"Employer Branding sucks!"

Employer Branding: Permanently stressed, hardly consequently done, so many communicate to have the necessary know-how, but unfortunately too often the basics are neither deeply known nor really understood... and translated into the specific Employer Branding Strategy of an organization.

Do you feel the same as I do? Sometimes I think I’ve had enough of hearing the term Employer Branding. The same by the way goes for Industry 4.0, Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility! And this despite the fact that Employer Branding is a crucial topic. Not surprisingly, many decision makers are quite unhappy about this situation. I have the words of a HR Manager from a big player of the Austrian Food Industry in my ears: "Peter, frankly speaking: Employer Branding sucks!", complaining about self named experts having brought him and his company not much more than costs.

What are the typical weak spots in the Employer Branding debate? Just three examples out of a wide range:

• Employer Branding is placed on a par with external communication. Well, and what about the workforce of the company, for example, with its most important and credible multipliers? These play a crucial role in Employer Branding.
• Employer Branding is equated with recruiting advertisements. But apart from the fact that this is one single possible measure, shouldn’t Employer Branding also contribute to employee retention, motivation and loyalty? Quite so!
• And as a third example, please don’t derive measures immediately but rather begin with an analysis and the goals. After that develop a precise strategy. Cheers! 

So, without any doubts, there are quick wins to earn with Employer Branding. But let's look at the big picture: Employer Branding is a basic strategic path of communication and positioning an organization. Having been BMW Head of Comms in Steyr, we permanently thought in dimensions of Employer Branding when developing communication strategies and activities - for the plan as for the whole Group as well. And nowadays as entrepreneur, we follow the same approach together with the HR and Communication Teams of international profit und public organizations.