Employer branding

This creates competition for the best talent and prompts companies to drive forward the development and maintenance of their employer brand.

What should not be underestimated here is the counterpart to the external effect - the internal effect. This is because employee retention has a positive side effect: if the external image of an employer matches what it is actually like to work there, employees are also more likely to be motivated to make a recommendation - positive word of mouth is generated.

What does employer branding have to do with HR marketing?

First of all, both have the same goal: to strengthen the employer brand in order to position the company as an attractive employer and attract the right employees.

While HR marketing focuses on operational measures and active contact with applicants, employer branding builds the important, defining, strategic basis of the employer brand.

Employer branding therefore includes a precise analysis of the initial situation and target groups, as well as the future direction of the company.

Anonymous surveys or workshops can be used to determine the honest views of employees and clarify important questions.

This process provides answers to the following questions:

• What does the employer stand for?

• Why should employees want to stay with them?

• Is the employer attractive to the talent it would like to attract?

The answers to these and many other questions provide a basis for multi-layered measures with which the individual values of an employer can subsequently be communicated both internally and externally.

Financial benefits of employer branding

At first glance, comprehensive employer branding, the development of an employer brand, looks very costly. It is, but the effort will pay off - not only quickly, but above all in the long term. To name just a small part of it, these successes can occur:

• A shortened "time to hire"
  This refers to the time between a vacancy becoming available and recruitment. There is also a lower bounce rate during the recruitment process.

• Retaining employees
  Appreciation and an authentic employer brand that employees can identify with inspires loyalty, commitment and passion in people. This results in higher productivity, higher morale and lower employee turnover.

While it is certainly a very important factor, top talent today is looking for far more than just an attractive salary. Among other things, the workforce in 2023 is particularly looking for:

• Work-life balance & home office
  Working from home and more flexibility in terms of where and when they work will remain in place even after the coronavirus pandemic. The protective measures have been lifted, but the desire to remain flexible in everyday working life has remained. Experts assume that this change is here to stay. Increasing pressure to perform and the demand for more and more flexibility are just two aspects that are expected of employees. Balancing this with flexible working time models and/or working from home makes sense and can give employees a high degree of time autonomy.

• A good working atmosphere
  It is important that managers take employees seriously and create the space to address issues. After all, after salary considerations, too much stress and a lack of satisfaction are the main reasons why people look for new jobs.