The Importance Of Employee Branding Is Increasing. Here Is Why

Recruiting is quite similar to sales. Talented candidates are your target demographic. And gainful employment at your company is the ‘product’. Completing a successful ‘sale’ in recruiting is much, much easier if you have a positive brand identity.

In the past, the main focus of HR was on employer branding, or how others perceive your organisation. But these days, you also need to look at employee branding. What is employee branding, and how is it different from employer branding?

Find answers to these questions and more in this article devoted to employee branding.

Employee Branding – A Relatively New Concept

Employee branding is all about turning your employees into powerful brand ambassadors. When your employees are happy, content, and fully in sync with your company culture, they become more engaged, motivated, and loyal.

Such employees turn into informal/unofficial spokespersons for your brand, talking positively about the organisation to their friends, family members, and through online forums to anyone who is interested in your company.

When you make a conscious effort to bring employees on board with the company culture and improve their overall experience at the organisation, you are indulging in employee branding.

Employee Branding Vs Employer Branding – What Is The Difference?

At first glance, there is no major difference between employee branding and employer branding. However, there are certain subtle differences between the two:

Control

Employer branding efforts are driven executives and the HR team. They decide which aspects of the organisation should be highlighted in job marketing campaigns. You can control the narrative and choose what to publish, where to publish, and how to publish.

Employee branding is a more organic process where you only have control over one half – in creating a positive workplace experience for your employees. It is up to them to decide if they want to share these experiences with others.

Organic Vs Paid

This is one of those areas where you can clearly see the parallels between sales/marketing and recruiting. You can always use testimonials and images of happy workers on your job postings and ad campaigns.

But that is not the same as having your employees become informal brand ambassadors on their own. The latter has a bigger impact, as it feels more authentic and real. Most people can discern the difference between a paid ad and a real testimonial.

Features Vs Experience

Employer branding is like a brochure that highlights the various features of a car. You might talk about the perks, technologies, inclusion, and career advancement opportunities.

Employee branding is like the actual experience of driving that car. It is the aggregate of all those features and how that translates into an actual living experience for an employee at your organisation.

Why Is Employee Branding Important?

In the past, a company didn't have to worry too much about things like workplace culture and employee experience. Social media and online platforms like Indeed have changed that. Even a single tweet or negative review by an individual can tarnish the reputation and brand image, a phenomenon that the Harvard Business Review calls ‘complaint publicisation’.

Employee branding can affect your HR managers and recruiters in the following ways:

Recruitment

Positive online reviews and employee comments improve the credibility of your employer branding efforts. Candidates are also checking out new metrics like Indeed’s Work Happiness Score to decide if a company is worth joining - a low happiness score can scare talent away from your organisation.

Employee Retention

When employees are happy and in-sync with the company culture and vision, they are less likely to quit. HR teams don't have to battle high attrition levels all the time. With poor employee branding, recruiting top talent will become harder, increasing costs and affecting overall productivity.

Building And Improving Employee Branding – Basic Steps

Creating willing and voluntary brand ambassadors out of your employees is not an easy task. It will take time, dedication, and considerable effort. But the pay-off makes it worth the investment. Here are some things you can do to create and sustain employee branding:

Company Value Proposition

Think of your organisation as the product. What value will an employee gain from working here? Along with the more obvious factors like salary and perks, also look at others like workplace culture, diversity, and career progression. Try to build a compelling ‘product’ to attract candidates.

Employee Experience

Ensure that the daily workplace experience for your employees is the best you can offer, right from onboarding. Address any pain points without delay. And pay attention to exit interviews – allow your employees to leave with a positive experience and they will continue to speak in good terms about your brand.

Communication

Keep your employees in the loop about the big picture – the vision, policies, and the current status of the company. Effective communication is critical, particularly when there are major changes in the workplace. Ensure that feedback loops exist so that employee voices are heard by the leadership.

Employee Appreciation

Be fair and provide appropriate bonuses and rewards to your staff when they perform exceptionally well. Even simple praises and workplace awards can boost morale and make the employees feel that they are valued.

Recruitment And HR Are The Cornerstones Of Employee Branding

With ‘the Great Resignation’, candidates are increasingly pre-occupied with factors like work-life balance and workplace culture. They are more likely to be swayed by positive employee branding efforts on social media and job platforms.

Through efficient recruitment, you can ensure that the new arrivals are a good fit for the organisation. If you hire the right people and deploy the optimal HR policies, employee branding will become like second nature.