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What Is Your Employment Value Proposition?
How Employer Branding Can Help Attract & Retain Quality Employees

Megan Randall, Human Resources Professional

As many leaders are working hard to move their organizations forward while attracting and retaining quality employees, many are finding that turnaround from economic crises is by no means instantaneous. While expensive ticket items like raises, bonuses and other popular employee attraction and retention strategies may need to remain back burner a little longer, there are alternatives to promoting your company’s reputation including refreshing your organization’s brand.

An employer branding exercise is about defining what’s known as your “employment value proposition” or EVP and developing a focused communications campaign with your target labor market.   

According to Workforce Management, there are two main requirements for initiating an effective employer branding effort. First, you need to understand what employment attributes are most important to your employees and the people you are trying to attract. This can be determined by conducting surveys or focus groups involving employees and job seekers. Identify the top five to ten attributes that employees (and prospective employees) rank as important.  Second, determine how well your organization delivers on those attributes by comparing desired attributes with those actually conveyed.

“Organizations which land on ‘top employer’ lists often offer challenging assignments, exciting training and development prospects, and therefore recruit bright people selectively. Or they may offer market- leading products and services and people are attracted by the external perception. Quite simply, they have developed clear messages about who they are and what they stand for and communicated them consistently.” (Karian and Box)

Employer Brand can be simply defined using two parameters:

1.  What do employees know about an organization?

2.  How do they feel about it?


To develop clear, consistent, and accurate communication both internally and outside the organization consider the following tips:

      1.  Show people who you are by creating/updating a webpage that espouses company values – imagery is often the fastest way for people to draw associations with particular attributes (the cliché “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” was working against natural selection and peoples’ tendency to quickly observe their environment and determine it’s safety and ability to satisfy needs!) 

     2.  Capitalize on the use of social media, which has increased exponentially over the past decade and often provides an inexpensive portal for people to find and communicate information. How do employees feel about your organization? Why not offer the opportunity to create podcasts and post them on the company website? 


      3.  Recognize and Reward employees who are living and promoting the culture and organization’s desired brand. Giving a shout out to individuals or groups that are encompassing what it means to be a part of your organization will encourage their efforts and likely inspire them in others as well!


Developing or refreshing your employment brand will help you attract people who will fit well in your organization. Similarly, it should also be easier to retain those already working with you by reinforcing your organization’s commitment to the attributes that make working for your company attractive.  A focused employer brand development effort takes patience and commitment; however, given the continued competition for top talent, the results in the upcoming year will be worth the effort! 
 
 
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