What is an Employer Brand? Is yours Strong or Weak?

Companies in every industry are struggling to find and hire the people they need in order to accomplish their growth goals. For many of them, the focus has turned inward as they begin to evaluate the importance of their employer brand. Those who identify opportunities to strengthen their employer brand are the ones who can ultimately leverage it to attract and retain top talent, saving time and money while propelling them ahead of their competitors.

At Red Caffeine, we define an employer brand as the entire employment experience as perceived by current, past, and potential employees. Employer brand includes a company’s reputation as a place to work, its workplace environment, mission, vision, values, culture, work/life balance, diversity, equity, inclusion, growth opportunities, compensation, benefits, and perks, as well as its employee value proposition.

Your employer brand is separate from, but closely related to, your corporate brand. It’s essentially how you sell yourself in order to attract top talent. It includes all factors that often determine whether employees stay or leave. 

A weak employer brand can negatively impact your company’s recruitment pool, meaning great candidates may not apply for open positions because they don’t feel a connection. 

There are several clear indicators of a weak employer brand. High turnover rates, challenges in attracting and retaining top talent, negative reviews on platforms like Glassdoor, and a general lack of employee enthusiasm or morale all signal potential issues with the employer brand. Another factor that weakens an employer's brand is the absence of a compelling employer value proposition (EVP). To address these concerns, companies must proactively identify and articulate their unique offerings as an EVP. This involves incorporating these distinctive aspects into job descriptions, career pages, and other candidate-facing resources.

Furthermore, if a company finds that its job postings fail to elicit quality responses or consistently loses preferred candidates to competitors, it may be a sign of a less-than-stellar reputation in the job market. Additionally, when a company's stated values, culture, and the actual work experience do not align, it can lead to a weakened employment brand.

Happy employees talk about your company in a positive way, which leads to more business opportunities. When the employer brand is strong, they tell a consistent and compelling story. They provide better customer service. And, they recruit based on an understanding of your core values.

It’s important for companies in many industries to stand out in a sea of sameness. Christiana Henry, an Account Manager at Red Caffeine, outlines strategies that were implemented for one of her clients,

“We helped them evaluate their entire hiring process and ultimately differentiate their employer brand based on how they stacked up against other manufacturers in their area when it came to healthcare benefits, per-hour wages, shift availability, vacation days, and even the use of robotics. They’re now doing a much better job highlighting the strengths of their employer brand in the job fairs they attend and the collateral they distribute throughout the interview process. As a result, they’re making better-fit hires and reducing turnover.”

Make sure you conduct internal surveys and give employees a voice before communicating an action plan. That tells them, We heard you. We know these are issues that matter to you. Here’s what we’re going to do about it. Your current employees are your brand ambassadors. It’s more important now than it’s ever been to involve them.

Find out how your Employer Brand ranks by taking the Red Caffeine Employer Brand Survey.