Whether its something you consciously think about, every organisation have an employer brand. These days, company’s not only need to think about their brand in terms of customers, but also for their employees. Employer branding helps an organisation differentiate themselves in the market, enabling them to recruit, retain and engage with the right people. It also helps influence and positively impact HR challenges throughout the full employee life cycle.
A strong and positive employer image is essential if you want to win the war for talent. In a highly competitive market place, a strong employer branding sets you apart from the competition. And increases the likelihood of attracting and retaining the talent you need. It should connect with an organisation’s values and there must be consistency throughout.
Branding is a huge global industry because our brains are hard-wired to associate things. When we see a brand, this can evoke strong emotions, attachment and loyalty. Brands are trying to build an emotional connection with us as consumers and the same is true as employees. Brand experience for staff is just as important as it is for your customers.
Why branding matters to HR
Employer branding will generate a higher recruitment ROI. Strong employer branding reduces the costs of recruitment and will increase the quality too. Imagine two companies publish the identical job on the same job board. The company with the stronger employer brand will receive more applications for the same amount spent. It will need to invest less in the recruitment process to fill the vacancy.
The concept of employer branding is more prominent now that ever. Research carried out by CIPD highlights employer credibility, employee engagement and prevailing labour market conditions as the main reasons for focussing on brand. The recruitment process is the starting point for seeing the power a brand can wield. Strong employer brands become aspirational employers and employers of choice.
Working with your marketing and communications colleagues to develop and communicate your Employer Value Proposition (EVP) will pay dividends. Articulating exactly why applicants should be interested in your company. What differentiates you from your competitors. What you can expect as an employee.
Stronger employee engagement
At the heart of building a strong employer brand is the immutable fact that being human means that we have free choice. As such, management cannot impose engagement, commitment or motivation. But they can enable it. Engaged employees invest their personal effort and commitment. Employee engagement is the enabler of success.
Engaged employees are proud of their role in the organisation, and an attractive employer brand facilitates commitment and advocacy. Of course, the business needs to deliver in other areas too! But powerful branding, infused through sustainable organisational culture, evokes willingness in employees to act as brand advocates. This makes you an employer of choice and eases the talent acquisition process.
Technology and flexibility
Legacy HR software, HR technology and HCM (Human Capital Management) systems suffer from a legacy of inflexibility. This is why, historically adding your company branding to your HR technology was impossible or simply price-prohibitive.
Your staff expect a particular experience when they join you, and if it’s not in place they start to question their decision. Staff expect easy, self-drive access to their personal records, shifts, and payslips. They don’t ask for intuitive, 24/7 access; they expect this. Easy navigation that feels like Instagram or an Apple device. It may not be a standard question at interview, but the expectation is… this is standard. This is all part of the employee brand experience.
Intuitive user experience
If you don’t have it already, you need to get ahead fast by implementing an intuitive branded user interface. Your HR technology should deliver more than just an aesthetically pleasing, branded experience. It eases communication, improves self-service across all your employee life-cycle processes and gives new joiners a taste of the positive experience they will be getting. The simple yet visual interface we see on Instagram, Netflix or Spotify, brings brands to life. Are you leveraging your brand across your HR technology?
Measure the power of employer branding
There is measurable value in implementing your brand, your creative and your distinctive voice into your HR technology and HR processes. It’s now an imperative, designed to tackle the impact of remote working, hybrid working by creating a more social and natural two-way experience. The outcome is a positive impact on employee experience.
Organisations have to support their people throughout the employee life-cycle where interactions are remote and branding builds a sense of belonging, whatever the role of your employee.
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