your employees and potential candidates. When employees feel valued and connected to the company culture, they are more likely to stay engaged and committed to their work. This translates into increased productivity, higher job satisfaction, and improved retention rates.
In today's competitive job market, a strong employer brand can also give you a competitive edge in attracting top talent. Candidates are increasingly looking beyond salary and benefits to factors such as company culture, values, and purpose when evaluating job opportunities. By showcasing a positive employer brand, you can differentiate your company from competitors and attract the right people who align with your values and mission. This can ultimately contribute to the overall success and growth of your business.
What Makes a Good Employer Brand?
The pandemic has given people a renewed appreciation of work/life balance, so much so that they’re willing to prioritise it over pay. They want flexible working, employers who listen, a workplace culture they feel comfortable in - they want to feel that they make a material difference in the organisation - a sense of purpose.
Of course they want that effort to be acknowledged and rewarded with career progression. The recent ‘quiet-quitting’ phenomenon illustrates this paradigm shift; workers will go above and beyond where they feel appreciated and have purpose, but if these conditions are not met, your people will struggle to find meaning, and lose motivation.
So, a strong employer brand needs to clearly reflect your company’s values, it needs to attract talented people that also believe in those values, and it needs to foster a two-way flow of flexible, friendly communication to develop your most expensive asset - your people.
Up Your Employer Branding Game
Employer branding is key, now more than ever, to retain employees, but also to attract top-tier talent. Getting your employer branding right strategically attracts the right candidates - people whose values align with yours, who will stay and drive you towards your goals with a passion that matches your own.
Get in touch with us if you want to find out how to communicate your authentic employer culture.
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