This article was first published in The Brandberries’ Mastering The Hunt For Talent Report.
OMD UAE’s HR Business Partner, Zeeshan Ali Merchant writes about the ways one can increase the value of your team in the workplace. People have always been important in the world of work, but the evolution of most developed countries’ economies into knowledge-based systems has only heightened the value of people in the workplace. In this scenario, the commitment and engagement of an organization’s employees is paramount to driving forward its business, with knowledge-based capital often the key differentiator in a company’s offering.
Engagement starts with building an employer brand which attracts and retains the kind of talent you want to have in your organization.This means building a brand whose purpose,mission, and values inspires people to come work for the organization and encourages them to give the best version of themselves. Employees are contributing a significant time and resource commitment for the organization and they want to know that their investment will be worthwhile and will be 2-way. Some companies are even reflecting their consumer brand campaign and motto to their employer brand as well, for example Mastercard with their ‘Priceless’ campaign. Taking the campaign we all know very well, Mastercard started using the ‘Priceless’ theme to iterate the benefits Mastercard employees have access to when they work for them.
It’s also important for organizations to be consistent with how they reflect their employer brand throughout the talent experience cycle, all the way from attraction to separation, so people see and feel the organization’s values and culture on a day-to-day basis and feel that the their words match their actions. Similar to how consumers get disappointed when,after seeing some great advertising, they purchase a product which doesn’t live up to their expectations, employees will be disappointed if they join a company because of their purported ‘brand’ but they see a disconnect when they actually join the organization. Also similar to what’s happening in the world of consumer brands, reputation and word of mouth are increasingly influencing employer brands in the social environment we’re operating in.Hence the experience people have when leaving your organization also has a significant impact on your brand.
So how can an organization elevate its employer branding? Download the full report to hear more of Zeeshan’s insights, along with other industry experts about their perspectives on today’s Talent Market here.
