2. Autumn : 2015 : 01
EMPLOYER BRANDING
SUCCESSFUL COMPANIES HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR BRAND IDENTITY: HOW THEY ARE
PERCEIVED, WHAT IS BEING SAID ABOUT THEM AND HOW THAT INFLUENCES CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR.
In 2014, not only did companies
spend $545.4 billion on paid brand
advertising globally (doubling the
spend rate from the year before)1
,
but the top 100 most profitable
companies in world directly correlate
with the most recognised brands,
suggesting a strong link between
corporate brand and the bottom line.2
With the increasing importance
of social media, individuals too
are becoming concerned with
brand – their own. More than 259
million people are now members of
LinkedIn and 1.1 billion people are
on Facebook. Annually, 570 million
blogs are posted and 41 billion
comments tweeted. Individuals are
increasingly generating content and
discussion to raise their own profile,
to network and to demonstrate skill
and knowledge.3
Branding is clearly
big business.
Setting
the scene
The sum of a company’s efforts to
attract, engage and retain talent =
your reputation as an employer.
Despite the relentless and expensive
branding of companies, products and
ourselves, many organisations have little
focus on effectively branding themselves
as employers. Recent US research has
found that only 51% of companies have
an employer brand strategy in place,
with evidence suggesting the focus slips
further during times of downturn. In
Australia, only 17% of organisations have
a defined employer branding strategy.4
The key purpose of the employer brand
is to attract, engage and retain talent –
those skills, knowledge and behaviours
that will result in performance,
profitability and a positive reputation.
With renowned companies like Google,
Microsoft, Rio Tinto and Accenture
proving that a strong employer brand
places you firmly on desired employer
rankings5
why then aren’t more
companies concerned about employer
branding as a key business driver?
Engaging a diverse and talented
workforce relies on an organisation
understanding the difference between
brand and the employee value
proposition (EVP) – and the ability to
successfully leverage both. In simple
terms, EVP is the reality of the employer
offer, and the brand is how this message
is communicated.
With seven in ten people stating they
would like to work in an industry
other than their current one, how can
organisations differentiate through
their employer brand and EVP to attract
not only industry-specific talent, but
those that might never have heard of, or
considered them as a future employer?6
Here, we explore the importance of
employer branding to organisations,
together with strategies to identify,
market and measure the value
proposition to improve your
competitive advantage in attracting
and retaining talent.
259 million members
41 billion comments
tweeted anually
1.1 billion members
blogs 570 million
blogs posted
3. Autumn : 2015 : 02
EMPLOYER BRANDING
Why all the fuss? BY 2020, THE WORKPLACE WILL BE THE MOST DIVERSE THE WORLD
HAS EVER SEEN.
Multiple generations working
together will bring different skills,
experiences, habits and motivations,
to freelance, permanent, and long
and short term contracts, whether
they work in the office, from home
or remotely.7
In today’s workforce, people are
increasingly mobile, able to easily and
frequently change jobs and locations.
Talent is consistently tracked,
headhunted and approached for new
opportunities by proactive companies.
For HR and recruitment professionals,
it can be a constant and unrelenting
challenge to define the magic formula
that attracts and retains skills.
According to a recent global survey,
most companies are under prepared
to capitalise on current and future
changes to workforce demographics.
Businesses are struggling to
manage talent, cultivate leadership,
encourage learning and understand
their employees.8
Not only are they
11
finding it difficult to manage change,
but to understand and effectively
market a compelling employer brand
that resonates.
Recent LinkedIn data provides
compelling reasons why the employer
brand is becoming critical as a key
business strategy:9
Although 77% of Australian talent
acquisition leaders say employer
brand has a significant impact on
their ability to hire talent, Australian
companies are not the most proactive
when it comes to making employer
brand a business priority.10
Finding new ways to engage with
an increasingly diverse workforce
will become critical in the
competition for - and retention
of – talent, as organisations face up
to fierce global competition in local
markets, skill shortages and tough
economic climates.
