In today’s competitive marketplace, one of the most important challenges for any organization is attracting and retaining top talent. While salary and benefits play a role in decision making of job applicants, career and growth opportunities, workplace environment and employee culture, are equally important. This is where a strong employer brand plays a vital part. An employer brand refers to the perception of an organization as an employer, including its values, culture and work environment. It is one of the key elements for attracting candidates and improving retention. As there is increasing demand and competition for skilled workforce, the concept of building a strong employer brand has become a strategic priority rather than a mere human resources issue.

What is the Employer Brand?

The term employer brand relates to the promoting of the organization as an ideal employer. This involves the communication of the company’s values, culture, work environment and its position in terms of the kind of employees it hires and is able to attract. An employer brand works exactly as how organizations maintain customer brands to attract consumers; an employer brand is created to attract employees.

Attract Top Talent

Attracting top talent is the primary benefit of having a strong employer brand. Candidates today tend to research a company thoroughly before applying for a job. They will assess not just their offer, but also evaluate it against that of similar organizations. Organizations with a good employer brand tend to attract more qualified candidates due to its positive perception as a good employer.

Reduce recruitment cost

An employer brand significantly helps a company in attracting candidates. More number of candidates means the recruitment cost reduces and an organization may no longer need to depend much on costly recruitment sources.

Employee Retention

High rate of employee turnover leads to increased expenditure and decreased productivity in an organization. Having a good employer brand helps the organizations retain its employees. If the employees like the organizations for what it stands for, then they will surely be loyal to it. They often feel that they are a part of something important.

Employee Engagement

When employees feel positively towards their organization, they will strive to achieve the goals of the organization and they take pride in contributing to the organization’s success. An employer brand is built on the idea of creating a purpose for its employees that would not be achieved if there was only the monetary aspect involved.

Improve Company culture

A positive employer brand ensures that every employee at the workplace is considered to be important and respected. This encourages positive interactions amongst the employees and improves collaboration among different levels of the workforce, thus creating a good workplace environment.

Strengthen Company Reputation and Credibility

A positive employer brand helps to build a strong and ethical reputation. This helps organizations to gain the trust not only of employees and prospective candidates but also that of the customers and other stakeholders. Ethical practices and employee friendliness go a long way in building an organization’s credibility.

Supports Business Growth

To fulfill business objectives, organizations require competent employees who can play a significant role in driving the business towards its goals. With a strong employer brand, organizations can attract individuals who are skilled in certain fields thereby boosting its growth.

Employee Advocacy

Satisfied employees will voluntarily advocate the company to others. Such employees act as potential brand ambassadors for the organization. They tend to recommend the organization to friends and family who might be seeking employment. The positive experiences will also likely be posted on professional social networking websites.

Better Overall Performance of Organization

A company with a strong employer brand often witnesses improved performance in a wide range of areas. Some of the positive outcomes associated with it are improved quality, efficiency, productivity, and ultimately a better position for the organization in the market.

How to build a strong employer brand

Define and communicate the company’s values and culture: The mission of the organization should be clearly defined and communicated to the employees as well as outside world.

• Offer opportunities to its employees to excel and grow.
• Reward employees for their good performance.
• Encourage employee feedback and provide good listening to the same.
• Share stories of employee success within and outside the organization.
• Ensure good management-employee relations by adopting a fair and honest leadership approach and maintaining high levels of transparency in organizational affairs.
• Support its employees’ efforts to maintain a good work-life balance.

Final Thoughts

Consistency is critical while building an employer brand, it must accurately reflect what the actual experience at the workplace is. The last few years have witnessed a significant rise in the investment made in employer branding by various organizations and it would certainly continue to be of great importance in the years to come as employers focus more on providing value and quality to its workforce.