In the current economic climate, organisations are beginning to invest more in their employer brand as they start to understand its breadth and worth. Employer branding has gone far beyond a logo and set of values—there is far more to it than that—but what and how exactly can businesses strengthen their brand to attract the hottest talent? HR Magazine caught up with Neil Griffiths, Global Practice Leader, Talent Communications & Employer Brand, Futurestep to find out.
What’s in a name?
According to Griffiths, there is more to an employer brand than meets the eye. He believes it encompasses a complex mix of factors which combine to make a company a desirable place to work and it should consistently evolve to satisfy a change in brand strategy. A brand should not only consist of tangible brand assets, but also clearly identify the reason to join or stay with a business and this needs to be a real differentiator when attracting and retaining talent. He explained, “More organisations are coming to us and asking for advice on their employer branding strategies over recent years as the importance of attracting, engaging and retaining talent becomes ever more important during turbulent market conditions. The job market is full of candidates wanting to know if the company they are interested in shares the same values as they do. It’s critical that the employer brand is represented by the organisation in terms of its aspirations and goals, so the right talent can be attracted and engaged.”
Heart of the matter
Knowing where to start when it comes to building a world-class employer brand can be a challenge to say the least. Griffiths asserted that there are certain areas that need to factor within their overall strategy, no matter how much progress an organisation has made towards achieving this. He explained that getting to the heart of what an organisation is all about is a good place to start, “The smart business invests in research to identify what their core message should be, based on feedback of the preferences of ‘current state’ opinions of current employees, the perceptions of the company by outsiders and the vision of the Executive team.”
The Board onboard
So what is the next step in the employer branding process once the core message has been identified? According to Griffiths, businesses need to have full support from the Board before a value proposition is executed, whether it be analysing their workforce, determining a strategy, building an online presence or, most importantly, developing an employer brand. He explained, “Ultimately, in order for any employer branding initiative to be effective it has to be adopted at all levels within the business. From the boardroom to the frontline, from country to country, each employee has to have a consistent understanding of what makes you stand out as an employer to, as a result, be an enthusiastic brand ambassador. Equally, it is important for regional managers to live and breathe the same vision for the company as the Board and translate this to the wider workforce. In the utopian world, organisations want existing employees to act as true brand ambassadors whilst, at the same time, drawing in talent through broadcasting a positive brand message."
Online fishing
So how can HR cast this positive brand image into the talent pool to reel in the best? Griffiths highlighted social media as a tool that has revolutionised the way businesses are attracting the best talent. He observed that the route to the target audience has become more diversified and the opportunity for organisations to pinpoint their ideal candidate has become more realistic, “In the last two years alone, social media has changed the employer branding landscape and grabbed the attention of organisations. Ten years ago employees would only have word-of-mouth opinions with regards to a company’s reputation. However, social media has given the talent pool insight into the company they are interested in and access to opinions from current and past employees.”
Protect reputation
Griffiths highlighted that, while the growing presence of social media is giving employers in the marketplace more options and visibility of their potential workplace and therefore more control in the recruitment process in the long-term, it also opens up organisations to both stinging criticism and praise. He pointed out that either can have a massive impact on both its corporate and employer brand and explained, “Unfortunately, bad personal experiences are most likely to be shared among both personal and professional networks and word can spread fast, having a detrimental effect on a company’s reputation and employer brand.” A recent study showed 78% of job seeking candidates said they would talk about a bad experience they had with a potential employer with friends and family. Therefore, employers need to protect the recruitment experience and make it positive so that potential and new employers can spread a positive image of the business.
Griffiths advised, “As well as gaining support from the Board down on employer branding, it is also key to get support on the use of social media and what affect this can have on the employer brand. If you’re going to embark on using social media, involvement and effort for doing so need to be consistent and if this is not done correctly, it can actually backfire on a company and have a negative effect on the brand. So, investment and resources need to be aligned to support an ongoing and valued outlet to sourcing and engaging top talent. We recommend organisations spend time and effort evaluating the best options for their business and which social media tools will work best for them.”
Transparency
Griffiths stressed that whatever method organisations choose to convey their positive image, ultimately the most important thing is company brand transparency across the social media channels being used. He explained that customers and future recruits (who could be one and the same) will identify with an organisation through its people and through the experiences they have shared in relation to the company’s brand, which are likely to be posted and published through social media outlets. How organisations handle both praise and criticism needs to follow the same guidelines and be available for all to see.
Griffiths concluded, “Looking ahead, there are still more organisations that need to bring employer branding higher on the business and boardroom agenda— because their competitors already have. Such organisations will get left behind at their peril. Instead of thinking of employer branding as a separate strand of activity, there is an ongoing need for a more holistic approach and for organisations to recognise the importance of a robust, engaging and inspiring employer brand that will support the achievement of business goals. Finally, it is worth adding that social media is not going to go away, so the platforms on offer need to be included in overall talent strategies to ensure success through an employer brand.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
