What is in it for me? It is not always what I want; it is also what I feel. What do I want from the workplace, what do I feel for the workplace. Employer branding is essentially a means to provide a successful and convincing answer to the question “What is in it for me?” I believe that it is the ability to attract new talent while retaining the existing by sharing the core values of the organisation, be it policies, practices or culture. It not only gives a clear idea about the organisation one wants to work for, but also benefits the organisation to attract the right talent which contributes to its constructive growth. So the million dollar question remains – will sharing practices alone help in positive growth?
Given the influx of younger generation and the demanding talent competition amongst them, employer branding is an inevitable resort. Today’s youth is keen on understanding what it is offered and also on sharing what it can give. Consequently, branding has to be reflective of real practices. With a robust employee value proposition, and a bridge of communication between the employer and the employee, the organisation will emerge at new heights.
In the rat race for talent, it is also important for an organisation to be seen as exclusive; willing to offer opportunities and take the extra step for its associates. It is important that the prospective or current associate understands this well, for it further enables the organisation to have culturally aligned prospective associates. In layman’s terms if one believes in the identity of the organisation, one will align quickly and will be more energised to operate. This facilitates a conducive work environment.
I have often seen organisations with good people practices, great sales wins, strong client bases, quality frameworks and a robust foundation of strategy get left in the dust. All these qualities only add to the appeal of the organisation but silence on the company’s behalf can have a negative outcome. Some fear they may come off as pompous, while others, flying high on positive revenue numbers follow the saying ‘let the chips fall where they may’.
By now if we have come to the agreement that employer branding is necessary, how do we really go about it? Attempts to go about this have often ended unsuccessfully because they are focused only on pure play HR offerings. I feel that today’s thinking associate wants to see end to end benefits of the organisation. This entails the following questions: What kind of opportunities are available? Will I have a malleable work-life balance? What kind of benefits and rewards would I be applicable for? How does the organisation stand in the market? How do the leaders really operate? Unless complete answers against such questions are doled out, it is difficult to establish a strong employer brand.
The second roadblock to creating a good brand is an essential communication framework. The communication framework design should contain all levels of the organisation and exploit various mediums including social media. However, one must not forget that while social media is accepted and propagated well, the usage and the repercussions of this medium have to be carefully thought through. We should also be weary of lavish embellishments on certain offerings, especially those without supporting practices/examples. The message and significance are hereby lost. Over communication may lead to loss of trust in the brand.
Another facet of employer branding is the leadership success stories and beliefs. When prospective/current associates are exposed to a work environment where the leader is able to promote the culture of the organisation, it instills confidence in them and in the company. A success story arising out of such talent practices not only becomes a motivating factor for current associates but also seen as a huge opportunity for a prospective associate.
While the aforementioned make a huge difference to the employer branding proposal, what also impacts it is the ‘associate speak’. While building such a proposal, it is of utmost help to conduct a survey to ascertain what the associates of the organisation believe in and what is good about the firm. One of the best results would be information derived from within the workforce itself. Associate testimonials are the easiest mode of confirmation. I once had the opportunity to interview a prospective associate wherein he was given the chance to ask me questions. His only request was to talk to a few associates in the organisation. As an HR professional, it was easy for me to put forward associate testimonials, but that is not what he was looking for. The prospective associate was looking at aligning his thoughts and ideologies to the way the organisation worked and preferred to hear it from the horse’s mouth. I was impressed and equally intrigued by this request and did honour it. Today he successfully runs a business unit.
Employer branding is the ‘real’ need for every organisation. The more quickly we evolve the model for our organisations, the more realistically will we be ‘the most sought after’ employer.
