The Employer Brand Thingamajigand the modern workplace

By Neha Asthana,Talent, Employer Brand & Culture SpecialistMumbai, IndiaE: neha.asthana@gmail.com

The Evolution of the Jobseeker

Jobseekers back then looked for..

Jobseekers back then looked for..

Contractual or Permanent Jobs

Jobs with benefits preferably

Jobs that required skilled/unskilled labour

Company transport preferred

Wages as agreed upon by the employer

Others

Jobseekers today look for..

Jobseekers today look for:Job profiles that complement their career aspirations.

Absolute clarity on the job role, compensation, reporting & growth.

Knowledge of company culture & employee satisfaction.

Proper interview feedback & candidate experience

The Evolution of the Employee

Employees Back then looked for…

Employees back then looked for

Job Security

Medical & health benefits

Company benefits like gratuity, pension, etc.

Stability

Large companies that promise lifelong employment

Other miscellaneous long term benefits

Employees today look for…

Employees today look for:

Interesting, Intelligent workplaces

Inspiring, Transparent & Communicative leadership.

Opportunities to learn & grow

Progressive HR/Company policies

Employees today look for:

Interesting Colleagues

Diversity

Opportunities to travel for work

Evolution of the Workplace

Workspaces back then..

Workspaces today..

The Employer Brand Thingamajigat the modern workplace

An Employer Brand can be defined as the IMAGE of an organization as a ‘Great place to work’ in the minds of:

Current employees and key stakeholders in the internal ecosystem.

Active & passive candidates, clients, customers andother key stakeholders in the external ecosystem.

What is Employer Branding?It is your company’s resume / introduction to all

prospective future employees as also a brand mission statement to all internal employees.

About how prospective/future employees of your company identify, perceive, recall & appreciate your company value as an employer of choice.

What is your Employer Brand all about?

What is your Employer Brand all about?

What Market leaders are saying.. G.E – Imagination at Work “Culture is to recruiting as product is to marketing.” –

HubSpot I am JP Morgan – JP Morgan Our Superstars are a little different from your

superstars – Intel At Work, at Play, at Microsoft The Geek shall inherit the earth - Google

Study your employer brand to create your brand:

What differentiates us?

What do we want to be known for?

What does talent today look for?

Are we communicating what we wish to be known for or seen as?

My Favourite Quote that Sums It All.

“ We believe that it’s really important to come up with core values that you can commit to. And by commit, we mean that you’re willing to hire and fire based on them. If you’re willing to do that, then you’re well on your way to building a company culture that is in line with the brand you want to build.”

– Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos

It is Everyone’s Business!• The employer brand proposition also needs

ambassadors & executors, right from the CEO to the Managers to Fresh recruits!

• A Top down approach works effectively in communicating the company’s value proposition.

Here to stay, Not a fad!

Here to stay, Not a fad! When Jack Welch made Six Sigma a fundamental part of G.E's functioning almost 2 decades ago, I'm sure he had the vision to see that it was indispensable  & not  just  a  fashion statement/experiment.

With the continuously evolving workforce, emigrating global cultures, advent of Gen Y & Gen Z who look beyond just money - there is a sea change that is gearing towards age old HR/management practices towards the EVP.

And no amount of trying to make Noah's ark to preserve the old will do any good. You need to surf the waves! And how. It needs to be made into a way of life, just like crash diets don't work.

Don’t need Employer Branding?Even if you're able to attract talent, is that talent

staying with you?

Are you communicating to the right audiences with the right value proposition?

Is your unofficial brand delivering your EVP?

Don’t need Employer Branding?If You think you're able to attract talent easily, & don't

need this? Think again.

Also, If you're able to attract talent, is that talent staying with you? Is your employer brand delivering on its promise? The employer brand proposition also needs ambassadors & executors, right from the CEO to the Manager.

Don’t need Employer Branding?As a company, you put thought, R & D, & whatnot into

your products/services right? After sales, you even take the pain to keep customer service on their toes which deals with aggravated customers, gives them resolutions until they are 'happy customers' who will buy again/continue to buy from you. What happens when the very employees who deliver to these customers don’t know of your Brand proposition?

Employees join on a great brand promise, but leave due to poor/incapable managers. But you know that.

Why you NEED to get hitched onto the Employer

Brand-wagon

Social Advantaging!

Social Advantaging!Your employees are using the many social platforms

available today to talk about their employee experience at your company, case in point : Glassdoor.

Is your messaging & your employee messaging reflecting the same message? You may be calling yourself a great place to work but your employees may be communicating otherwise online.

Employee Experience / Testimonials are now openly available online to anyone (even your customers to read) who wishes to know the integrity of your company employee programs & culture health!

Visible (BIG) Data Drivers

Visible (BIG) Data DriversDid you know: The company background

data/information your release to prospective employees / customers is now not the only source of data for them.

Sites like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc offer rich talent data & workforce analytics for free that reflect metrics like employee longevity at your company, gender parity & equal opportunity hiring, companies your employees go to once they leave you, etc

Visible (BIG) Data DriversAre you ready for these metrics to be released to the

public? It doesn’t matter, they already are! Time to inspect the health of your EVP programs & fix that once & for all!

That Social employee of yours is your company brand ambassador but will also keep you honest, case in point Glassdoor & similar platforms where you too are getting dynamically rated! :)

Leverage that currency to showcase your progressive work practices & employee happiness quotients. And keep it real! Employee experiences are online now!

Consumer Brand & Employee Brand

convergence

Consumer Brand & Employee Brand convergence

If your company brand talks about excellence, innovation, growth & many more wonderful aspects that define your brand - Your employee brand needs to follow suit.

Your customers are not only observing your Business Reps, but also your employees to get a feel of how happy your employees are which directly results in how they service your customers!

Like Sir Richard Branson once said, “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”

Consumer Brand & Employee Brand

convergenceHow your employees feel & hence conduct themselves is a reflection of the brand then!

Googlers are Googlers, for a reason, for eg. They all embody the Google promise, culture & learning.

Ensure your employees are communicating in general what you want your brand to communicate to your customers!

The ProcessIdentify Company Values that you won’t

negotiate/compromise on.

Communicate it to internal & external stakeholders, customers & current/prospective employees.

Work to implement them & entrench them in the company DNA by way of routine way of working.

Hire/Fire/Retain/Manage in a way that reflects these values, everyday.

Thank You!

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