Just as customers these days make their purchasing decisions based on word-of-mouth marketing rather than on celeb-driven advertising, employees too trust their fellow talents in the market. Companies need to focus on creating a robust employer brand to ensure positive employee engagement and advocacy.
With studies linking happy employees to happy customers, it is not surprising that most employers are now giving dedicated attention to building a strong employer brand that is distinct from its corporate brand. With social media becoming a powerful tool for employees to voice their opinions, companies must be more transparent. People put their faith in those companies where employees post positive feedback on parameters that are quite different from what recruiters post on job advertisements. But how can employers ensure that their workforce is happy? We have jotted a few tell-tale signs that can help employers evaluate their reputation among the existing and potential talent pool.
Negative chatter on social media
Just as restaurants cannot ignore customer reviews on food review apps, employers cannot provide a negative experience to their people and forget about it. Most potential talent these days, pays close attention to Glassdoor reviews before deciding to join a new company. And believe it or not, it is the negative comments that attract the most attention and affect the bottom line.
High attrition rate
It is believed that most employees today have one foot out the door at any given time. That said, if attrition is burning a hole in the pocket, it is time to relook at some of the factors that are causing the workforce to opt for greener pastures. One of the recurring reasons for high attrition is employee disengagement stemming from reticent employers not taking committed initiatives to enhance culture and employee well-being.
Speed bumps in the talent acquisition process
The top talent often has more than one job taker in the market. In such cases, lack of communication from employers can lead to losing hires who were half-way through the recruitment process. This leads to going back to step 0 of the recruitment cycle, stretching the timeline of hiring the right candidate for the role. Not just that, recruiters who tend to avoid timely communication and updates with potential hires urge such hires to look for greener pastures. A snail’s pace in the hiring process gets noticed by potential best talent and leaves a bitter taste. And in this age of digital media, bad experiences have a multiplier effect; so, the chances of others giving low priority to such a company is very high.
Frequent successful poaching attempts from other companies
It is this desire to leave or no desire to stay that makes employees subject to poaching by competitors. Using non-compete agreements to make employees continue at their current firms does more harm than good. It stifles their performance and crushes the brand image of the employer in concern. Instead of relying on these contracts, employers need to devise measures and focus on being a brand that employees do not want to leave.
Lack of awareness among workforce about company resources
A key factor behind disengaged employees is a lack of awareness on how much their employers are willing to invest in them, creating next-gen leaders, and upskilling them at the company’s cost. Often, employees remain in the dark and underutilize the existing systems and facilities that can add an edge to their employment status within the company. The need of the hour is to have a robust knowledge management team to disseminate information that can empower employees and encourage them to benefit from the resources available to them. Many a time, such disengaged employees get lured by the employee value proposition of a new employer without realizing that their existing employer had the same or similar offers in place.
With competition for finding top talents becoming steep, employers can no longer turn a blind eye toward their employer brands. It’s not just for finding potential hires – a strong employer brand reflects the quality, pride, and engagement levels of the people who shape a positive customer experience.