In a highly competitive job market of today, attracting top talent is vital. Different companies are always competing for the best candidates and there various factors that affect the decision of the potential employees to join your organization. Employer brand and company culture are among these key influencers. However, even though they may be used interchangeably, there is a difference between them and each has an important effect on attracting and retaining talent. This blog will extensively look at this by focusing on company culture which greatly influences both prospective and current employees.
Understanding Employer Brand
Employer brand is a term used to refer to how a company appears as an employer in terms of its reputation. It involves the values, mission, and overall image of the firm towards prospective employees. Communication, marketing efforts as well as encounters with former or current employees shape this brand. A strong employer brand should possess following elements:
- Clear Mission and Values:
An organization that has well-crafted mission statements and values that resonate with potential employees. - Positive Employee Testimonials:
Success stories from current or past staff members. - Consistent Messaging:
Coherent communication across all platforms that are used to reach out towards customers or clients alike. - Visibility:
Presence on social media, job boards and career sites to increase the number of people reached.
A strong employer brand can make it easier for a company to recruit candidates who share its vision and values.
The Role of Employer Personality and Thought Process
The character and mental process of the employers are vital determinants in creating an employer brand.
Why?
- Leadership Style:
The leadership style demonstrated by employers sets the mood for the whole organization. For instance, an approachable, transparent, supportive leader creates a positive working environment that reflects positively on the employer brand. Satya Nadella CEO of Microsoft for a decade now has been known for his empathetic leadership attitude which has significantly enhanced Microsoft’s employer brand. - Vision and Innovation:
Innovative visionary employers contribute towards dynamic and appealing employer brands. Employers such as Elon Musk at Tesla and SpaceX run businesses with forward thinkers who attract talents desiring to participate in revolutionary projects or innovation. - Ethical Standards:
Companies that put ethical standards ahead of everything else create a good employer image. People are increasingly looking out for organizations which their personal values align with.
Leaders such as Starbucks’ Howard Schultz, who have a high level of integrity and ethical commitment, are instrumental in fostering positive employer brands. - Employee Engagement:
Employers that interact with their staff and solicit their opinions while making decisions foster a sense of inclusivity. This engagement is important for the creation of a good employer brand. Hands-on Richard Branson belongs to Virgin Group; his feedback based approach strengthens brand name of Virgin group. - Communication:
Employers should communicate their goals, expectations and changes efficiently and clearly to employees. In addition, by informing workers about company’s policies and procedures, which involve Indra Nooyi during her stint at PepsiCo, it increases the profile of an employer.
Exploring Company Culture
Company culture denotes the surroundings, conduct norms, principles and behaviors that represent an establishment. It is the very core around which a business operates on a daily basis as well as how subordinates relate with each other or even superiors. Here is why company culture matters:
- Employee Satisfaction and Retention:
Positive company culture has been found to be directly related higher employee happiness level leading to better results in their retention rates.
Higher employee satisfaction is due to positive company culture. Such factors as feeling valued, supported, and being in line with the organization’s values can contribute to an inclination of employees to remain within an organization. The organizations that manage to retain most of their employees save a lot of money in relation to recruitment process and training. - Productivity and Performance
A culture that supports collaboration enhances productivity and performance. For example, happy workers perform better because they are more inspired by the desire to push their companies forward. An example is the case of Google which has managed to generate innovative thinking among its employees through freedom thus creating ground breaking products and services. - Attracting Top Talent
Many prospective job applicants consider company culture when deciding where they should submit applications. Companies with cultures supporting work-life balance, inclusivity, learning environment and personal development would, therefore, have a competitive advantage over their peers in recruiting top talent. Candidates prefer organizations where they think they will personally grow as well as professionally develop. - Brand Ambassadors
They become brand ambassadors because their working environments are fun; hence advertising it positively through social networks like Facebook or Twitter among others is very useful for attracting other similar people.
Examples of Company Culture Impact
Often, Google is referred to as a good example of company with a strong and positive culture. The company has succeeded in developing an environment that promotes innovation, collaboration and employee wellness. These are the major aspects of Google’s corporate culture:
- Innovation:
Google encourages its employees to use up to 20% of their working hours on projects they find interesting as it fosters a creative and innovative atmosphere. - Collaboration:
Teamwork and easy communication are promoted by open office spaces and flat organizational structure. - Employee Perks:
From onsite fitness centers to gourmet cafeterias, there are various things available at Google that help improve employees’ satisfaction and well-being. - Professional Development:
This ensures employees get many opportunities to learn and grow thus enabling them to keep improving their skills even after employment.
Zappos
The strong firm culture makes Zappos achieve customer service which made it famous. A few elements include:
- Core Values:
The company has ten core values including delivering “WOW” through service and creating fun and a little weirdness. - Empowering Employees:
They encourage workers to make independent decisions for the benefit of consumers thus promoting ownership feeling as well as job satisfaction. - ZAPPOS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
This in turn promotes community involvement at Zappos, which is something that is cherished through various events and activities to bring employees together.
Netflix
The Netflix culture is all about freedom and responsibility as follows:
- Independence:
To take decisions and create innovative ways of doing things without too much bureaucracy, staffs are given a lot of independence. - Transparency:
Keeping workers well informed that is why Netflix operates transparently on all levels. - Performance:
And this company expects high productivity, thus individual remuneration is pegged on each one’s input into the firm’s achievements.
THE EMPLOYER BRAND VS. COMPANY CULTURE: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO
However, employer brand and company culture are different but closely interrelated concepts. The strength of the employer brand may attract talent, but it eventually boils down to whether or not these personnel can be retained within the organization for them to achieve success as such.
- Matching:
The employer brand must be congruent with the company culture otherwise disagreements will occur leading to general dissatisfaction and high employee turnover rates. - Confirmation:
A positive corporate culture supports the employer brand so that happy workers in a conducive working environment effectively create a good public image of a corporation. - Attraction and Retention:
Employer brand is strong, it attracts talent while strong company culture retain them. They together attract and retain the top talents in a cycle.
Conclusion
Company culture and employer brand both play critical roles in attracting top talents. Companies must work to develop a positive, strong culture that is consistent with their employer branding, thereby providing potential as well as present staffs with one voice on which to rely. That way, they can put up workforces that not just have the right skill sets but are also committed to the corporate vision and values.
However, this demands creating an enabling company culture along with a powerful employer brand—though it may require hard work and dedication. However, the benefits of these efforts are worth it since they lead to increased employee satisfaction levels and reduced employee turnover thus earning the organization better status among many employees.
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