THOUGHT PROVOKING THURSDAYS- 9. Rethinking Employer Branding. Raising the game.

?I have to admit my first love was, and perhaps still is, Branding. Ever since I started in advertising more than three decades ago, I have been surrounded by brands. With my creative and later, agency partners I just reveled in creating new ideas to build them and grow.

My career journey took me to the HR world in recent years where I discovered a relatively lesser-known type of branding—Employer Branding.

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Let’s get the definition sorted so that we are all on the same page. Cutting out all jargon, Employer branding is like a company's reputation as a good place to work. It helps companies find and keep good employees, and it makes some people want to buy things from the company.

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Historically Corporate Branding and Consumer Branding have been the superior siblings to Employer Branding. They always had more resources, more talent and more attention allocated to them. In my years as a planner in advertising and subsequently as a marketer, I only saw the CEOs and C Suite leaders interested in the former two, never the last one. Sure, there was lip service to wanting to attract top talent but HOW? This was never a subject of debate and the HR teams were left to figure this out pretty much on their own.

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Slowly and steadily, Digitalization has changed all that. In a more transparent and open world and the generational shift to Gen Z in the workplace, the lines between Corporate and Employer branding are blurring very fast. Suddenly everyone realizes that Employer Branding is a strategic imperative as it can help companies win the war for talent, attract better investors and create a more sustainable competitive advantage in many businesses.

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This is the external reality

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However, in many companies Employer Branding continues to lag. There is less budget allocated for this, it still stays subsumed under the HR team and does not get the time, resources and the attention it deserves.

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This is the internal reality.

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Its time this changed.

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Here are five ways the internal reality can be changed for the better.

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1.????Redesign the role—There is no good reason why it should remain as a subset of the HR function. It needs to become a separate function elevated to a level where it is treated at par with HR and Marketing. Since it feeds off both, it needs to be treated as an equal to both. Structurally, reporting to the CEO will give it added focus and importance. I would go on to suggest that the CEO must also become the Chief Brand Officer to ensure that all brand related activities are synergistic.

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2.????Stronger link to business impact- Much like other support functions, it needs to create its own set of metrics that directly impact the business. Lower attrition, higher engagement, talent acquisition etc are some dimensions that can be created and linked to business impact in a meaningful way to build importance for the function

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3.????Make it more strategic—Connecting Employer Branding to new strategic thrusts can be a good way to make it more relevant and current. The intersection between Employer branding and Sustainability is one space to look for. Most employees, especially Gen Z are seeking companies that want to make a more positive impact on the environment. ?They are looking for a Purpose- filled, sustainable future in the companies they work for. The right narrative through Employer Branding can help deliver that. The second space is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion( DEI). By encouraging DEI, employers can attract a wider talent pool.

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4.????Invest in Technology--Another area of focus can be to use technology proactively as a lever for talent retention in a hybrid working world where it is getting harder to engage remote employees. Using futuristic (not really so now) tools like VR and AI, Employer Branding can take the lead in creating a more compelling understanding of the employee value proposition leading to a stronger Culture within the company.

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5.????Engage employees as brand ambassadors—Using employees as advocates, companies can leverage the power of their personal networks to amplify the employer brand messaging. This needs an intentional effort which could include training them to post branded content on social media, building attractive referral programs and creating opportunities for them to showcase their talents publicly.

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The time is right for change to happen. The time to raise the game is now.

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PS—I could not resist a shameless personal plug as I sign off…having worked both in branding in leading advertising and marketing companies and in HR with leading edge tech companies, I am perhaps uniquely placed to build a game changing strategy for you. Please call me if interested.