4. Autumn : 2015 : 03
EMPLOYER BRANDING
The inside
out approach
INTERNAL BRANDING
With only 39% of individuals recently surveyed indicating they are satisfied
with their job overall, how do organisations build a workforce and brand
that meets future business needs in an environment of low level employee
longevity and loyalty?12
Effective employer branding works on the inside out principle. Your value
proposition – those elements that together create the sum of your brand – must
be defined, articulated and well understood within your organisation first, before
you communicate with the external market. Leadership, company vision, values
and a culture that are strong enough to achieve a high level of engagement
can profoundly influence an employee’s willingness to positively promote
the organisation among their networks. As a starting point, Bob Kelleher,
employment branding author, recommends asking four simple questions:
• Why do people stay with your company?
• Why do people want to work for your company?
• Who are your stars?
• What are the common behaviours and traits that they possess?
By defining the common attributes of the top 10% of your workforce and/
or identifying the common attributes of your most engaged employees, you
can quickly uncover a common set of value-based behaviours and traits for
your company.13
ADOPTING A STRATEGIC APPROACH ACROSS THE TOTAL EMPLOYEE
LIFECYCLE WILL ENSURE THE PROMISES MADE BY YOUR COMPANY’S
BRAND ARE AUTHENTIC AND DELIVERED AT EVERY STAGE.
Whilst these questions offer an introduction to EVP, and likely insights into
brand attributes from an HR and frontline management perspective, conducting
a regular employee engagement survey will provide the robust data required to
not only understand your company brand attributes from the workforce’s point
of view, but the degree of employee engagement. Consistent measurement will
provide valuable insights in to retention issues and trends.14
By linking engagement survey results to HR and recruitment plans, and
correlating results with HR metrics such as turnover, absenteeism, productivity,
recruitment costs and quality of hire, performance ratings and safety
incidences, you can strategically align employee engagement initiatives and
performance metrics.
The culture, size, employee profile and even geographical location of your
organisation will dictate the format and content of a survey. Some organisations
opt for annual all-in surveys, others for focus groups or monthly pulse surveys.
Irrespective of your approach, consistently communicate and use every
opportunity, touch point and channel to reinforce the company’s vision,
value proposition, values and culture. When employees are asked to share
their opinion, they expect action to follow. HR has a key role in coaching line
managers to take that accountability and lead by example to integrate employee
engagement fully into the ‘way we do business’.15
Measuring employee
engagement
5. Autumn : 2015 : 04
EMPLOYER BRANDING
A recent Gallup survey of 3,000 randomly selected workers indicated that only
41% knew what their company stood for and what made its brand different
from its competitors. More than half of those surveyed therefore, were not fully
aware of their company’s brand positioning and differentiation.16
How can employees be ambassadors for the corporate brand if they aren’t clear
about what it is? An organisation must educate employees on the brand, and its
leaders must live the brand so they can drive the culture and lead by example.
Consider this: If an organisation says it values collaboration and mutual respect,
but the CEO is rarely visible, only appearing to tell them what’s happening in
the business once a year, how can employees throughout the organisation be
expected to live the brand and believe in the EVP?
The most crucial element in creating an engaged workforce is leadership.
Managers and leaders should know their people – who they are, not just what
they do. Manager interactions therefore, have the potential to significantly
affect level of engagement and morale and leaders must set this tone at the
senior level. By including performance measures like employee engagement and
retention/turnover in performance expectations for managers, and ensuring that
managers are empowered to identify barriers to engagement and opportunities
to effect positive change, it’s logical to expect that improved performance,
business innovation, and better workplace experiences will result.
In order to articulate EVP, employees and leaders must be able to answer these
basic, but critical questions:
• What makes this a great place to work?
• What is the value proposition for a new employee?
• What is our business vision and purpose?
• What type of skills do we need to deliver on this vision and purpose?
• What resources do we offer to develop skills and talent?
