The 4 employer branding trends that you should follow

Still looking for those perfect colleagues to join your team? Even though you may have put a lot of effort into fun recruitment campaigns, the results can still be disappointing. This is because more than 50% of companies are also actively engaged in employer branding. But how do you really set up a successful employer branding strategy? And what does it need to stand out from competitors?

Covid 19 has accelerated the digital aspect of employer branding. The ability to conduct online job interviews suddenly became a must and even remote onboarding became a thing HR managers had to learn to deal with.

This also caused companies to focus even more on their online presence and how to differentiate it from competitors. So HR and Marketing managers, it is more than time to join hands and team up in the war for talent!

By incorporating the following elements into your employer branding strategy you will be one step ahead of many competitors:

1. Employer Value Proposition

EVP, or employer value proposition is a promise you make as an employer to your current and potential employees. The evp tells something more about the employee value you offer. What do (potential) employees gain from working for your company? Often, the company's values are clearly stated in it. It acts as a magnet to attract new employees but equally helps keep current employees on board.

To build a strong evp, it is important to do some self-examination and communicate with your current team. What do they think is important? What convinced them to start at your company someday? Where can you make a substantial difference compared to competitors?

There is no point in pretending the evp is better than it really is. Be honest and credible. Are you a company that offers an average market wage? Then there is no point in going all out with this. If, on the other hand, you invest heavily in the health of your employees by, for example, providing exercise facilities, an ergonomic work environment, etc., then you should in fact go all out. This can be a distinguishing factor with respect to many competitors who, for example, pay slightly higher wages but attach little importance to the health of their employees. If your employer brand is robust, authentic and honest, then it will serve well in attracting the right talent.

Companies who have a strong company culture have an advantage when it comes to creating an evp. An example of a good EVP is for instance the one of Strava: “ You will engage in interesting and challenging work that will improve the lives of our athletes. And in the same way that Strava is deeply committed to unlocking the potential of our athletes, we are dedicated to providing a world-class workplace where our employees can grow and thrive.”

2. Employee well being

Through an employee well-being strategy, an approach is developed to make the workplace a pleasant, and healthy place for employees.

Employers are paying much more attention than in the past to the well-being and health, both physical and mental, of their employees. This is reflected in initiatives such as healthy snacks at work, flexible working hours, ergonomic desks, ... But also initiatives that, for example, improve the mental relationship with a manager or activities that optimize the team atmosphere.

The awareness of well-being at work will only increase. So be sure to include it in your employer branding strategy.

Example: A weekly/monthly one on one between an employee and his/her manager, but instead of sitting in a meeting room: going for a walk.

3. Employee experience

An important element that a company will quickly be judged on is whether their employer brand is effectively consistent with how employees perceive it. In other words, there may be no discrepancy between the employer brand and employee experience. The employee experience includes all the interactions an employee has with the company. This ranges from applying, onboarding, working as an employee to even leaving the company.

A good employee experience will make your employees love coming to work, feel happy at work (which will help productivity) and also make them ambassadors for your company. On the other hand, a bad experience at your company will also tend to bring up negative aspects outside the office walls, which can damage your reputation and make it difficult for you to attract certain talent.

If employees notice that as a company you present yourself in a better light than how things actually are, as a company you will quickly lose employees, which means an extra recruitment cost.

So how can you make a difference in terms of employee experience? It all starts, of course, with the awareness that every interaction moment with the (potential) employee is important and that you have the opportunity here as an employer to leave a positive impression. In addition, it is important to personalize the employee experience as much as possible. Do not stick to a general plan that applies to every employee, but work on an individual level.

Example: Figure out which are special dates for your employees. Someone who has been employed for 1 year, for example, will certainly appreciate it if you say something about it as an employer. This can be a short conversation but also a gift such as branded company clothing.

4. Remote working

This one might seem obvious but is still of great importance. A strong employer branding strategy also incorporates remote working opportunities to attract strong potential candidates and retain current employees.

To see remote working as a strength within your employer branding you will need to go a little further than just working out a basic policy. In 2022 the majority of companies will have such a policy, to really see it as an advantage for employees who want to work for your company you have to go a bit further.

Those who wish to delve further into remote work and excel in it must certainly address the challenges that remote work presents, such as loneliness, and have a good understanding of what is important to employees. Holistic well-being will become a key metric for companies as a result.

Progressive organizations are realizing that they need to take a more holistic approach to their actions around corporate wellbeing. There is a need for an individualized approach that takes into account risks on a physical, mental and spiritual level. By deploying certain technologies, new communication techniques, platforms, etc., companies are able to achieve a more holistic approach. This way a lot of risks can be tackled.

Example: the possibility to talk to a coach/psychologist from time to time.

An employer branding strategy bears fruit especially in the long term. So do not expect that you will immediately fill all your vacancies by developing such a strategy after one day. By building an attractive brand, you will notice as a company that it becomes a lot easier to attract and retain the right talent.

Wondering how Sunday can support and strengthen your employer branding strategy? Please feel free to contact one of our colleagues.