Creating a winning employer reputation
| Pages | 20-23 |
| Published date | 01 May 2005 |
| Date | 01 May 2005 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14754390580000802 |
| Author | Simon Hepburn |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
20 Volume 4 Issue 4 May/June 2005
LL ORGANIZATIONS, WHETHER they
recognize it or not, have an employer
reputation. That is, a perception held by
individuals of what type of employer they
are. Do people think they are an exciting place to
work? Do they view them, for example, as a
paternalistic employer or somewhere that’s up-to-date
with its views on corporate social responsibility?
Whatever the reputation, it will affect individuals’
behavior towards that organization. It will contribute
to their career choices – whether to apply for a job at
that organization, or indeed to stay if they are a current
employee. Drawing on our research,1this article
explores why it’s so important to strive to gain a good
employer reputation, how to get there and how to
ensure a positive perception from others.
What you say and what you do
Any reputation is based on two elements: what you do
and what you say. An employer reputation is based on
what you do as an employer plus what you say you do;
how you communicate to the outside world as an
employer. Effective employer reputation management
means understanding and managing the links between
the two. Organizations which effectively manage their
employer reputation first decide what type of reputation
they want to have – what is best for their business goals
– then aim to become that type of employer and
proactively communicate it to all key stakeholders.
Organizations that effectively manage their
reputation are the ones who are seen as employers of
choice and they will also be the ones who gain
competitive edge. So what are the real gains to be made
from managing an employer reputation and why is it
becoming so important?
Why manage your employer reputation?
Employer reputation management has become such a
major issue that a large percentage of companies we
contacted suggested it’s now of board-level concern and
a priority business issue. Many also said it was
explicitly cited in their company’s core values. The war
for talent has perhaps become an overused term in the
past few years, but this doesn’t mean that the need to
attract and retain the best people has gone away. In
fact, if anything, it has increased.
At the same time, individuals have become more
selective and, as social structures have changed, the
career or job a person chooses holds more relevance
and value than just a way to pay the mortgage.
Concurrently, while a deficit of talent pervades, the
importance of people as a source of competitive
advantage has grown. As organizations have
streamlined their processes and become as efficient as
possible, the advantage to be gained is through people
and the value they bring to the performance of an
organization. Companies that attract and retain the
A
by Simon Hepburn
Communications Management
Creating a
winning
employer
reputation
Being a good employer is no longer enough, you must
also be perceived to be a good employer. This means
communicating effectively to a range of key
stakeholders. Simon Hepburn explains why managing
employer reputation should be a business priority and
outlines steps you can take to ensure your reputation
is ahead of the rest.
Ensuring a positive perception from
internal and external stakeholders
© Melcrum Publishing Ltd. 2005 For more information visit www.melcrum.com or e-mail info@melcrum.com
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