Role of Human Resource Management in Employee Branding
Introduction
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| Picture 1: Employee Branding Source: |
When heard about branding, human resources (HR) is not the first thought that comes to mind, suddenly the imagination goes for advertising campaigns, logos that inherently promise value, and quality (Wakely, 2019). Employee branding is the image communicated by employees to the society through their behaviors, attitudes, and actions which has been shaped by employee’s engagement towards the employer brand image and promoted through the culture of the organization (Ghosh & Kulshrestha, 2015).
When dragging our
attention to the world’s most successful brands like Facebook, Google, and
Apple not only their product or service become icons, but also these brands
have ranked in the top of the "Best Places to Work" lists. These
Organizations are equipped with strong company culture and highly engaged
employees in addition to brand recognition.
Employee branding is the
heart of HR Marketing, as it helps organizations to position themselves. And HR
performs a crucial role by attracting strong talent and putting them into the
process of growth by ensuring their development since strong brands are also
built by strong talent. HR professionals use the following five elements to
influence employees to become the brand ambassadors of the Organization.
- Importance of Onboarding Programs
Onboarding is a more
important process as a strong first impression help to build strong brand
ambassadors. Unorganized onboarding can lead to disengaged and unproductive
employees (Weber, 2019).
- Reward
programs and Communication
As marketers consider
customer experience, and satisfaction when developing marketing programs, HRM
must keep employee experience at the forefront when developing reward programs.
Benefits packages, incentives, and wellness programs can play a significant
role in attracting and retaining employees (Heathfield, 2021). On the other
hand, proper internal communication channels such as intranet need to be used
with visuals and language that helps staff better understand the above benefits
available to them (Wakely, 2019). Employees who feel their Organization offer a
competitive package of benefits are more likely to share that opinion with
others, which may bring out a lot of value additions.
- Importance of Culture and Messaging for Brand Growth
Organizations that try to build up their brand among employees must clearly communicate their values, employee expectations, core culture, and commitment to them (Heathfield, 2021). This can be achieved through proper communication about policies, procedures, company news so that the employees can engage promptly with the brand and the company’s key messages.
- Importance of Technology to Shape a Brand
Workplace technology can
be perceived as cutting-edge among employees, and it will help organizations to
position their brand as an industry leader. Therefore HRM must introduce
Automation technologies to develop positive relationships with their employees.
Through the technology can identify employee status updates such as new job
titles, family changes, and address changes. Moreover, they can generate
customized greetings at the employees’ special celebrations and alerts when
their service is required. This will help to reinforce employee engagement with
the organization.
Nowadays with the use of
smartphones, tablet-friendly portal, and cloud-based technology solutions
provide access to employees from any time, anywhere, and promote employee
interaction, participation, and engagement with the brand.
Examples
from the Global Context
In todays’ world
Organizations increasingly engage with employee branding strategy as the
easiest way of attracting and retaining talent. As an example Adobe, the
software powerhouse moved into the social media strategy once a passionate
worker drove more social traffic to the website exceeding Adobe’s official
Twitter presence. With this finding, Adobe’s Social Business Center of Excellence
director designed a program to train people on how to communicate with friends
and social networks without endangering the company or their job. They posted a
blog called “Adobe Life,” which describes the way of employee life inside the
Abobe, and it gets 10,000 visits each month (The Business Journal, 2016).
Conclusion
HRM performs a significant
role in building employee branding, and it is the easiest way of achieving a
competitive advantage in today's business world. A productive, inspired and
engaged workforce of brand ambassadors will create a favorable impact on the
brand as well as any marketing or public relations campaign which may drive
towards a strong foundation of success.
References
Ghosh, D. K. & Kulshrestha, S. S., 2015. Employee
Branding – Becoming a New Mantra for Employee Engagement. [Online]
Available at: https://www.ijsr.net/archive/v5i6/NOV164772.pdf
[Accessed 13 August 2021].
Heathfield,
S. M., 2021. How to Make Values Intrinsic to Your Organization's Success. [Online]
Available at: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-make-values-live-in-your-organization-1918821
[Accessed 13 August 2021].
Heathfield,
S. M., 2021. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-are-incentives-at-work-1917994.
[Online]
Available at: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-are-incentives-at-work-1917994
[Accessed 13 August 2021].
McCullough,
K., 2018. Employee Branding. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDVqSEpOGVc&ab_channel=EngineGroup
[Accessed 24 August 2021].
The Business
Journal, 2016. How to turn your employees into brand ambassadors. [Online]
Available at: https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/growth-strategies/2016/01/how-to-turn-your-employees-into-brand-ambassadors.html
[Accessed 13 August 2021].
