Recently while grocery shopping at my local supermarket, it occurred to me that I typically purchase some particular brands even though many of the products in the same category all appear to be the same. I thought about how I had started using many of these items. Someone either recommended them, or I had seen an advert and decided to take a risk to try them out. I loved them enough to keep purchasing them as I have grown to trust them over the years. Even with product enhancements, repackaging, and price increases, I have stuck with most of the products as my experience with them is always super.
Most products are generic: rice, cereal, biscuit, milk etc., but offered by different organisations that package them to appeal to people. They present their products through adverts, store engagement, product testing etc., hoping that consumers would pick their products over their competitors. Observing the different brands on sale at the supermarket made me think about branding, not just in terms of the packaging of the products or their logos but also the experiences we get from using these products.
Branding is a common buzzword as many people are now more aware of why and how to present themselves. Once upon a time, mentioning “branding” conjured images of products, services, and by extension, the organisations that provided them. Within the employment space, the term branding has also been adopted as “employer branding”. It highlights the importance of how people, internal and external to the organisation, perceive the organisation.
Every organisation has a brand, whether or not its brand identity has deliberately been defined. When people interact with an organisation in any way, even indirectly through actual or perceived feedback from other people, they form an opinion about them. If you ask people to share their opinion about any organisation, they would most likely have something to say. Such is the power of a brand identity.
The war for talent, the fight to ensure the attraction and retention of highly skilled employees, is an age-long conversation that will probably never end. Purposeful organisations remain conscious about getting ahead of that discussion. They achieve this by clearly defining an employer brand that reflects their ethos and implementing objectives to promote it. This is especially important as employment options and opportunities, and available talent to match them are critical considerations for many organisations.
Hiring and retaining talent are the main issues that keep HR professionals awake. Once upon a time, employees focused a lot on remuneration as a motivation to either stay or leave organisations. Nowadays, that is not enough as they have begun to expect and request concessions such as flexible working arrangements and more intangible benefits to sweeten their employee experience. Also, for various reasons, employees are either changing jobs or striking out as freelancers or setting up their businesses. They are also migrating, and these actions impact organisations in various ways.
As employees leave organisations, vacancies open up which HR professionals are required to fill. To achieve this, HR professionals would look for candidates not just within the pool of unemployed candidates or employed and job-hunting candidates but also among those who are comfortable where they are. Lately, this process has become tougher because candidates are more aware and selective about their choices. The average candidate would naturally do their research before accepting a job offer, often times even before attending an interview. This is one key reason why an excellent employer brand makes the difference in whether the talent you seek accepts or declines your offer; or whether employees are constantly searching for the next gig.
When candidates come across vacancies or apply for opportunities, chances are high that they will conduct online searches. They do this to find out the organisation’s reputation from various perspectives: current and former employees, stakeholders, and even the general public. When hashtagHorribleBosses trended online, many people shared negative personal experiences about not only organisations but specific individuals. Imagine how these experiences shaped the lives of those people and then how they could influence the decisions of potential employees.
A good employer brand could also impact the organisation’s revenue and potential profitability. Engaged employees would produce high-level work. People also like to associate with the products and services of organisations that they consider exemplary. I remember opening an account with a bank many years ago for this reason, and I know people who hold similar sentiments. There have also been instances where a call to boycott an organisation has been issued because of unfair labour practices.
Crafting an employer brand should go beyond simply writing up a plan or policy on how to influence perception to execute plans and programmes that truly reflect the company’s objectives. Ensuring that employees are well engaged should thus be a priority. It is important to have employees participate in crafting the employer brand so they can get fully onboard with the plans as they are the company’s first ambassadors. If an organisation’s current employees have negative experiences, these would certainly be transmitted externally.
Every organisation irrespective of its size should make having a clearly defined employer brand a priority. The benefits, which include attracting and retaining quality talent, getting top value from employees, and the ultimate impact on its bottom line cannot be ignored.
The next time you go shopping at the supermarket, think about why you patronise the brand you do, and then remember that people think the same way about organisations too.
