The 16 Employer Brand Attributes
Let’s face it. People aren’t attracted to just money anymore. People want purpose, they want culture, they want to make friends, the way to innovate, they want to learn and all in all, they just want to be themselves at work. That’s what your employer brand is all about. Your employer brand encompasses all those things that make your attractive as an employer.
At Link Humans we developed an online employer brand measurement tool called the Employer Brand Index because we knew that one of the first places candidates go to assess their fit with a company is the online space.
After researching the online reputation of countless companies using our methodology and analyzing ten’s of thousands of data points on 30+ employer review sites, social media platforms, and online forums, we came to the conclusion that there are 16 key employer branding attributes your team should be assessing and monitoring to maintain a healthy employer brand.
1. Career Advancement
This is the upward progression and career opportunities your company offers to your employees. An area we see issue’s with larger conglomerates we work with. And according to Gallup, 87% of millennials say professional development or career growth opportunities are significant to them.
2. Learning & Development
How your organization develops your employee’s capabilities and skills. Monster report that if you invest 3.5% of your wage bill on training, you might achieve a 40% improvement in incompetence. That’s an incredible ratio to consider. Not every employee is perfect from day one. Training matters.
3. Work/Life balance
The balance between your employees’ work and life is key, especially for those with families, with passions and interests they want to pursue outside of work and more. Life isn’t purely about your work. A healthy balance is absolutely key.
4. Job Satisfaction
This is the fulfillment and satisfaction your employees get from their job. According to HBR, businesses with highly engaged and satisfied employee see 100% more job applications. That’s an easy one to digest.
If people see happier and more engaged employees in places like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, then your going to see more applications.
5. Culture & Values
These are the values and behaviors you company possesses.
- Are you a company that acts with integrity?
- Is your culture based on teamwork?
- Or would you consider your culture to be a results-oriented culture?
These are all aspects we find in the Employer Brand Index to see if what is being said externally about your culture, match the internal culture of your company.
6. Environment
Have a great work environment has numerous benefits. It can help boost productivity, collaboration, learning and more. And your environment is in many ways a representation of your culture.
7. Diversity & Inclusion
Is your company a place that fosters a diverse and inclusive environment? Candidates want to be a part of a company with multicultural people and a company that is accepting of their people no matter who they are.
McKinsey report that companies with a diverse executive board have a 95% higher return on equity than those with non-diverse boards. Do I need to say anymore?
8. Mission & Purpose
This is all about overall purpose, mission, and vision that comes with working at your company.
Another report by Gallup claims that only 40% of millennial employees surveyed feel strongly connected to their company’s mission. This heavily detrimental, and will cause a lack of direction and disengagement.
9. Remuneration
SHRM report that 56% of employees believe being paid competitively with the local market is very important. So If you’re not paying your employees competitively, people will leave. Never disregard the impact of remuneration.
10. Benefits & Perks
Your company’s non-monetary perks and benefits. This could be:
- Health & Medical Insurance
- Free meals
- Paid time-off
- Sick leave
- Retirement plans
And more. It’s important you understand what your employees want as benefits, rather than just throwing a bunch of perks at them.
11. CSR
Your commitment to social and environmental responsibility is becoming more and more important people. Nielsen says that a staggering 67% of employees regard business social and environmental responsibility as ‘essential’ when choosing the right employer.
12. Team & People:
The people your employees work with are the people they are spending most of their days with. So it’s imperative these relationships are healthy.
Potential candidates looking from the outside will also want to learn more about the employees when assessing their fit with the company.
13. Management & Organization:
This is the managerial, leadership and organizational structure of your company. Fortune report that 50% of employees leave their jobs if they have issues with their managers. Your managers can be the make or break for people. By assessing the online space, on places like Glassdoor and Twitter, you can find out what employees truly think about your managers and make instant changes.
14. Company Reputation
In this modern age of social networking, it is your job to be aware of your reputation on a constant basis and be responsive to anything that may hurt your reputation.
Reputation is everything. It’s essential to your survival. If consumers trust you, then candidates will trust you. And vice versa.
15. Change & Stability
Businesses are always changing, whether that’s hiring new people, conducting a reorg or acquiring new businesses. Within this process, your people get affected. Some common effects of change are:
- Fear
- Enthusiasm
- Anger
- Ambivalence
Understand their emotive response helps you get a picture of the effectiveness of these changes, and you tend to find your people communicating these issues online.
16. Innovation & Technology
According to Randstad, 79% of graduates say working at an innovative company is important to them. If your stuck in your old ways, and unwilling to task risks and make a change then you are really hurting yourself.
Potential candidates who value any of these attributes will be going on places like Glassdoor, Twitter, Quora Indeed and much more to see if your company is owning all these attributes and match their ambitions.
If you’re interested in finding out how your company scores in each of these attributes, check out the Employer Brand Index!