Employer reputation development
‘Employer branding’ is a phrase that has been in common parlance amongst the HR and recruitment communications communities for about 15 years. In the words of its originators, it encompasses either: “the package of functional, economic and psychological benefits provided by employment and identified with the employing company” or “everything relating to the employer which has made and continues to make an impression on past, current and potential employees” – depending on whether you prefer the academic or the pragmatic definition.
One of the shortfalls with the concept is that it is, at best, open to misinterpretation. At worst it is fundamentally confusing. As a result, most UK organisations have tended to interpret it as meaning ensuring that their recruitment communications look and sound like their corporate advertising. This is largely because, for many, the phrase ‘brand’ is synonymous with advertising and marketing.
It is also true that communications are some of the most tangible and visible elements of an employer’s make up and among the easiest to change. But while communications is a significant element, as the earlier quotes underline, there is so much more to what makes an organisation a good, bad or indifferent employer. Which is why we prefer to use the phrase ‘employer reputation’, which we have found to be more in tune with the HR community. An employer reputation is made up of a complex collection of elements such as – history, product quality, senior management, performance, structure, systems, locations, customer experience, as well as the more specific employment offer components of job type, job interest, line management style, colleagues, training and development, remuneration and benefits, environment, contract type and hours of work.
The downloadable pdf will tell you more about our approach to helping you develop your employer reputation and includes some examples of our work in this arena.
Download the Employer Reputation at work brochure
