In the corporate world, the war for talent is a reality! The rules have changed: brands have to make the best people want to come and work for them.
What's more, with the successive crises, workers increasingly wish to give meaning to their daily activities, in professional environments that share their deepest motivations.
For companies, it's now a question of offering optimal working conditions while conveying a story that values employees. Recognition, consideration and transparency are now the watchwords for a good reputation.
To convey the right message and give the most accurate impression to job seekers, check out these great examples of companies that succeed in the goal of being attractive to both their customers and the people who work for them.
Employer branding: Definition and characteristics
What is employer branding?
Employer branding refers to the reputation and image of an organization as an employer. It encompasses the perception and experiences that current and potential employees have about a company's values, work environment, culture, and overall employment experience. The goal of employer branding is to differentiate an organization from its competitors by highlighting its unique attributes and creating a compelling narrative that serves to help pique the interest of talented job seekers and make them want to stay once they're started working for the company.
Employer branding encompasses various elements, such as recruitment marketing, employee value proposition (EVP), employer brand communication, and candidate experience. It involves leveraging multiple channels, including social media, career websites, job postings, and employee testimonials, to effectively convey the organization's employer brand message.
A strong employer brand can yield several benefits. It can enhance the organization's ability to attract and retain top talent, reduce recruitment costs, increase employee engagement and productivity, and improve overall company reputation. Moreover, a positive employer brand can contribute to a competitive advantage in the labor market and create a talent pipeline for future organizational growth.
How do you optimize your employer branding strategy?
To optimize your employer branding campaign, you need to ensure that your motivations are geared towards sharing and recognizing all the employees and partners working for your company. First of all, you need to establish the core values that form the backbone of your organization. From there, you will be able to define all the actions that highlight these central elements.
As part of your employer charter, you will also need to focus on satisfying your employees, so that they feel good at work. By listening to each employee's feedback and trying to innovate in everyday business life, you will be able to get closer to the ideal conditions and ensure that your employees share a positive impression of your company.
Once these levers have been put in place, it's up to you to communicate in the best possible way to highlight all the positive motivations within your organization. We'll take a look at a number of ideas that could be of use to all entrepreneurs.
What is included in employer branding? The four core elements
In short, employer branding is based on four main pillars:
- Employer branding is what the company actually is.
- It's the reflection that you project of your company.
- It's what employees think and say about the company.
- It's the public's impression of your company.
The last criterion refers to the brand's reputation or e-reputation. As an entrepreneur, you need to keep a constant eye on the opinions and comments on social media networks and the internet regarding the products and services offered by your company.
It's also a great way of attracting potential candidates so that you can surround yourself with the top people.
A good employer branding strategy will then use this feedback to improve or promote the positive points of the organization's activities.
7 Great examples of successful HR marketing strategies
If your goal is to create a stellar employer branding experience, it can help to take a look at successful models to inspire your own efforts, similar to how examining content marketing examples can benefit your content marketing strategy.
Get inspired by these employer branding examples before applying your analyses and becoming the benchmark that attracts the top candidates on the market!
1. WiziShop, a people-oriented company
WiziShop, the ecommerce solution based in Nice, France, features a group dedicated to the well-being of our teams—the Happy Team—organizes a variety of festive events throughout the year. The objectives of this organization are manifold:
- improve the professional environment,
- ensure team cohesion,
- encourage employees to embrace the corporate culture,
- reward employee involvement in various team-building projects,
- manage human resources and develop careers,
- promote employee well-being by improving the quality of the working environment, and
- facilitate the recruitment and hiring process, attracting promising talent.
In addition to the fun and sunny living environment offered by the capital of the Côte d'Azur, WiziShop's leaders are keen to keep their offices close to the main public transport links (train, tramway) to facilitate their employees' daily commute.
In addition to providing a warm and welcoming environment, WiziShop's leaders aim to offer a range of activities and events, which have a number of advantages.
To this end, they've created a Happy Team, comprising one person from each department, to ensure that everyone is properly represented. With a monthly budget allocated, the Happy Team organizes events that bring team members together in their spare time!
Escape Game, Archery Fighting, Paintball, Accrobranche... There's no shortage of great ideas to surprise employees!
At WiziShop, we've created a hashtag dedicated to these moments of life on social media networks. #TakeitWizi was unanimously chosen by our employees. It accompanies each of our posts dedicated to daily life within the company. And it's now firmly anchored in the minds of our community and our network.