Verlinden,
N., 2020. 9 Great Employer Branding Examples to Inspire You in 2021. [Online]
Available at: https://www.aihr.com/blog/employer-branding-examples/
[Accessed 24 August 2021].
Wakely, C.,
2019. 5 Ways HR Can Build Your Organization's Brand. [Online]
Available at: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/hr-building-brand-1917670
[Accessed 13 August 2021].
Weber, J.,
2019. Raise Productivity While Saving Money on Onboarding. [Online]
Available at: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/save-money-onboarding-and-raise-productivity-4105002
[Accessed 13 August 2021].
HR branding is all about how both your current employees and potential employees view your company as an employer. It is about your company's overall image as an employees and what your company's values are. as you have argumentatively mentioned, branding become the most important key in HR.
ReplyDeleteThankyou very much for the comment Oshada.
DeleteGood article Rukmali, You have explained things with the example of the global context. Strong employer branding is ultimately about creating a strong company culture and communicating the organization's employee experience in the market genuinely and consistently. Those who do so will benefit from easier recruitment, increased engagement, stronger employee advocacy, and improved retention.
ReplyDeleteEmployer brand is what people recognize from the company as an employer. It sets out or presents the value that the company create for employees in return of their skill set. This is the best way that a company sells itself to the people seeking jobs and to reach the best persons in the job market. Companies with strong brands or a good reputation among employees attract high-quality candidates more easily and more selectively to a lower cost.
ReplyDeleteThankyou very much for the comment Sunith.
DeleteEmployer branding is the strategic process that involves creating a unique place of work that attracts the talent whose knowledge and skills are needed to meet the organization's goals and objectives.
ReplyDeleteand it is about making sure that employees feel good about the place they work. Employees can then be ambassadors for the organization and that "feel good factor" can permeate out to others, notably customers and clients.
Thankyou very much for the comment Mihirani.
DeleteGood job Rukmali. HR can train employees in brand messaging and help them to engage positively with the company. In turn, this will create a positive image of the business. The employees know what the company is about, so they're excited about the brand. Engaging in the brand also improves staff morale, which, in turn, influences productivity
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ReplyDeleteIf any organization needs to recruit best people to their work force, they have to have a well reputed employer brand. Employer branding will help to hire new employees easily , create a strong company culture and even reduce marketing costs., reduce hiring and marketing costs, and eventually improve productivity.
Well-written article Rukmali, Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJust to add to the content, As Bassig (2021) highlighted that organizations should put more efforts to enhance employee retention and happiness, as well as to build a system that respects frank feedback, transparency, and open communication by creating an atmosphere in which all workers believe they have a duty or participation in expressing and conveying the brand message.
Great insight Rukmali,HRM plays an important role in developing employee branding, and it is the simplest way to gain a competitive advantage in today's business world. The best examples of employee branding help organizations attract and retain talent with skills, commitment, and attitude that match the company's values. Strong employee brands are built and nurtured by "people marketing" strategies. In other words, organizations should know their employees as well as they know their customers, creating great employee experiences that boost company performance.
ReplyDeleteAs well explained employee branding is the heart of HR Marketing, which helps organizations to position themselves. it is HRs responsibility to ensure their development since strong brands are also built by strong talent.
ReplyDeleteRecruiting the right person to the right job is main objective Human Resources team. Through this successful employee onboarding process the company will have a productive workforce marching towards common goal. Thereafter, the HR team can identify the highly talented, skillful employees and invest on creating a brand for the employee, which will be a motivating factor and will ensure employee retention in the long run. These employees will be brand ambassadors who represent the company in public forums to maintain high standards of the company branding. Company will have to invest on educating and skill development part of these employees in creating them as a brand.
ReplyDeleteEmployers must express their employer brand through many channels, including online and in person-to-person interactions, if they are to discuss workplace branding plans. Make your employer branding approach – as well as the type of employee you want to attract – evident to recruiters. Employer branding might be emphasized through business updates, all-hands meetings, or frequent mailings. Don't be hesitant to use social media to draw attention to components of your company's brand that consumers can connect with.
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ReplyDeleteImportant article Rukmali.Employee Branding is very important strategy to every organization. This will create a positive image for the business and help to attract the best candidates, it creates a strong company culture, reduce hiring and marketing cost and improve productivity.
ReplyDeleteEmployer branding is essential for organizations to hire new employees, create a strong company culture, reduce marketing costs, and aim to promote innovation and pursue aspirations. Having a reputable employer brand is a necessary condition for organizational strategy because it can help companies recruit better candidates, reduce recruitment and marketing costs, increase productivity, and stay ahead of the competition. Worth to read.
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