• What are our social media policies in relation to employee conduct online
where the organisation is referenced, mentioned, represented or identified?17
To ensure your employees are positive brand ambassadors, you may need to
conduct a review of the verbal, visual and symbolic communication within
the organisation. Are all three areas in line with the value proposition and
brand intent?
The inside
out approach
INTERNAL BRANDING
WHAT ARE THE INTERNAL TOUCH POINTS WITH THE EMPLOYER BRAND?
Understand the key touch points of the employee life cycle where the employee
interacts with brand elements: Messaging must be consistent and reinforced
across all touch points, which requires all areas of HR to understand the brand
and partner with their frontline leaders.
EXIT
PROCESS
HIRING
PROCESS
POLICY &
EMPLOYEE
BENEFITS
INTERNAL
PROMOTION &
MOBILITY
WELFARE &
SAFTEY
ONBOARDING
& INDUCTION
TRAINING
PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT
Reviewing how EVP
is articulated inside
the organisation
6. Autumn : 2015 : 05
EMPLOYER BRANDING
The inside
out approach
INTERNAL BRANDING
Whilst the audience is different, it is important that the message given
externally does not provide a misleading or false perception of your employer
brand, particularly if it’s going to be tested through customer, supplier or
colleague interaction.
According to the 2013 Edelman Trust Barometer, employees rank higher in public
trust than a company’s PR department, CEO or founder. In fact, 41% believe that
employees are the most credible source of information regarding a business.18
When the public interacts with an employee, anything and everything the
PR department or CEO has said or marketed is put to the test. The brand,
whether corporate (for the consumer) or employer (for potential talent), is no
longer about the message the organisation controls, but rather the authentic
experience it delivers.
HOW CAN YOU PROMOTE POSITIVE BRAND ALIGNMENT INTERNALLY?
DO THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL BRAND EXPERIENCE ALIGN?
Positive brand alignment within your organisation can be achieved by sharing
success stories, project wins and thought leadership with your existing employees
through various channels, in line with your company vision, values and strategy.
7. Autumn : 2015 : 06
EMPLOYER BRANDING
Ss Bb X Y
WHEN IT COMES TO EXTERNALLY MARKETING THE EMPLOYER BRAND,
YOU HAVE ONE AUDIENCE – THE POTENTIAL EMPLOYEE, EVEN IF THEY
HAVE NEVER CONSIDERED YOU AS A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER.
Potential employees may be friends,
family or colleagues of existing
or previous employees, suppliers
or simply members of the public
who see, read or engage with
your company’s brand. In many
organisations, every customer is
a potential candidate, and every
candidate a potential customer.
Within this market however, you
are likely to have segments. Most
organisations will hire for a myriad of
different roles, usually across different
disciplines, geographical locations
and levels. How you market to, and
interact with these different segments
is important. Consider not only which
disciplines and locations you need to
target, but the motivations associated
with each generation. For example,
59% of entrants into the workforce
are millennials: a generation raised
on digital and interactive media, which
is a key reason why mass and traditional
employer branding marketing can easily
fail to capture this demographic.19
There is not always a one-size-fits-all
approach to marketing your brand if
you are serious about engaging with
talent. What could be the aspects
of your EVP that a student will want
to hear about when considering
your graduate program, versus the
information that is important to
a new parent looking to return to
work? Where might you reach a 30
year engineering industry veteran as
opposed to a niche IT specialist?
Consider your various touch points
for each candidate type. These might
include your company’s website and
its career pages, the applicant tracking
system (ATS) or candidate relationship
management (CRM) channel, the
organisation’s Twitter account, or
LinkedIn company or employee
profiles. Press releases, conferences,
product launches, sponsorships,
community events, conferences,
career fairs, discussions with previous
and current employees, day-to-day
customer or supplier interactions,
and most importantly, the hiring
process, are all channels through
which the employer brand can be
communicated and reinforced.
By identifying, producing and
sharing information that is tailored
to the specific audience segments,
you build credibility, transparency,
authenticity and a level of
engagement that is more personal
and targeted, rather than mass
produced and potentially irrelevant.
