Employer branding is one of the ‘it’ terms in marketing right now as more businesses realise the importance of how they are viewed as a company. However, employer branding has nothing to do with how potential customers view you. It’s closer to home than that. Employer branding relates to the way you look as an employer. It’s all about your reputation as a place of work, the people you employ and how they act within your setting. The bottom line is, how appealing it is for people to work for your company?
Only ten years ago, employer branding wasn’t really a thing. As more and more businesses fight for the best talent, it has become frighteningly apparent that a company with a reputation for looking after its staff will win the battle. The beauty of employer branding is that what prospective employees see of your business is down to you. How you interact with the public in general and what you offer as a business are all great selling points.
Essentially if you get your employer branding right, you’ll get the pick of the best staff. If you have the strongest team, they’ll do the best job, and guess what all that adds up to? Success.
In this blog, we will look at what questions you can ask your employees to improve your employer branding.
Tone and mentality
This is a brilliant place to start. If you pry into the lives of some of the most successful businessmen and women, you’ll find that they take themselves very seriously. Or at least on camera they do. But off-camera and away from their social media posts, they can be very, very different.
Yes, of course, it’s essential to hold a position of authority, but all great leaders choose to surround themselves with experts, not minions, this isn’t Despicable Me. A great leader knows that a member of staff who is an expert in a particular field should be made to feel so, even if they are lower down the pyramid in terms of seniority. Everything from your tone when you interact with your staff builds your employer branding. Have a laugh with them, empower them and value their opinion, they will work twice as hard.
General wellbeing
Without stating the obvious, unless you’re running a pet shop, talk to those around you like humans. Asking simple questions, ‘How are you feeling today?’ and ‘Is everything good with you?’ Build an employer to employee relationship, which is much deeper than merely giving instructions and deadlines.
Interject business-related questions such as, ‘Do you feel like you have enough work?’ within your conversation. This allows the employee to value the working relationship and will empower them to say yes or no.
The balancing act
When looking to improve your employer branding, every day presents new challenges, especially when the tension in your office is running high due to deadlines etc. Remaining calm and making sure those who need space are allowed it, is vital. We understand the urge to pull everyone in overnight to get something done, and we would never say never, however, if you have a fantastic employer brand, your staff could be more likely to agree to the extra hours.
Questions you should be asking your staff at these points are, ‘You aren’t taking your work home are you?’ or ‘Do you think we can get this finished today?’ The first question allows an employee to let you know if they feel overworked, suggesting that someone else may be able to take on some of the workloads is often beneficial. Asking if your staff think your deadlines are realistic is also critical if an employee wants to do something to the best of their ability, they will hopefully tell you if they feel a time constraint will hamper that.
Staff who come to work to enjoy work, and equally value their free-time are the ones who will champion your brand to others, building your brand in the long term.
Fun in the sun
The truth is, if you have ever been an employee, you’ll understand the stress of mentioning a holiday to your boss, especially if you value your position. Being a good leader and valuing your employer branding will definitely go a long way in this scenario.
In your general conversations with your staff ask questions like, ‘Are you looking at any specific holidays this year?’ Talk about your experiences to make it less business-specific and more personal. Holidays are something your employees shouldn’t be nervous about booking off. We would advise avoiding anything that sounds too lavish and expensive, if something is out of your employees pay-bracket, don’t wave it in their faces.
If anything you have read above about employer branding is of interest, or if you want to discuss a branding campaign of your own, we are only a call away. Make no mistakes; it’s a candidate-driven market, so employer branding is more important than ever.
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