If you wonder what employer branding is, you have come to the right place.
It is an increasingly common term in the field of Human Resources. Companies are increasingly concerned with their image to their customers and their workers and the talent they could potentially recruit.
Through employer branding, companies work on their own perceived image in it. Faced with the marketing work involved in the idea for the client, employer branding is a job of the internal communication department and, above all, of the company’s Human Resources manager.
Table of Contents
What Is Employer Branding Labour?
Employer branding is the package of functional, economic and psychological benefits provided by the job and identified with the employing company.
Therefore, we can answer the question of employer branding, such as the benefits of working in a company, whether economic or otherwise, such as hours, flexible pay, vacations, work environment, etc.
This concept has been evolving in the last 30 years, and nowadays, it is also called this way the strategies for attracting and retaining talent by companies.
In the 70s, 50 years ago, the first studies on the matter emerged in the US that showed that the image projected by hospitals had a substantial impact on the retention rate of their workers.
Although the benefits of employer branding have been known for half a century, it was not until the last decade of the 20th century that conscious work began on it.
In Spain, however, we have to reach the first decade of the 21st century to find the first companies concerned about this aspect. In the last five years, it seems that the importance of loyalty of human capital is being more taken into account, with the rise of initiatives such as employee maps.
Five Benefits Of Employer Branding
Higher Talent Retention
Without a doubt, the most apparent benefit of having an employer branding strategy is the retention of talent. If employees are happy with the working conditions, they will have no reason to leave it.
One of the fundamental problems in many SMEs and multinationals is their retention rate. Employees go through there, gain experience and go to a company that offers better conditions.
Keep in mind that we are not always talking about salary. There are additional benefits such as flexible hours or benefit programs that do not cost the company money but can be essential for an employee to want to stay.
The flexible remuneration costs some money to the company, but the result is quite positive. The cost for the company is usually around 5% of the total amount, but all personal income tax is saved from the total amount.
If you get employees to be happy, they will speak well of the company, and they will work harder and, ultimately, you will achieve greater productivity.
Brand Ambassadors At No Cost
A happy employee becomes a perfect brand ambassador. He will speak well of society at all times and recommend his services to anyone who asks. Studies show that recommendations from family and friends are more critical than other prescribers such as influencers or traditional advertising.
If someone who works in a company -and is not the owner- tells us that they do an excellent job and have perfect conditions, the image that they are going to have of that company will be pretty positive. In addition, word of mouth does not end with the first contact, but those who know the employee will continue to talk about the company’s advantages.
And it is that even today, benefits programs in a company are still not standard and are usually part of the conversation.
Better Crisis Management
Regardless of its size, any company must face a crisis during the year. A dissatisfied customer, whether or not he is right, or any error when providing our service or selling our product, be it planning, suppliers, etc … can cause a crisis.
However, if the first impression they have had of us is positive, when criticisms of our company arrive, they will not have to transform their previous image. This is what in psychology is called instant evaluation. This instant evaluation goes deep inside us, and if it is optimistic, it will remain when the first criticisms of the business work arrive.
However, if the first information we receive is negative, transforming that image will cost more work. In case of a crisis, it will be impossible to reverse it in time.
Strengthening of Digital Identity
When a company has achieved that image of being in excellent condition, employees and acquaintances identify with the brand and defend it from social media criticism.
Social channels do not work so much at the sales or business level, but they are essential if concerned about reputation. When someone has a complaint, the first thing they do is post it on Facebook or Twitter. Knowing that there will be people who will defend your point of view is essential if we want to achieve the next issue.
Continuous Recruitment of Candidates
Last but not least, attracting talent is an excellent benefit of working on employer branding. Finding qualified and motivated employees to fill a position can be a big problem for many companies.
However, when employer branding works, finding people who want to join your company, whether or not they are working at the time, is much easier. In fact, in companies that work correctly in this aspect, it is expected that they do not need to publish job offers since enough candidates reach them without the need to advertise positions.
Also Read: Content Marketing on LinkedIn For Branding and Customer Acquisition
