Employer Brand as Strategic Tool

SHRM notes that in many respects, the employer brand trend has been propelled forward in reaction to the deterioration of trust in business. Their recent report, The Employer Brand: A Strategic Tool to Attract, Recruit and Retain Talent, posits that by implementing a well-aligned employment brand, organizations can increase the likelihood of attracting and retaining employees that best fit their distinct culture. 

Key findings: 

• 81% of HR professionals said their organizations have either a formal or informal HR strategy to use their employer brand to attract talent, and 69% use this strategy to retain talent. 97% of HR professionals said their employer brand is aligned with the company’s mission and vision, and 95% also align it with the company’s business strategy. 

• Employers reporting note that employees can help promote the organization’s brand in the following ways: 74% emphasize embracing the company core values; 74% emphasize performing with excellence; 55% want employees to refer family and friends as candidates; 54% emphasize participating in community service events; 31% emphasize developing innovative products and ideas—all to help promote the employer brand.  

• Action taken to better communicate the employer brand to prospective candidates: 67% of employers updated the company website; 58% highlighted company initiatives such as community service projects on the Web; 56% developed an organizational tagline; 52% communicated about the organization’s brand in a way that is understandable to everyone; 47% established and/or updated core values; 41% updated the company mission and vision statements; 40% developed and implemented various communication strategies such as letters from the CEO, in-house meetings, recognition and rewards.