The foundation of employer branding has remained the same during pre and post-pandemic times. Employer branding is the process of managing and influencing an employer’s reputation among job seekers, employees, and key stakeholders. With diverse companies in the market, employer branding helps companies stand out and attract the right employees to their workspaces.
But in the aftermath of the pandemic, employee and employer requirements have significantly shifted. Organisations look for the right talent, and employees look for the best employer of choice. Hence, Employer branding has attained more considerable importance than ever.
Also read: Building a Strong Employer Brand Isn’t The Job Of Just One Team; EY GDS’ Syeda Meher Taj Reveals Why
According to a recent trend by Naukri, there has been a surge in employees searching for permanently remote jobs in the last six months. There were over 57% searches for permanent and temporary remote jobs in the portal. In July 2021, the company launched a new feature for those firms that are hiring remote work candidates.
This is just one of the employer branding trends that can brand you as an ‘employer of choice’. It’s important to assess if your organisation is falling short of keeping up with these changes. This article discusses what companies across India are doing as a part of their employee branding efforts.
4 Key Employer Branding Trends That Are Set to Dominate 2022
With current trends, broadening the definition of employer branding beyond marketing is the first step. As an employer of choice, hiring for the right talent requires moving away from traditional parameters. It also involves providing the employee with a window into your company’s goals and culture.
With that as the first step, here’s a look into the key employer branding trends of 2022,
1. Addressing employee burnout and well being
In the past two years, the pandemic created an unpredictable situation that changed the lives of many employees. Feelings of anguish, fear and other sentiments may still affect employees’ ability to focus and bring their 100% efforts. Due to this, there was a huge no. of employees who experienced burnout.
So what do employees do in difficult circumstances like these? Look up to their employers at work. This is where organisations should understand the need for change. According to a study by a health-based company, about 30% of employees struggled to stay productive as they felt that their employers did not support their well-being.
An example of a company that includes initiatives designed for employees is Thoughtworks India. As a global technology consultancy, they promote employee health and well-being. Their ‘Do With Compassion‘ project includes peer-to-peer counselling sessions for office managers and leaders, focus wellness sessions, and care programmes to support personal and professional development, among others.
2. Remote is the new 9-5 workday
The pandemic brought a sudden shift from offices and the 9-5 routine to remote work. Companies went from struggling to move their assets and work ethic online to embracing a completely remote workplace. As some organisations plan a return to offices and a hybrid work model, employees turn to leaders to navigate the post-pandemic work environment.
Employers who adhere to older policies and are not flexible may lose out the most on hiring productive employees. Post pandemic, employees may want to keep working remotely due to various reasons such as increased time with their families, lesser commute time, better mental health, and boosted productivity, among others.
The statistics don’t lie either. A recent survey indicated that about 52% of workers would prefer a more flexible work model post-pandemic. With changing employee sentiments, some organisations have already rebranded their employer portrayal. Microsoft India, has emerged as a leading brand offering flexibility to support individual work styles, be it remote or hybrid. The company has even revoked the idea of standard ‘workday timings’, infamously known as the 9-5.
With changing employee sentiments, some organisations have already rebranded their employer portrayal. Microsoft India, has emerged as a leading brand offering flexibility to support individual work styles, be it remote or hybrid. The company has even revoked the idea of standard ‘workday timings’, known as the 9-5.
Hence, employers are on the rise for branding themselves as an effective communicator, or a flexible employer. Being open to remote or a hybrid workspace, along with providing flexibility for your employee’s work style is essential now, more than ever.
3. Resonate your organisation’s values with the employees
The definition of ‘working with a company’ has changed for employees. It now includes experiences that foster a sense of community and belonging rather than just a good salary and benefits. The current employer branding trend goes beyond marketing your company and providing a customised work experience for employees.
Many parameters combine to form employee experiences. Efforts towards learning and development, transparent and honest communication with senior leaders, creation of value and engagement within teams, and encouraging and acknowledging employee contribution are some criteria that employees look for.
Engaged employees resonate with the organisation’s goals and are happier, committed, and invested. To validate this, a survey also found that highly engaged employees were 87% less likely to leave their companies. It is the need of the hour for employer branding to offer professional development, learning and training opportunities to help the employee grow simultaneously with the organisation.
Also read: Employer Branding: 5 Steps To Boost Recruitment and Retention Through It
4. Newer parameters of diversity and equity
In the past, organisations have prided themselves on diversity inclusion, including traditional parameters such as age and gender. But through a post-pandemic lens, newer parameters such as work-life balance, inclusivity, and financial wellness are included as a part of diversity and equity.
Tech Mahindra is a key example of an Indian brand that has received global recognition for its diversity and inclusion policies. The company has inclusive policies to meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, specially-abled, underprivileged communities, different nationalities, sexes, and so on.
Initiatives to hire and retain top talent: the impact of employer branding trends
There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to cater to the needs of employees. However, the company’s core values must include the willingness to adapt to changing employer needs. Employer branding and marketing influence the initiatives taken by companies to hire the right employees.
Initiatives such as addressing employee burnout, adapting to newer parameters of diversity and equality, and resonating your organisation’s values with your employees are important strategies that some companies have adapted, and are reaping the benefits of. Hence, companies need to adapt their employer branding to portray the company’s work culture and provide a window into the employee experience.
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