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March 24, 2009

Down Economy Increases the Need for Employer Branding Best Practices

As external branding is critical to acquiring and retaining customers; internal branding is critical to the company in the marketplace for people. A well-known and respected brand is critical to durable success in any company as it lowers recruiting costs, increases employee retention, motivation and thus performance.  employerbranding

Employer Branding is achieved when your employees, candidates, partners/suppliers, customers, and the community view your business as a ‘Great Place To Work.’  Strong employer brands have defined and well-known employer value propositions ("EVPs") which are communicated in company actions and behaviors and evoke both emotive (e.g. I feel good about working here) and rational benefits (e.g. this organization cares about my career development). EVPs and Employer Brands are the attributes of the company culture that the organization wants to portray. A company’s employer brand is reflected in the actions and behaviors of leaders and in its company policies, programs, and initiatives. Your “EVP” determines to what extent you are a “Great Place to Work.”


Why is Employer Branding Important in Recessionary Times?

  1. Improve Morale Up in a Down Economy
  2. Implement Programs today that Will Retain Your Best Employees for Tomorrow
  3. Attract More than Your Fair Share of ‘A’ Players while spending less to find them.


What makes a Branded Employer a “Great Place to Work?”

Cultivating your Employer Brand is similar to cultivating and maintaining an external brand. The brand is defined by company, its values and its marketplace offerings and supported by daily activities and third party recognition. Below are some of the many elements that can be used to enhance an Employer Brand:

  1. Receive "Best" list recognition and awards. Your firm is awarded by local media, Business Journals, or national awards like Fortune Magazine or the Best Places to Work Institute. Here is an example of a firm being recognized for their health and wellness via “Sustainability Measures.”
  2. Improve Employee Referral Programs. Nearly 50% of prospective employees are referrals and another 25% of your applicants come from the top 5 most profitable firms in your industry and/or region.
  3. Generate positive name recognition in your community. When surveyed, the majority of people recognize and say positive things about your firm. Also, your firm is cited by name in major industry, business, and publications throughout the year.employerbrandingthebrandyou
  4. Implement a program that ensures former employees do/would return.
  5. Communicate constantly to ensure that employees send the "same" message. When your employees are asked "why the firm is a great place to work," there is a consistent and recurring message. 
  6. Low turnover rate of top performers. The turnover rate of your highest performing employees is below 5%.
  7. Careers page web hits are better than competitors or substitute employers. You get 50% more web hits on your careers or jobs page than the industry average.
  8. The company has published its mission, vision and goals and these elements of the business plan are well-known to prospective employees.
  9. The company offers fulfilling roles with career advancement.
  10. Compensation and benefits are aligned to the needs of the company so star performers are rewarded for achieving company objectives


Getting Started: Employer Branding Process 101 

  1. Employer Value Proposition Assessment
    • Create “Employer Branding Steering Committee” consisting of executive C-level sponsor, marketing, HR, operations, management and front-line employees
    • Conduct market and employee research analysis
    • Establish a baseline (benchmarks), goals, and measurements
  2. Action Plan (Roadmap for Employer Branding)
    • Create EVP positioning statement, mission,  messages, EVP guidelines, logo and tagline as necessary
    • Apply EVP brand to all internal and external communications
    • Create ongoing communications program
  3. Measure and Continuous Improvement
    • Check and evaluate progress regularly
    • Report on workforce and cultural measurements and indicators (this can be done via a low-cost tracking method like Excel or via a more holistic “Employee Engagement Solution”)
    • Examine and report on business impact
    • Adjust strategy and tactics as needed


For more information on employer branding best practices checkout the following sources:

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