Would it surprise you that the concept of an “employer brand” goes back to the mid-1990s? It used to be something that described an organization’s reputation for treating its workers. According to Harvard Business Review’s Richard Mosley, “The rise of social media has made companies a great deal more transparent. People are far more likely to trust a company based on what its employees have to say than on its recruitment advertising. This means that talent attraction relies far more heavily on employee engagement and advocacy.” For example, candidates can just go on Facebook and find out what your employers are posting in their personal lives. They can look at customer complaints and recent news stories mentioning your organization. Recruits can find out just about anything they want to know about your company without ever speaking to your recruiters.
What Are Your HR People Doing to Improve Your Employer Brand?
So, we’ve got your attention. You care about how employees perceive your organization. Good for you! This begs the question of whether your organization is giving enough attention to engaging employees. Are your leaders and representatives of different workers advocating for what the workforce needs? Are your HR personnel focusing on continuous improvement when it comes to compensation and HR processes that affect personnel? Are you holding onto your talent or suffering from a high attrition rate?
Don’t Make Assumptions
It’s easy for employers to assume that their brand is doing well. This isn’t based on the metrics from the advertising and marketing departments. It’s based on what employees say and how they feel about their employment with your organization. Your recruiters can also tell you what feedback they’re receiving from interviews with candidates. Your recruitment initiatives don’t always get the returns that you project. Good candidates turn down job offers. Other candidates want better compensation, which may exceed your current budget. If you’re recruiting internationally through different job sourcing networks, prospects may reach out to people who work for your organization. They may know someone who knows someone who works for you. If they aren’t satisfied with what they learn, they will go to another company. They want to go where the salary and benefits meet their needs. They want to belong to a positive company culture. If your organization neglects its employer brand, you could be losing some good candidates who will help your company grow to the next level.
Think Global
Any organization that recruits internationally must set as a focus what HBR’s “2020 Outlook: The Future of Employer Branding” termed “building your brand on a global level.” When you think about how employees conceive your employer brand, it’s a fluid concept. This changes throughout the year as they have different feelings about their jobs. Your company should focus on keeping employees happy and healthy no matter where they work in the world. In this manner, whenever employees receive contacts from prospects, they will generally give a good impression of your employer brand. They should be inclined to reach out to recruits from every walk of life, encouraging them to join the company culture because your HR team and leadership staff in every operational area have made it a great place to work.
Get Down and Dirty
This all sounds like very high-level advice, but someone on your HR staff can look at the most recent employee survey to see how workers feel about your employer brand. You can even hire an outside firm to interview employees confidentially and find out what their concerns are. Be sure that outsiders reassure employees that they won’t be penalized for being honest. If you can improve your employer brand, you can attract better candidates. You can compete with employers with the best company cultures.
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