5 tips for creating an attractive employer brand

Be honest: are you an attractive employer? Let’s go one level deeper. Would you be able to recommend your own child or best friend to work at your organization with a straight face? If you hesitate for even a second when answering this question, it might be time to check your employer branding in a few different ways. What gets measured gets managed! For example, try listing the following:

• How many responses does a job vacancy generate?
• How long does it take to fill a vacancy with the right candidate?
• What is the rate of absenteeism?
• What is the staff turnover rate in the organization?
• Do you score well in an employee satisfaction survey (ESS)?

Do alarm bells start ringing when you look at the answers to one or more of these metrics? Then it’s high time to polish up your employer branding! We’ll give you a few tips to help you get started.

1. Attractive and surprising employment benefits

‍‘A market-competitive salary.’ It’s such a cliché in so many job descriptions. Still, it’s important to investigate whether your salary scales actually still match what is being offered by competitors. Perhaps it’s time for a raise or an extra indexation.

If you are bound by a collective labor agreement, you might have less room to maneuver on your own. But we still have good news: you always have plenty of opportunities to stand out. There is usually enough room for creativity in secondary and tertiary employment benefits. And that is precisely where the biggest gains in employee happiness can be made!

While a good salary usually becomes the norm very quickly, employees are happier for longer periods of time because of things other than hard cash. Perks like a delicious lunch or fresh fruit at work, special outings, or important matters like well-arranged study or caregiver leave, flexibility in working hours, or extra vacation days are highly valued by employees and give you that extra edge during the hiring process.

2. Good tools and plenty of comfort

‍Every employee wants to feel comfortable and safe at work. The quality and appearance of the furniture and the tools they have to work with largely determine how the organization scores in terms of employer branding. And let’s not forget productivity! Therefore, pay extra attention to the layout of the workplace. Invest thoughtfully in the entire company, from the executive office to the shop floor.

Give everyone ergonomically sound furniture and a workspace at the right temperature, with pleasant lighting and plenty of fresh air. Provide employees on the shop floor with good, safe tools that make their work easier. And let office staff do their jobs with the right tools: user-friendly, intuitive systems that meet their needs.

Hold off on surfing to the webshop of the first provider you find. We have one more important tip: first ask the employees what they actually need! They likely know better than you do what really works in practice. Look at the results of your ESS, involve the works council, and start a small working group with a delegation from the target group in question.

3. Take your employees seriously‍

The days when employees were seen as mere means of production are, fortunately, behind us. People have become more vocal and generally know perfectly well how to make their own decisions or where to find information. Yet, not every organization is set up for this. Rigid job descriptions, little say, or a lack of personal attention: these can all become points of friction and are bad for your employer branding.

A few quick tips to put your employees in the spotlight:

• Offer enough autonomy so that everyone can contribute based on their own talent or experience.
• Ask for feedback regularly. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming. It can also be done online, so you can reach everyone quickly and process the feedback easily. If you need tips on asking the right online questions, read one of our blogs on this topic.
• Schedule performance reviews with every employee a few times a year. Not as a chore, but as quality time. Sit down with a good cup of coffee (or tea), listen, and don't forget to create a personal development plan (PDP) so you can lay a solid foundation for the next steps.
  

4. Room to grow (or to slow down)‍

Try to adapt to the development needs of your employees as much as possible. This doesn't mean you have to push heavy courses and training on everyone. Sometimes someone is in a life phase that requires a different focus. A caregiver, a young parent, or someone returning from long-term illness has different needs than someone focused on career advancement. However, that doesn't mean this group doesn't need attention when it comes to new knowledge and insights.

By developing a broad learning platform that focuses on knowledge, but also on well-being and fun, you keep everyone engaged. In addition to heavier theoretical, job-related content, post vitality tips, yoga exercises, or a fun pub quiz online so that it feels comfortable and familiar to browse through what's available. If someone feels ready to tackle a serious topic again, that step is just a mouse click away.

For the career-driven, you should naturally offer as much room to grow as possible. This means a good, challenging range of courses, preferably delivered in a hybrid format. Of course, vacancies should be posted internally first so that people can seize the opportunity if it comes along. Are there few internal growth opportunities? Then look at how you can make a job more interesting through a broader range of tasks or job rotation. If you've exhausted those options for your talented employee, be a supportive and gracious bridge to their next opportunity at another organization.

5. Connection as a mood setter

An organizational culture stands or falls with its employees. They are the ambassadors of your organization and share their experiences with the outside world. Therefore, ensure that colleagues get to know each other, can exchange ideas, and work together. And invite them to stay in touch with management as well. A few ideas to facilitate this:

• Set up enough meeting spaces on-site that people can use flexibly for mutual consultation or social gatherings.
• Actively invite employees to participate in a working group or project team.
• Provide chat options on your intranet or knowledge platform.

Need more ideas to promote mutual collaboration? Feel free to click through to one of our other blogs on this topic.

Do you need even more inspiration in the field of employer branding? Contact us via the chat. We love nothing more than brainstorming about the possibilities!