Employer branding is focused on building the brand name of the organisation as a preferred employer on the job market. Just as in corporate branding where the focus is on customer value proposition, here the focus would be on employee value proposition.
In this role HR professionals and managers need to think like marketers and know how to develop and market what the organisation offers to potential talent as well as current. They also strive to create identity and manage the company image in its role as an employer. The brand becomes a collection of ideas and beliefs that influence the way the current and potential employees view an organisation. It is also about communicating the employer’s culture and values and helping to ensure that employees are passionate about them and fit with them. It is the promise that customers associate with the experience, value and quality of the services extended by the organisation.
As a discipline employer branding has its roots in marketing as well as the HR principles. The strategic thrust of this new intervention is to develop an image of the organisation as an employer of best choice in the minds of existing and potential employees as well as other stakeholders. Through employer branding HR tries to develop emotional link with employees.
How then are HR professionals brand ambassador in organisations?
For people who like to see the world in boxes, Human Resources management is merely and remain a tool for ensuring a good flow of talent into the company and have little bearing on the brand. However, a closer look at the interconnected aspects of branding will prove that Human Resources management is key in the organisation branding. The traditional roles of ensuring compliance with labour laws and employment ethics remain but, now under the new mandate to ensure that people in the organisation are in sync with the brand image and values of the establishment and also reflect it externally.
It is now the role of HR and management to make an organisation a desirable place to work and elevate the brand from its competitors. HR has to ensure that their organisations consistently evolve to satisfy a change in brand strategy or business goals as they align the HR strategy with the business marketing strategy.
The following HR facets; organisational reputation, integrity, culture, recruitment, orientation, pay and benefits work-life balances, leadership and management, performance management and growth and development impact the employer brand. Branding itself has a magnetic effect. The manner in which an organisation handles recruitment from advertising channels used, the interview atmosphere, who, how and when we communicate the outcome of the process all feed into the employer brand. By being the vanguard of an organisation’s culture through instilling the right values in employees and bringing them in sync with the organisational values and beliefs, HR professionals determine the continuity of the organisation brand at every level. This ensures that each employee becomes the brand ambassador of the organisation.
There is a saying that organisations should look after their employees who will in turn automatically look after the customers and maintain the brand value. Employer’s reputation therefore, also comes from other stakeholders’ experience with employees.
When HR recommends the adoption of employee friendly measures like flexible timings, working from home options, employee awareness programs, to make working more amenable and an exciting experience for employees these initiatives help in building a strong employer brand. Organisations that take lead in adopting such friendly measures will automatically rank higher on employee preference and will have better retention results. Think of the development sector/ international organisations, they generally tend to offer more perks, international exposures, vast learning and development opportunities and rank among the highest preferred employers despite short term contracts they offer in general. When one weighs the benefits and costs, they always see more benefits for working in these organisations. Happy employees translate into brand ambassadors for such organisations thus compelling more talented individuals to join them. HR role in such organisations is to drive the consistent, distinct and deeply held values of the work culture. Organisations that are responsive to employees needs and have defined organisational culture have a higher chance of being branded favourably compared to those that leave an employee asking what is it in it for me? Globally, many organisations use employer HR branding as a bait for attracting and retaining talent.
While HR has this strategic role, it also requires its professionals have what is known as employer intelligence. This is the ability of a company to respond to the changing needs of the talent market and not only of the current employees. The role involves reviewing the company’s annual position as an employer of choice by engaging in comparator surveys as well as participating in employer of best choice surveys to understand what aspects the current and potential labour market will be looking for.
In conclusion, organisations stand to benefit from building strong employer brands which as highlighted above have a direct impact on the corporate brand.
Emmanuel Jinda is the Managing Consultant of PROSERVE Consulting Group, a leading supplier of Professional Human Resources and Management services locally, regionally and internationally. He can be contacted at Tel: 263 773004143 or 263 242 772778 or visit our website at www.proservehr.com