Employer brand ‘could cost firms top candidates’

Nick Elvin

Top UK employers are potentially missing out on recruiting and retaining star employees by not effectively communicating their employer brand, according to a new survey.

The research, carried out by talent management specialist Rethink Group and employer branding specialist Emperor, found that almost nine out of ten respondents are committed or very committed to the strategic development of their employer brand while 72% stated that the employer brand is on the corporate agenda.

However, only half believe that their internal culture helps to achieve the ambitions they have for the employer brand and just a third state that they have the right tools in place to do so. In addition, as many as 82% believe their organisation must improve their metrics for measuring employer brand management as just one in five firms utilises the opinion of its current employees as a measurement tool.

Rethink Group surveyed more than 100 major British employers including Shell, Tesco, Deloitte and Just Eat as part of the “Employer Branding” report. It also carried out a similar survey of major Irish employers such as PaddyPower, Icon and Aryzta.

Michael Bennett, managing director of Rethink Group, said: “Obviously, the survey has revealed that UK firms need to put in a lot of work to achieve their employer branding objectives and it has certainly raised some thought-provoking questions for the future.

“Interestingly, it appears that Irish firms appear to be one step ahead of their British counterparts. The survey found that 62% of respondents in Ireland believed that their employer brand delivers against its objectives while 65% think they have the right internal culture in place to achieve their branding ambitions.

“The survey clearly identifies that business leaders need to recognise just how important their employer brand is, particularly when competition for the best people is intensifying. Part of the solution is to bring marketing and HR together to deliver an effective employer brand. Those leaders that can do this and do it quickly are going to find themselves with a clear and powerful commercial advantage.”