An effective employer branding strategy can give your organization a competitive edge in attracting, recruiting, and retaining the best talents. So how can you build a solid employer branding strategy for your business? Human Resource professionals can help.
HR professionals are well-positioned to be among the key persons in building and embodying a company brand that employees can be proud of. They have unique experiences on the entirety of the hiring processes, as well as a personal and overarching view of the companies’ mission and vision.
How important is an employer brand and why should it concern the top management and your existing and your target employees?
An employer brand is an important part of the employee value proposition. It is essentially how and what the organization communicates as its identity.
A positive employer brand simply means that the organization is a great place to work in and the management is open and capable of attending to the professional needs of its employees, thereby affecting the recruitment of new employees, retention and engagement of current employees, and the overall perception of the organization in the market.
With the help of the HR department, how can you develop an employer branding strategy?
Employees leave or turn backs on companies for various personal and practical reasons, and addressing these will surely strengthen your brand.
Conduct stay interviews
While the information collected with your employees during their exit interviews is valuable, it is also too late to address the issues they may float. Stay interviews provide actionable information that leaders and the human resources team can workaround to retain happy and satisfied employees.
Design a strong onboarding process
Starting from the interview, the potential employee should already get the taste of the organization, and upon onboarding them, a detailed plan for an employee’s first day, week, or even a month will let them know whether or not they made the right decision. This may come along with the comprehensive account of the benefits they would get by taking the position you offered them to fill in. In summary, this is an opportune time to introduce your organizational culture.
Provide employees with a roadmap for success
Lack of career advancement is among the causes of high turnover rates. That means it is critical for the human resources department to outline and communicate both short- and long-term goals and let them feel involved in crafting the roadmap.
Try scheduling a quick survey or sessions with them to ask “How are you doing?” “Are your current responsibilities too heavy or too light?” “What training are you interested in so far?” “How do you view the path of your work, do you think it is still aligned with the mission of the organization?” “Do you have recommendations so far?”
Review and offer reasonable perks
Available recreational activities and lounging areas are cool benefits that employees can enjoy and also brag about to their peers, but they might not be enough to keep them in their jobs for so long.
If budget permits, provision of performance-based bonus along with essential benefits such as, but not limited to, healthcare insurance, paid time off, retirement plans, and flexible schedules, including the ability to work from home, would do wonders in establishing your brand.
Create an environment that fosters good relationships
Foremost, employees look for practical and tangible benefits before they apply and join the workforce.
But while a competitive salary and paid time off will always be factors in attraction, engagement, and retention of employees, employers must not also lose sight of the intangible benefits and day-to-day experiences at work. If the emotional, financial, and lifestyle needs of employees are being affected by either their workloads or peers, walking out would be their top option. They might say that they’d rather stay at jobs with lower salaries if that meant working for and with greater bosses and colleagues.
Market your services – through tools and word of mouth
Use all available channels to increase your market visibility through technology and particularly your employees.
Great employment branding is built on great content, and great content comes from the experiences of your employees. Nice words and recommendations are found to be the most effective form of advertising.