2. Starbucks' promise to help employees
On YouTube, it's possible to watch numerous videos relating to recruitment and the daily lives of Starbucks employees. The international restaurant chain wishes to export a vision of work that takes place in proximity, good humor and well-being.
The brand is also keen to emphasize the inclusive nature of its recruitment policy. On one of the dedicated pages of the company's website, all the best practices put in place to create a climate of trust can be found. Brand communication is one of the central pillars of the company's ability to forge closer links between employees. In fact, Starbucks calls its own employees "partners," demonstrating the company's recognition of its employees.
Beyond the HR aspect, Starbucks also wishes to emphasize the transparency of its sustainable commitments in its strategy. So many reasons that drive candidates to want to apply to a brand with multiple advantages, to fulfill a quest for meaning and to meet diverse profiles who will work in a positive atmosphere.
3. Netflix, sharing video content for a good campaign
Netflix offers a series featuring its employees. The interviews highlight Netflix's core values, in addition to the objectives of each of its divisions. Around a table and in a very relaxed way, we discover different experts of the platform who exchange around their vision of work and that of the big international group.
This tour of the teams gives future employees confidence and inspires a relaxed atmosphere, while showing portraits of performance-oriented employees.
Flexibility, inclusion, and transparency are the cornerstones of Netflix's marketing when it comes to employer branding.
4. Google, the benchmark for HR attractiveness
Google has based its HR reputation on the future of human resources. Around the world, tens of thousands of employees enjoy the many campuses where they can develop their skills on a daily basis. Everything is designed to promote well-being in the office, with numerous activities and attractions right on the company's premises.
Google communicates extensively about the advantages of being an employee of the multinational. There's a feeling of freedom and confidence when you watch the group's video content on YouTube. In fact, Google's "Life at Google" YouTube channel is dedicated to employer branding. It features dozens of videos about the group's employees.
5. Microsoft, taking action for well-being in the workplace
In 2017, Microsoft took first place in the annual Employee Choice Awards published by Glassdoor. This platform is the benchmark for reviews and comments left anonymously by brand employees.
Thanks to this type of user-generated content, future employees are attracted to the brand for a career. In addition to being a benchmark name in the international tech sector, the fact that the working conditions are optimal enables the brand to prove its excellence in its field and encourage candidates to apply during the digital recruitment phases. And this has been the case for decades...
6. Salesforce, making frequent appearances on "Best Places to Work" lists
Salesforce has been named one of the top places to work around the world by various groups, and in many cases, multiple years in a row. Earning spots on lists such as the FORTUNE “100 Best Companies To Work For\u00ae” and Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work," the cloud-based CRM platform has been commended for working on closing pay gaps pertaining to gender and race and providing employees with remote-work options to accommodate their needs.
What's more, Salesforce is known for creating a culture that encourages employees to learn and grow, namely with the creation of its Trailblazer Community. This network comprises 19.5 million individuals within the Salesforce ecosystem, fostering collaborative learning, skill development, and mutual success with the software company.
7. HubSpot, looking at company culture in a creative way
When the marketing software firm HubSpot saw significant growth several years back and began to scale, HubSpot's leadership prioritized safeguarding their culture from derailing. To address this challenge, the company opted for an unconventional path and began developing their culture as if it were a product, resulting in a 128-page document known as HubSpot's Culture Code. While the slide deck was initially only shared internally, it's now featured on the firm's website and has been viewed more than 5 million times.
This Culture Code is a set of principles and values that define the company's unique work culture. It emphasizes customer-centricity, continuous learning, and empowerment of employees. The code promotes transparency, open communication, and a bias for action. It encourages autonomy, flexibility, and a focus on results rather than processes. The document serves as a guide for employees, shaping their behaviors, decisions, and interactions, and fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
In addition, the company's HubSpot Life channel on YouTube offers an inside look into the firm's culture, work environment, and employee experiences. Through a series of videos, it showcases the day-to-day life at HubSpot, including team collaborations, company events, and insights into their unique work culture and values.
Employer branding: A valuable tool for hiring the top talent!
These employer branding examples provide valuable insights into the power of a compelling employer brand in attracting and retaining amazing talent. From innovative recruitment campaigns to fostering inclusive company cultures, these organizations have demonstrated the transformative impact of investing in their employer brand. By effectively communicating their values, mission, and unique work environment, they've created a strong employer brand that resonates with both current employees and prospective candidates.
Through authenticity, creativity, and a focus on employee experiences, these companies have set themselves apart as desirable employers. As the competition for talent intensifies, these examples serve as a source of inspiration and guidance for organizations seeking to enhance their own employer brand and help attract the top talent.
