UK Organisations leading the way in employer branding

Two-thirds of companies globally do not have a formal employer brand strategy.

44 per cent of UK companies recognise the importance of having a brand strategy in place.

Worldwide the responsibility for building the employer brand must come from top management.

According to research from the International Workplace Survey released today by specialist financial recruitment firm Robert Half, only a third (32 per cent) of organisations across the world have a formal employer brand strategy in place, and whilst 20 per cent are planning to implement one in the next two years, over a third (35 per cent) admitted they currently have no plans to do so. The survey was conducted with over 5000 HR and finance managers in 17 countries across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States, and provides an insight into international workplace trends.

Organisations in the UK however appear to have embraced the concept of employer branding more so than their global counterparts, as 44% of all the UK HR and Finance Managers questioned stated that their organisation has a formal employer brand strategy in place. Somewhat predictably it is the larger companies, those with more than 200 employees, that are more likely to have a formalised branding strategy. In the UK 69 per cent of companies with more than 200 employees have a branding strategy compared to just 23 per cent of companies with less than 50 employees.

David Jones, UK Managing Director, Robert Half International, said:

ìIn todayís marketplace where skilled candidates are such a precious commodity, employers need to look carefully at the image of their organisation and what they would like to represent both internally to existing members of staff and externally to potential new employees. Candidates can now afford to be selective in who they choose to work for and increasingly will look closely at an organisationís culture, company image and values that are aligned with their own before deciding whether to join.î

When asked what was the most important reason for adopting an employer brand strategy, a quarter of all UK employers (24 per cent) stated that it will lead to a high retention of existing employees and 18 per cent claimed that it will attract and recruit new staff. A further 17 per cent stated that it will tie employee commitment to organisational goals and 19 per cent claimed it will help to maintain a positive reputation in the industry.

The survey revealed that the responsibility for developing and driving a companyís employer branding clearly comes from the top and filters down from there. Globally almost a third (29 per cent) believe that the CEO/CFO must buy into the employer brand first and foremost in order for an organisation to successfully become an ëemployer of choiceí. 24 per cent stated that this responsibility lies with the HR department and 20 per cent said it must be a multi-departmental approach.

Interestingly, when asked what organisations are doing to ensure that the employer brand strategy is implemented across the company, over a third (37 per cent) of companies in the UK are conducting workshops with staff and then implementing the results.

David Jones commented:

ìWhat is clear from our research is that whilst some UK employers do recognise the value of developing an ëemployer of choiceí strategy, others need to find ways to differentiate themselves from other organisations in order to get the most from their people and attract high performers to their company. Key to developing an effective employer branding strategy is to identify what is unique to your organisation. Holding staff workshops will help you to identify what is meaningful for your existing members of staff, what motivates them about the company, what messages work and importantly what keeps them loyal.î

A quarter of all HR managers surveyed globally believe that the best way to communicate the employer brand is through the organisationís human resource policies, 17 per cent said through the company website, and interestingly 21 per cent believed the best method for communicating brand values is simply word of mouth.