are many definitions of (positive) employer branding. Here is ours:
“An Employer Brand is the perception of an organization as a great place to work in the eyes of current employees, prospective employees and people external to the organization”.
It really doesn’t matter what senior leadership thinks the employer brand is; the reality is that they don’t get to decide. They can influence and create the conditions to maximize alignment, but the employer brand is “in the eye of the beholder”. In this case, the beholders are employees, customers and the public. The collective perceptions and feelings of these audiences towards your organization are what define your employer brand.
What does this mean in day-to-day HR?
It means in HR we have to pay closer attention to the tiny day to day details that become defining elements of our brand experience for our customers.
Let’s pretend we just waved a magic wand and we are the proud new owners of a ski resort. Our company brand is all about “fresh and innovative”.
As Human Resources leaders we should ask ourselves:
•What does fresh and innovative look and feel like at every customer touch-point?
•What does fresh and innovative feel like in daily interactions between departments?
•What does fresh and innovative sound like when things go sideways?
•Who do we need to BE to be fresh and innovative?
•HOW do we do it and WHAT does it look like?
Magic wand just appeared again. Now we run a retail store with a brand known for having a “small town” feel.
Now we ask ourselves: What does small town FEEL mean?
•Slower pace.
•Conversation is more casual.
•People remember your name.
•People congregate in spots to chat.
•People go out of their way to help each other.
Then we follow up asking ourselves with...
•Who do we have to hire to deliver such a desirable atmosphere?
•How do we share that vision with them?
•What practice do we give them in that environment?
•How do we listen for whether we are delivering our ideal message and image?
•How do we deliver that same feeling to THEM—what does “small town feel” mean internally?
•How do we create an employer brand that will attract individuals who share these values and can “live” them – “walk the talk” with others?
By working strategically on the DELIVERY of the organizational brand, HR professionals hold a very important role in the organization. Employer brand commitment leads to employee engagement which leads to… better results for your brand, business and bottom line.
Snapshot of an Employer Brand—WestJet
“[Sustaining employee engagement] is simple but that doesn’t necessarily make it easy”
—Richard Bartrem, Westjet VP of Culture and Communications
It takes commitment and stamina to successfully execute an employer brand strategy. WestJet Airlines, acknowledged multiple times as one of Canada’s most-admired corporate cultures and inducted into Canada’s “Most Admired Corporate Cultures Hall of Fame”, has invested 14 years or more in the process of supporting and maintaining its corporate culture and high degree of employee engagement, both key factors in a strong employer brand.
WestJet believes you must formally plan to sustain engagement. They have a strategic plan around culture, a strategic plan around care and a strategic plan around communication.
How do engaged employees affect the employer brand and WestJet’s recruitment efforts? “Existing employees realize what a unique place it is to work, and they’re the ones who are out there saying to their friends that they should consider coming to work for us.” [1]
Take an assessment to evaluate the strength of your employer branding
Brett Minchington [2] provides an EXCELLENT assessment to gauge how well your current employer branding initiatives measure up against best practices. His assessment questions follow; Read his complete article here:
Answer yes or no to the following (yes = 1 point; no = 0 points)
1.We have developed an employer brand strategy
2.We have developed a social media strategy
3.We have at least two of the following working closely on our employer brand strategy – HR/Marketing/Communications/IT
4.Alignment to brand values is part of our performance management system
5.We have an active coaching and mentoring program in place to transfer knowledge and build internal capabilities
6.We have defined our employer brand metrics
7.We have conducted research to determine the perception current employees have about our company
8.We have conducted research to determine the perceptions prospective employees have about our company
9.We monitor what people are saying about our brand online
10.We have identified the leadership competencies we aspire employees at all levels to have
11.We have created a database of talented employees who we would like to hire when the time is right
12.We have a dedicated careers section on our corporate website
13.Managers have access to a leadership development program
14.We have defined our employer value propositions (EVPs)
15.We have reviewed our EVP’s in light of the Global Financial Crisis
16.We have an active employee referral program which we promote to staff and external stakeholders
17.We conduct an employee engagement, satisfaction and/or climate survey at least once per year
18.We participate in an external annual best employers and/or employer of choice survey
19.Each staff member has a documented career development plan that is reviewed at least annually
20.We use an IT system to automate our recruitment process and rank candidates against weighted criteria