Marketing the employer brand
does not need to be an expensive
exercise and it does not need HR
professionals to retrain as marketers.
Simply repurposing what you have
and maximising contact points will
reap significant rewards. Work with
your marketing department or PR
company to identify what your
organisation already has that can be
built on, or developed, easily. These
might include online videos, CEO
The inside
out approach
EXTERNAL BRANDING
presentations, case studies, how-to
guides, product demonstrations,
corporate social responsibility (CSR)
reports, industry published works
and annual reports. By distributing
and personalising content relative to
your market segments, you increase
the visibility of information and
create further awareness of your
employer brand. Passive candidates
and those who may not consider your
company as a potential employer will
be exposed to relevant and appealing
information that will drive traffic to
your website and assist with soliciting
applications from relevant candidates.
Segmenting the market
Baby Boomers
Ss Bb X Y
Silver Surfer Gen X Gen Y
8. Autumn : 2015 : 07
EMPLOYER BRANDING
The inside
out approach
EXTERNAL BRANDING
Prior to the advent of the internet and social networking platforms, finding out what others knew about an employer and comparing stories was much more
difficult, but today it’s standard practice for job hunters to use online networks and resources. Like it or not, if you want to influence talent, you must become
an expert in authenticity.
The following factors will significantly add to the credibility and authenticity of your talent acquisition messages.
These are short but powerful stories about the experiences
of individual employees that bring to life the possible
experiences a new employee might someday encounter.
Stories that highlight how the entry-level, graduate or long-
term worker becomes successful within the organisation
are especially impactful as is a ‘day in the life of’ view –
anything that provides a look-in at what it is like to work
for your organisation. This is particularly important for a
more mobile workforce considering international moves
and changes in industry.
It’s typical for organisations to include a statement on job
ads that they offer ‘outstanding career development’. This
is essentially a moot point: What does ‘outstanding career
development’ mean exactly? Instead, think about how you
can demonstrate this fact with data. Consider a company
that filled 40% of their vacancies with internal candidates
who were moved globally: What a powerful demonstration
of outstanding career development. ‘We fill nearly 50% of
all vacancies with internal hires moved globally’ rather than
‘we offer outstanding career development’: For a candidate,
this is a far more impressive statement.
Candid blogs written by your ‘average employee’ can
be a major contributor to authenticity if they are not
edited or censored in any way. Blogs that include personal
experiences and stories, even with negative elements, are
the most powerful and likely to be read. Organisations in
the US like Zappo’s, Microsoft and Google do this very
well. In Australia, companies like Accenture and Santos
continue to experiment and evolve in this space.
Providing an opportunity to challenge a message or
to ask specific questions builds authenticity because it
adds two-way communication and it demonstrates an
organisation’s responsiveness. This could be as simple
as having an existing team member monitoring and
responding to comments on your company LinkedIn page,
or require more resources like to having an authorised
spokesperson dedicated to posting, monitoring and
responding across all channels.
Even though it will make some HR professionals nervous,
it is appropriate to occasionally use natural language and
words in your messages. Candidates will respond more
positively to messages which are less on ‘marketing speak’
and more on informality and approachability.
Very few people relish a job search, so organisations that go
out of their way to provide company-specific information
on what exactly what to expect, what they’re looking for
and frequently asked questions quickly earn authenticity
points. Generic information and tips add little value to
job seekers.
Dynamic, authentic and original content on digital platforms significantly increases the visibility of your company in search engine returns. In other words, the more
content posted by your company on respectable industry websites, the greater the probability of articles or content featuring on the first page of search engine results
when people are seeking information about your jobs, industry and company. This is a highly effective way of driving traffic to your company career page.
