What does an organization do to attract talent?
Not too long ago, potential candidates would look into what office perks were being offered and then use that to make their decision about the job they were going to accept. Those were the days of trendy loft offices; pool tables; foosball tables; breakfast, lunch and dinner thrown in; bars complete with draft beers and wine; among other employee perks. As competition for talent heated up, the offerings got more creative.
Then came a pandemic that sent everyone to work from home. So what does an organization do today to attract talent? What happens when the perks your company has been known for are no longer viable? It requires a company to reconsider its employer brand proposition for both contingents and traditional employees. Candidate attraction is driven by employer branding, which is how potential candidates view your organization as an employer.
Power brand benefits. Having a compelling employer brand has many benefits. Think about companies you’ve wanted to work for. Such sentiments are usually based on what you have read or heard about the organization, including how they treat their employees. A strong employer brand also delivers financial benefits. When you have multiple high-quality candidates vying to work within your company, your time-to-fill is less. And less time spent on recruiting and interviewing saves a company money. Attrition costs are lower for a company with a strong employer brand as well; people don’t leave a company they enjoy working for.
Your brand status. So, do you know how your employer brand is viewed? It’s easy to find out. Start with surveying what your employees think and feel about the company today. What keeps them there and more important, for those that left — why? Be sure to highlight the positives on internal and external communication channels. As for the negatives that caused an employee to leave, now is the time to address these and make changes, if possible. Social media is also another great way to learn what is being said about you as an employer. Platforms such as LinkedIn give you a sense of the kind of people that work there and their belief system. Sites like Glassdoor can tell you how employees (current and past) perceive the organization.
Marketing your mission. Also, revisit your company’s vision and value statements. When you take these into consideration, you can start to identify ways to market them to the world. Be sure to include any reference to social responsibility and commitment to diversity and inclusion. Both initiatives are becoming increasingly more important to candidates — sometimes even more so than the compensation and benefits. Keep the message consistent and use your company career page, marketing ads, and job postings to get the word out.
We may have witnessed the death of the company foosball table, but the idea of returning a company to its roots is very exciting. Focusing on where we came from and what we stand for can lead to growth, an improved bottom line and proud workers. And those achievement can be celebrated over a beer and a foosball game down the road, post-Covid.