We patronize brands that we trust. They impact our lives in more ways than one, and they impact those around us too.
The same goes for an employer brand. When there is an alignment or misalignment between the company’s employee promise and the employee experience, it impacts us in more ways than one. It also impacts the people around us. For instance, when you enjoy your work and you trust the people you work for, it impacts your confidence, creativity, and performance. Thus, it leads to better productivity, customer satisfaction, and overall business performance. And trust me, it will also impact your family and friends as they will most likely know whether you had a good day at work or otherwise.
A strong employer brand helps your employees to feel aligned with your company’s values and mission. It ignites a strong collective pride within the organization that drives people to do more – and to do it together.
So how does one create a successful and attractive employer brand?
Here are a few practical steps.
1. Articulate your Employee Value Proposition
What do you promise for your employees to experience throughout their employee lifecycle in your organization? What will make your employees, both new hires and tenured ones, excited, and motivated to go to work? Your Employee Promise or Employee Value Proposition (EVP) should articulate the unique set of benefits that your employees receive in return for their skills, capabilities, and experiences. This is more than their remuneration as it includes creating a sense of purpose for being a part of your organization, how they resonate with your company’s mission, vision, and values, and their valuable contribution to the wider community.
2. Create Trust and Build a Great Workplace Experience
At the core of a successful employer brand is a great employee experience. Great Place to Work®’s over 30 years of research shows that a great workplace is one where you trust the people you work for, enjoy the people you work with and have pride in the work that you do. The quality of relationships that your employees experience at work is crucial in creating that great workplace experience, and in validating your employer brand.
Intentional leadership is a key success factor. According to Great Place To Work® ASEAN INSIGHTS REPORT 2022, we found that companies, where leaders prioritized open communication and built a collaborative relationship with employees, had higher Trust Index scores. Specifically, leaders in these companies proactively sought employee suggestions and ideas through a variety of approaches and platforms that involved them in decision-making (especially around their jobs and work environment), were perceived as approachable, open to questions and willing to give straight answers. Also, we found out that the top three factors that contributed to Indonesia’s high-trust workplace cultures are Caring, Competence, and Communication.
Leaders in Best Workplaces™ are intentional in their efforts. They tend to have an overarching people-focused approach or philosophy which integrates these efforts and drives all their policies, programs, and practices. They monitor progress by keeping an ear to the ground and proactively tackling identified gaps.
3. Drive Meaningful Employer Branding Campaigns
Technology has empowered the current generation to influence and touch other people’s lives outside office walls and across continents. Social media is a powerful medium for visual storytelling. By asking willing employees to share honest testimonies, to highlight the company’s best performers or share virtual events through recruitment sites and social media platforms, candidates and stakeholders can get a front-row seat on your unique company culture.
Often, the Marketing team drives these campaigns using technology and various media platforms. Most stakeholders and jobseekers scope out workplace cultures through employer review sites or social media, so it is imperative to create a compelling, fun, and welcoming content online. With influencers on the rise, there is no need to look farther for one. Your employees who have experienced and validated your employer brand is the best brand ambassador there is!
4. Do a Frequent Brand Check
What do people think of when they hear your company name? What do your employees say about their work experience? What do recruiters experience when they represent your company to candidates? If you ask your employees’ friends, families, and network, would they want to work for your company? You must be in tune with the answers to these questions.
Find the pulse of your organization and how your employees associate with your company. Through employee feedback platforms like Emprising™ from Great Place to Work®, your organization can extract these important data in a fast, efficient, and customizable way.
As soon as you establish what is working for you and what is not, you would know where to focus your efforts to build a more ideal employer brand and create interventions for a better employee experience. Remember it is the voice of your employees that determine if your company is a great place to work, and it is they who validate your employer brand.
5. Get Recognized as a Great Workplace
Getting recognized as a top employer or an employer of choice elevates your company name among a sea of employers. Being Great Place to Work®-Certified™ brings you the gold standard of recognition which is recognized worldwide, and the process of being Certified is very easy and straightforward!
Earning recognition allows you positive brand exposure and create strong, lasting and meaningful connection with your audiences. So getting recognized is just not a pat on your back, it also translates to marketable gains.
Still not yet convinced? Read our blog on The Importance of Employer Branding
6. Enjoy the Benefits of a Great Employer Brand
Creating a strong employer brand is unique to every company. What’s important is to continually re-assess your employer brand and ensure that your employees have a healthy regard for the company they work for. The journey of being a great workplace is a continuous process with employee experience at its core. By being mindful of the relationships that we cultivate within, it should not be difficult to build and grow a community of brand champions.