Authenticity in
employer brand
9. Autumn : 2015 : 08
EMPLOYER BRANDING
The inside
out approach
EXTERNAL BRANDING
Other low-cost tactical options to implement as part of your EVP strategy and
to enhance your employer brand include:
TARGETED CAREER LANDING PAGES— Surveys show that candidates want
as much information as possible about a company, the job, terms and conditions
and work environment in order to make an informed decision to apply. Whilst
general branding is helpful, more specific information on a purpose-built landing
page will provide candidates with expanded and relevant detail. A careers
landing page also provides your company with an opportunity to promote
events in a particular discipline area, such as roadshows, career information
sessions and other industry events that company employees may be attending
or presenting at.
If you can’t do this as part of your permanent career website, consider the
approach for campaign or bulk hiring initiatives. Chevron Australia, for example,
has three separate landing pages, one each for graduate and vacation, operations
and professional jobseekers.
CANDIDATE SURVEY— Conducting a brief survey of successful and
unsuccessful candidates is a low cost initiative that will capture data on the
real and perceived EVP elements that prompt applications. This information
can be used to:
• formulate key marketing messages
• develop content to expand on elements of high appeal, by audience segment
• correlate with your company’s brand values
• design employment marketing and branding messages aligned to discipline and
industry preferences
• better understand where to target advertising spend specific to each
discipline group
• place job adverts for maximum impact
• improve the recruitment process and candidate experience.
KEEP IN TOUCH PROGRAM— From job offer to start date, delays in the
recruitment process can occur, be it due to notice periods, changes to budgets
or candidate relocation.
Implementing measures to remain in consistent contact with candidates
assists with onboarding and reduces the risk of counter offers, both from the
candidate’s current employer and from a competitor organisation.
This same approach can be used effectively to engage with candidates, keeping
them informed until the right role becomes available. Candidate management
software, often available as a module of existing applicant tracking systems, can
support and automate elements of this approach.
POST-OFFER WELCOME— According to research, the first and last touch
points of the hiring experience are the two which create a lasting impression of
the entire process.
By implementing simple measures such as:
• the hiring manager calling to congratulate and welcome the
successful candidate
• assigning a buddy to keep in contact, answer any questions and provide an
insight into what to expect
• pre-start team interaction
you are creating a positive end-to-end hiring experience.
Enhancing your brand
10. Autumn : 2015 : 09
EMPLOYER BRANDING
The inside
out approach
EXTERNAL BRANDING
INCREASING REFERRALS— Referrals are a highly effective way to identify
potential candidates from existing employee networks, especially when
recruitment timeframes are tight. Benefits include an improved candidate ‘fit’, as
the referrer knows the type of individual who will work well in your workplace.
It can lead to a greater source of candidates which can improve the time to hire
and cost of recruitment. Studies indicate that referral hires have a 25% higher
retention rate than other types of hires.
Some organisations like to have a structured program that offers a financial
reward for successful referrals, whilst others prefer a more organic or informal
approach. The more engaged a workforce is, the greater their willingness to refer
without the need for financial reward.
As well as encouraging referrals from existing employees, seek referrals from
employees who are new to your company: New starters will be motivated and
positive about the organisation and could offer leads to other people from
relevant disciplines. In 2014, Harrier recruited 40% of the employees for its RPO
solution at Coles through employee referrals.
NEWSLETTERS— Sending out newsletters to potential candidates will allow
them to keep updated with what is happening at your company. To remain
competitive, communication with candidates needs to move away from the
generic approach typically deployed, and to focus on the specific elements that
will appeal to each individual discipline area. Your company’s value proposition
can be demonstrated through stories in the newsletter.
By providing additional information through updated newsletters, candidates
will be more aligned and have a better understanding of the company before
deciding to join. Newsletters can be used as part of a Keep in Touch or alumni
program as well as enhancing a company’s website or social media presence.
WEBINARS— A webinar is an online seminar that users can access by registering
to attend. A webinar offers data streams of text-based messages, voice and video
chat to be shared simultaneously, across geographically dispersed locations. This
digital channel offers a highly effective opportunity to communicate on general
topics, such as working conditions and benefits to more specific topics relating
to projects, products, locations and jobs.
