Employer branding is emerging as a powerful recruiting tool for employers and is also a complex domain that HR executives have to manage. In the age of pervasive social media and social connectivity, your corporate brand impacts recruitment, retention and talent management operations.
What actually makes employer branding matter?
With the workplace landscape undergoing dramatic change throughout the global Covid-19 crisis, organizations are urged to revisit their employer branding approach by focusing and emphasizing more on its people. Companies are made up of diverse people, and if the people in it are not cared for, there are good chances that the business will go nowhere. Employer branding has long been seen as a critical feature of a company’s overall marketing strategy. It is a carefully designed blend of its vision, goal, character, culture, and personality that is used to recruit and retain talents.
Employers are facing totally new challenges following the pandemic, from managing vaccination policy for returning workers, redesigning work space to enable safe collaboration, to conducting remote onboarding. It comes as no surprise that intended budgets for employer branding and recruitment marketing have risen by more than 10% on average since 2020. Last year revealed how strong employer brands function under pressure, and a few demonstrated that even during a crisis, recruiting and employer branding must be ‘always on.’ When some companies stepped back, quick-thinking companies shifted to a virtual recruiting environment and were prepared to invest in virtual internships.
Looking back, these businesses were not just surviving, but excelling. Moreover, in the next few years, how businesses position themselves in the job market may determine their success in attracting top talents. Employers must ensure that they are presenting the best of themselves at a time when the employment market is the most unsettled it has been in history. Here are some strategies to ensure your company’s employer branding is up to date in 2022.
Employees today are not into working in cubicle surroundings. According to the latest McKinsey global research, more than half of government and business employees desire to work remotely at least three days a week once the pandemic is over. Another recent publication has shown that some businesses want things to eventually return to the way they were – or at least a hybrid of remote and on-site working practices. Some companies, as a consequence, are gearing up to follow the lead and make a shift to such a hybrid arrangement. Flexibility can be a powerful point of employer branding these days. If you want to attract and retain your finest employees, consider giving them greater flexibility in terms of where and how they can work.
The stress brought on by the ongoing pandemic has left many individuals uninspired, unable to focus, and less productive. Burnout is real that even your colleagues who appear to be alright on the surface are likely to be struggling deep inside. According to a recent Lime Group survey, a quarter of respondents are attempting to cope in the workplace, and more than half feel that they have to force a smile for their co-workers and act that they are well, despite the fact they are actually under a lot of stress. Unfortunately, more than a third among those respondents believe their employers are not doing enough to support their well-being. Less than 1 in 5 of employees (16%) thought their employers addressed their mental health issues, and 40% reported they would search for a new job if their employers did not do more for them.
A one-size-fits-all strategy to build a better work culture at your company is not realistic. So, how should a company strengthen its employer branding for this matter? Simple measures, such as being conscious of workload and work-life balance, and providing employees with time-off to cope with personal responsibilities, may go a long way. It is also necessary to communicate with employees on a regular basis and give them a chance to discuss the challenges they are facing.
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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become less of a cliché and more of a need for business strategies to compete in the talent market as an employer branding. According to a Hubspot survey, 69.6% of global respondents stated that environmentalism has become more important to them in the last year. 51.7% would not work for a company that does not share their values. Starting a CSR program from the beginning is not an easy task, but it is definitely worth it.
Tremendous amounts of information are being curated and disseminated through social media connectivity. Rationally, the more positive the reputation, the more likely that talented individuals will apply for a position. However, research shows that despite positive reviews, individuals may look at the organization but may not consider it a potential job destination. In this case, a strong, positive employer brand helps deliver the message of a happy and balanced workplace environment. Through social media and online forums, people can discover what it is like to work for an organisation without stepping foot in their office. Promoting positive reviews of the departments’ ability to execute promises to its employees and its customers goes a long way with potential hires.
Workplace culture is a rising trend in the HR field, as employees become increasingly interested in the environment of the company rather than the organization for which they work. Negative branding may have a significant influence on both future hires and current employees. Continuous complaints about workplace harassment, discrimination, and general low workplace engagement do not speak well. Who wants to work at a company if the work environment is stressful and frequently overlooked? People are motivated by good feedback; enjoyment at work, innovation, and progress. In a nutshell, a prosocial atmosphere.
By establishing the need for strong skills, open mindedness, creativity and balance in the workplace, employer brands are force-multipliers for a company. They effectively create a good impression of the company, raise employee morale and aid in recruitment and retention, while reducing attrition.
So, does employer branding really matter? The answer is crystal clear: it does.
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