Only about half of organizations intentionally cultivate and manage an employer brand that is well known
Unless it is very small or very new, every organization has an employer brand. Sometimes that brand is intentionally cultivated. Sometimes, however, it is not and only exists as a reputation in the marketplace that the employer may not even be fully aware of.
The goal for organizations is to ensure that their employer brand is a good one. There are two phases to establishing a positive employer brand that attracts and retains talented people. The first is determining how you’d like your brand to appear to people inside and outside your organization. This should not be left to chance. Multiple stakeholders in your organization need to weigh in on key brand components. These include aspects of your culture as reflected in areas such as your organization’s purpose, mission, work climate, benefits programs and more. This first phase requires answering the question: Why would a candidate want to work for us rather than other organizations?
We found that 80% of respondents indicate their firms have an intentionally cultivated employer brand.
The second phase involves leveraging that cultivated brand in the marketplace, making it reasonably well known within the industry. Yet, only a little over half of respondents (54%) indicate that their employer brand is well known.
About two-thirds feel their employer’s brand is either good or excellent at attracting quality job applicants
A strong employer brand serves both external and internal purposes.
Among the primary internal purposes are attracting and retaining employees. Thirty-one percent of respondents report that their employer brand does an excellent job at attracting external candidates, and another 31% say their brand does a good job. Thirty-three percent feel their employer brand does an excellent job at retaining and engaging current employees, and 36% say it does a good job of this.
Among the external purposes is burnishing the organization’s reputation. Fully 70% say their employer brands are either good or excellent at enhancing reputation.