As a webinar can be recorded, the session can also be both promoted and shared
through LinkedIn groups, your career website, YouTube and other industry
specific websites.
Webinars can be highly effective when used for bulk or campaign recruitment
such as graduate and vacation employment.
ALUMNI— An alumni initiative is intended to encourage high performing
ex-employees back into your business. The initiative should aim to engage key
talent (from specific disciplines and/or with hard-to-source skills) with targeted
communication, information and invitations to lodge an application against
suitable vacancies.
This approach is useful when used in conjunction with exit surveys to
understand why an employee left, and to address how this has changed.
Enhancing your brand
11. Autumn : 2015 : 10
EMPLOYER BRANDING
Building the
business case
GIVEN THE CRITICALITY OF BOTH EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND
EMPLOYER BRAND ON A COMPANY’S BOTTOM LINE, TARGETED
INVESTMENT IN UNDERSTANDING AND EXECUTING STRATEGIES TO
ELEVATE BOTH WILL REAP REWARDS.
Correlating the HR strategy with the organisational strategy is the foundation
of any business case for enhanced branding. It’s important to understand the
business drivers that will determine HR’s focus – this might include the need to
build capability in certain skill sets due to product and service changes, growth
or expansion plans and the workforce planning required to achieve this. How
will these drivers impact your need to build or enhance your employer brand in
a new vertical, market or employee skill base, or in response to new competitors
entering the market, or changing market economics?
Any business case you’re making for enhancing employer brand, internally or
externally, must include:
• Your current strategy, budget and measures.
• How HR metrics such as turnover, absenteeism and hiring cost data
demonstrate that there is currently low employee engagement/ engagement
with your brand, or room for improvement.
• Qualitative data such as candidate feedback or exit interview feedback.
• The degree of employee advocacy; how are employees representing
your organisation? What are they saying? A number of applications can
measure employee advocacy: SocialLook Leaderboard, for example, bases
its measurements on Twitter accounts where individuals’ bios specifically
mention working for a particular company. Glassdoor and Google alerts will
offer similar information on what is being said about an organisation, by whom
and on a specific platform, daily.25
• Proposed solutions to your employer branding issues including:
• How the improvements to internal and external engagement with the
brand will be measured: How will you demonstrate that your enhancements
have achieved their aim? Measures might include improvements in HR
metrics, higher numbers of views of branding content, an increase in
employee referrals, consistent attendance at company events or webinars,
successful returns of alumni to your business and positive changes to net
promoter scores.
o Utilising what already exists, how and through what internal and
external channels
o Leveraging free/low cost technology and applications such as
LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Sites such as Buffer.
com enable you to link all company social media accounts on one
platform and to schedule content as often and as far in advance as
you determine.
o Implementing high touch, low cost initiatives such as
webinars, ‘staying in touch’ programs, newsletters and employee
referral programs.
12. Autumn : 2015 : 11
EMPLOYER BRANDING
Building the
business case
Whether your organisation is large or small, the following commercial reasons could
help convince your leadership to support enhanced investment in employer branding:
Publicly traded organisations that achieve the top decile in employment engagement
outperform their competitors by 147%20
.
Companies with a highly engaged workforce are 22% more profitable21
.
A recent study conducted by UK supermarket Sainsbury’s found that the lowest performing
25% of stores could reduce waste by nearly 10% by enhancing employee engagement22
.
Disengaged employees are 3.6 times more likely to leave your organisation23
.
Research indicates it costs about one-fifth of an employee’s salary to replace that employee.
Not only do employers have to invest time and money in hiring and onboarding replacement
workers, but it takes time for new hires to reach the level of performance and productivity
that their predecessors maintained.
Using an online engagement calculator like Officevibe’s Employee Engagement Return
on Investment Calculator, will enable you to quickly calculate the cost of your company’s
turnover, absenteeism and hiring costs.
Data quoted in The Economist in 2014 suggests that effective EVP management can bring
tangible benefits, including a 20% increase in the pool of potential workers, a four-fold
increase in commitment among employees and a 10% decrease in payroll costs24
.
