Page 1

'Industry Benchmark', 'Best in the market', 'Best Industry practice', 'X Company's Success Story', 'Market Strategy of Y Company'...

Off late, these are some popular phrases we keep on coming across in business prints and conversations. These are some of the phrases which allure the best talent from the corners of the world towards a company.
These employees come with some expectations. They don't only think but also believe that the employer they are working with will not only fulfill these expectations but also make them proud of being associated with. Now this is what we call an Employer Brand. An employer brand lives from the inside out - aligning your organization's culture, aspirations, values, and brand promise with that of the employees. Now the question arises - why it is so important to be the employer of choice? After all, we are serving our consumers and they are the ones who give us money. Here is the simplest answer: Because your employer brand - and your ability to deliver your brand promise - optimize recruitment ease and investment as it fosters employee productivity, engagement, loyalty, and retention. A good brand should not only provide a focal point for people's relationship with a product or service, but also for people's relationship with the organization they work for. There needs to be continuity and consistency in an employer brand, as people lose trust in brands that try and make sudden U-turns.

To build a good employer brand, employers needed to follow a "road map". First, they should clarify their destination and decide where they can and cannot go as a brand. Then it is important to establish the business case for their brand and build up a clear insight into what employees think of their organization. Management should look at what behaviors are most characteristic of the organization and then define an "employer brand promise". From here, they need to tailor their proposition. Virgin, for instance, maintains a very successful employee brand of being down-to-earth, challenging and irreverent, despite also being active in a hugely wide range of markets and products. They then need to deliver, manage and communicate that brand and, finally, measure what progress they had made. This is the complete package of creating an employer brand in the most easy way.

Next

* Contributed by: -
Gaurav Goel is a student of Masters in Human Resources & Organisational Development (MHROD) at Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University.