It has been proven, by science and in practice, that the strength of an employer brand has a direct impact on attracting talent and that employees in companies with a better reputation are more dedicated and happier. The better the employer brand, the better candidates companies can attract and retain, the more the recruitment and marketing costs are reduced, and productivity increased.
People have a natural tendency to lean towards a certain business culture. Even before applying for a job, most people investigate the employer on social media platforms to get an impression of the company’s image and to get an idea of what to expect, and how they would fit the business culture. They are usually willing to accept lower salaries if the company in question has received favourable reviews and has a positive brand: they see it as a way to enhance their own personal brand. Consequently, employees are more likely to seek work in companies with a strong employer brand. Such employers achieve a competitive advantage, as they need to invest less into hiring.
Also, in companies with good reputations, where the employer’s brand is aligned with work experience, the employees themselves become advocates of the brand. The more the employees themselves spread positive information about your company, the better candidates you will attract. In addition, employees who work for well-known companies with good reputations tend to be more passionate and dedicated. This enhances the brand without the associated marketing costs because brand awareness is spread through word-of-mouth. Happy and productive employees lead to business growth.
Companies are, consequently, increasing their investments in employer branding. However, few have a real insight into the effectiveness of their efforts in this area.
Here, like elsewhere, measurement is the precondition for management.
As a result of a good employer brand, the rate of acceptance of jobs offered by the company increases. If this is not the case, it may indicate that candidates did not have a favourable experience during the recruitment process, that there were bottlenecks in the process, or that there is over-branding on the part of the company (when employer branding is overemphasized but does not correspond to the actual state of affairs in the company). Always seek feedback from candidates who went through the selection process, especially those who turned down your job offer. Discovering why you are not their first choice for a job and which companies they prefer could give a valuable insight into what needs to be improved with the company’s brand.
The value that a new employee contributes to your company is measured by the quality of employment. The quality of employment is the most valuable KPI of performance in employment, and it is very difficult to assess. Strong employer branding can be measured by the quality of employees. If your employer brand is well developed, your company will attract more quality candidates, increase workforce productivity and improve employee retention.
If your employees’ attrition rate increases, this may indicate that your employees are not engaged or do not consider you to be a trustworthy employer. They will leave at the first opportunity, and damage your company’s reputation with unfavourable reports. On the other hand, good employer branding will help employee retention, as they will want to work for your company.
The time you need to spend to hire talent can help you identify bottlenecks in your recruitment process, and serve as an indication of the strength of the company’s brand as that of a good employer. The better the employer brand, the more time you can dedicate to your employees and make their workplace desirable, instead of having to spend time and money on promotion. Investing in a company brand leads to greater interest and motivation of candidates. They will want to work for you, not for your competitors.
As mentioned above, employee recommendations are the best indicator of how strong your company’s employee brand is. They show whether your employees are willing to recommend working for your company to their friends, family, or to members of work-related networks. Employee recommendations are the best source of high-quality and low-cost employment. Engaged employees are more likely to give good ratings to companies through available evaluation channels. They are also likely to participate actively in employer marketing messages, such as work experience statements or other content on social media.
The external validation process through certification provides a good insight into the quality of the internal system, comparison with peer companies, and best practice benchmarking. If it also gives you feedback on employees’ experience, as MAMFORCE certification does, then a single process can provide you with a measurement of the efficacy of the processes, and the indication of the gaps to be addressed. External certification is also important because potential employees tend to take it into account when screening companies.
References:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/310546
https://www.fraserdove.com/measure-employer-brand