Research conducted over the last decade shows that engaged employees are safer.
A Gallup study found that companies that had high employee engagement were almost 50%
less likely to suffer workplace incidents or injuries.
Research conducted by the SHRM Foundation found that engaged employees are five times
less likely than non-engaged employees to have a safety incident and seven times less likely to
have a lost-time safety incident25
.
High absenteeism is a strong reflection of a lack of employee engagement. In 2014, over 88
million days were lost to the Australian economy due to absenteeism, at a cost of $27.5 billion
per annum in sick leave costs and lost productivity.
Organisations who participated in the Absence Management Survey indicated the cost to
their business was $2,741 per employee per annum.
13. Autumn : 2015 : 12
EMPLOYER BRANDING
In the last decade, the service
industries of retail, hospitality, tourism
and health/aged care have overtaken
Australia’s more traditional industries
in the primary and secondary sectors,
driving the demand for knowledge
capital, intellectual property, customer
service and technology skills.26
A
company’s ability to compete and
thrive then is largely dependent on
its greatest resource: people. A highly
engaged workforce – particularly
in a tough economic climate - will
deliver performance, profitability
and a positive culture; employees
will be naturally compelled to share
their employer satisfaction with
customers, suppliers, friends and
family, all of whom are potential
employees. A positive employer brand
will also impact consumer behaviour;
Reaping the
rewards
if customers perceive that you treat
your employees well, they are more
likely to engage with your business.
With the changing nature of the
workforce, attracting and retaining
talent is a relentless challenge. Add to
this the increased global penetration
faced by many Australian industries,
and distinguishing yourself from the
competition by communicating your
vision, promoting your strengths and
confirming values becomes a critical
business driver.
As some areas of Australia enter
tougher economic conditions,
recruitment is dwindling,
redundancies are being made and
candidates are flooding the market.
In some industries, such as mining,
“An employer brand cannot be created.
It can only be revealed.
Tell the story of your culture as it exists.”27
Bryan Chaney
EMPLOYER BRANDING EXPERT
oil and gas and agriculture, the
demand for new and niche skills is
affecting operational efficiency, in
addition to restricting growth and
innovation. Either way, the clear
and targeted articulation of a strong
employer brand across each stage
of the employee lifecycle is critical
in establishing your organisation
as an employer of choice, and in
ensuring you reach and engage with
the talent needed to achieve your
organisational objectives.
This takes investment: In leadership,
processes and branding - all areas
that HR can drive within their
organisations. How are you
influencing and supporting
the multiple elements of your
employer brand?
14. Autumn : 2015 : 13
EMPLOYER BRANDING
1 ‘Global Ad Spending Growth to Double this Year’, e-marketer.com 2014, http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Global-Ad-Spending-Growth-Double-This-Year/1010997
2 ‘The World’s Most Valuable Brands’, 2014, Forbes, http://www.forbes.com/powerful-brands/list/
3 Tolan J, 2014, ‘Make Them Want You: The Importance of Employer Branding’, http://www.businessinsider.com/make-them-want-you-the-importance-of-employer-branding-2014-9
4 ‘Annual Research: Content Marketing Budgets, Benchmarks and Trends’, Content Marketing Institute, 2014, http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/research/
5 ‘Australia’s most sought after companies to work for’, 2013, news.com.au, http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/australias-most-soughtafter-companies-to-work-for/story-
fnda1bsz-1226748748562
6 Stefanac N, 2014, ‘2014 Market Highlights and Key Trends that affect Recruiters’, SEEK presentation
7 ‘Workforce 2020 Executive Summary’, SuccessFactors 2014, http://www.successfactors.com/content/dam/successfactors/en_us/resources/white-papers/sap-workforce2020-executive-summary.pdf
8 Ibid.
9 ‘Five Steps to Boosting your Talent Brand through Content’, LinkedIn Talent Solutions whitepaper, 2014, https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/c/14/7/content-marketing-guide-for-talent-
acquisition
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