An effective Employer Brand involves advertising and
marketing, market research, customer service, public relations,
human resources management, psychology, and organizational development
and management.
As any marketing expert will say: The most successful brands are
built upon an intimate knowledge of their customers. In employer
branding this means understanding what today’s employees
want, what employees in a particular industry want, what employees
from specific demographics want, and what employees from the various
fields and job positions a company will hire want.
Understanding the needs of employees
Regardless of what industry, organizations must hire people that
represent a variety of professions. Understanding their unique
need and values creates a compelling employer brand that adjusts
the brand message and the work experience an organization delivers
to its various sub-markets. Employers must keep in mind, however,
the fundamental needs of all employees, such as: meaning and
purpose; community and connection; opportunity to learn and grow;
and the ability to feel autonomous. Any work experience that
taps into these fundamental needs will generate pride and enthusiasm
in a workforce.
Effective Employer Branding will save employers the work of trying
to convince candidates that their company is an “employer
of choice.” The reputation created by an effective Employer
Brand will draw talented people to an organization. To create these
benefits, companies and organizations must deliver a unique and
attractive work experience that will set them apart in the labor
market.
Like Versant’s concept of Employer Brand Evolution, this
is a process that requires much more investment than collaborating
with an ad agency to create a campaign and making sure the material
has a consistent image.
Compelling Employer Brands require that an organization rigorously
examine all facets of the work experience they provide for their
employees. Representation from HR, management, public relations,
sales and marketing, customer service and frontline workers is
essential for this as it draws together people who represent varied
perspectives.
Employees directly experience whether a company is delivering on
its brand promise or not. Nothing will destroy a reputation in
the labor market force faster than doing a great job advertising
a work experience that isn’t delivered. Organizations that
promote themselves as an employer of choice when they are consistently
not creates an angry, cynical workforce that will counteract a
company’s paid advertising campaign with word-of-mouth advertising
of their own experience.
Effective Employer Brands
Cap, Gemini, Ernst & Young is an example of one corporation
leading the curve in Employment Branding. Flexibility is a critical
component of the career path designed by their employees and associates.
They help their employees determine which type of schedule best
meets their needs and what roles are a good fit for their skills.
The proposed arrangement is meant to enhance the employee’s
work/life balance as well as meeting the business needs of the
company.
At Versant, employees are recruited because they are “the
best at what they do,” states Nancy Woltzen, Account Group
Director for Versant. The flexibility of the organization allows
its employees to maintain a good work/life balance through programs
like flex-time, part-time opportunities and generous vacation,
holiday and personal day policies.
“Versant expects you to have a life and understands that
personal needs sometimes have to take priority,” states Woltzen. “A
fun, collaborative environment, access to senior leadership, open
communications about the direction and of the business and a great
physical workspace also contribute to supporting our employer brand.”
Companies like Bernard Hodes, Versant and Cap, Gemini, Ernst and
Young are effectively delivering their Employer Brand and revealing
how these initiatives create success, for they are able to recruit
top talent and reap the economic success gained from a thriving
and committed workforce.
States Mark Hornung, Senior Vice President of Bernard Hodes Group
Inc., “At Hodes, our expertise lies in securing perhaps the
most diverse and valuable commodity on earth...people. Our feeling
is when our people succeed, so do our clients. The goals of our
people are to realize the goals of our clients. We are a company
that relies on teamwork, employee development and customer service.”
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