Employer branding: what is it?

If we ask you the following question: Do you know of a company that burns out its employees, a phenomenon known as “occupational burnout”? You can say a few and not because the news reported it, but because of word of mouth from employees and ex-employees.  Fortunately, the opposite is also true: companies that you know take care of their employees and everyone is looking to be part of their talent pool.

The image we project as employers is critical in attracting and retaining talent. Even more so considering the sometimes unhealthy competition that exists in the business world.

Our company must take care of all the phases of the selection process as an employer image due to the internet forums or even the evaluations that can be made of our brand in employment platforms such as Infojobs.

Employer Branding Characteristics

If we analyze the characteristics that companies with better Employer Branding have in common, we could highlight:

• Transparency: They show themselves as they are, they do not need to please everyone. They have a clear way of acting and are faithful to their principles.Thus reinforcing their brand image.
• They take care of their employees: Richard Branson, founder of Virgin, once said: “Customers are not the first thing, employees are the first thing. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers.”
• Get your employees to take sides: For whatever reason, we tend to trust a person more than a company. Therefore, your employees are the visible face of your company, the one that represents you and transmits the corporate culture of your brand.
• Use Social Media: Companies with the greatest potential for attracting talent use social media to get them to fall in love with their brand. At this point, you may value having a specific HR department profile on the different platforms.
• They have a specific page for employment: On it, they talk to potential talent on a one-to-one basis. About your project and how you can both grow together.

Employer Branding Phases

The Employer Branding strategy does not consist in taking care of our candidate until he/she becomes an employee. But in taking care of all phases of the Employee Circle in order to retain talent in an increasingly competitive labor market.

Employee Circle

The Employee Circle is a 7-phase process that begins with the recruitment and selection of personnel and concludes with the dismissal.

• Recruitment and selection: In this phase it is very important to implement a good action of Inbound Recruiting. Offer our future talent a good impression, so that they have a good image of the brand.
• Onboarding: The first few days in the company are crucial in our employee’s assessment of the brand. Doing things wrong from the start doesn’t usually work out well.
• Support: The human capital we offer our new employee is crucial. Making them feel accompanied and supported throughout their professional career with us  is essential for retaining talent in our company.
• Payroll Execution: One of the most valued aspects of a company is the punctuality in payroll executions that allow it to have a stable economy.
• Evaluation: During this stage we evaluate the skills of our employee, in order to promote him/her within the company.
• Training: Providing our employees with a training and growth plan improves their performance and capabilities. Improving in this way the professionalism of our company.
• Farewell: This stage is the most delicate of all, there are not many companies that have established a protocol for it and it is usually the coworkers who organize a farewell for their colleague.This is the stage where the values we projected in the employee during the previous phases are demonstrated.

Improving our human capital

• A good working environment: Our employees are the best ambassadors of the brand, the ones in charge of attracting talent to the company.  Internal surveys can give you a true picture of the work environment in your offices.
• Defined bonus plan: this is part of what is known as emotional pay, where the employee is rewarded for his or her efforts.
• Training plan: a company where the employee feels that he/she can grow and develop personally and professionally is a key element to retain and attract talent.
• Make them feel heard: communication within the company is very important to know the level of satisfaction of your employees.
• Develop coaching plans: to give value to your talent and make it grow within your company.

Companies where everyone wants to work

• Spotify: They show on their social networks what it’s like to work with it. We can see it in a very clear way in his Spotyjobs profile, a headhunter profile that leaves no one indifferent. Spotify is an example of the effectiveness of Agile methodologies in their teams.
• Netflix: The job portal of this platform that has revolutionized the industry, offers employees what everyone is looking for: a career plan to take control of your life based on the rewards of work and an enviable environment to carry it out.
• SocialPoint: This video game company based in Barcelona, offers a great human capital to its talents. Facilitating the move to Barcelona: finding them a home and including their children’s school.