Be better positioned to attract and retain talent

Employees with the right skillset are essential for organisations to succeed and grow. To retain and attract these employees, you need to present yourself as an attractive workplace that matches the expectations of these employees. The method for developing a good employer brand is analysis, strategy, and solid groundwork, so that the employer brand reflects the culture and reality of the workplace.

How we work with employer branding

A strong employer brand helps to attract the right employees – and to retain those you don’t want to lose. This can be of great value, as the cost of a vacancy or losing talented people can be high – especially when it comes to managers and specialists – and not having the best people in key positions can mean losing competitive advantage. Focusing on employer branding with a solid employer brand ensures that you tell the same story across the organisation. And it obliges senior management, line managers and HR to ensure that the story actually holds up when new employees face the reality of everyday life.

It is important that employer branding is authentic and rooted in the organisation’s culture and values. Therefore, the development work behind a new employer brand is always based on analysis and strategy. We have developed the method and process over the years, and below we have briefly described the four phases on which a typical employer branding project is based.

Analysis – understand challenges, strengths, and weaknesses

The analysis has two main purposes. Firstly, to identify the challenge to ensure that the right problem is being solved and that the employer brand contributes to the business. Secondly, to ensure a good understanding of the workplace’s strengths and weaknesses in order to develop authentic employer branding.

Strategy and employer value proposition (EVP) – set the direction and choose the right position

In this phase, the framework for working with employer branding must be formulated on the basis of the results of the analysis. The strategy is based on the identified challenges and, on that basis, formulates objectives, prioritised target groups, action areas and, if necessary, a channel strategy. The strategy can also provide the cornerstones in terms of roles and responsibilities in the organisation. An employer value proposition (EVP) should be authentic and reflect the true strengths of the organisation. But it should also be aspirational and reflect a culture that the customer wants to create. The most important thing is that it is not only attractive, but also that it attracts the right people. Candidates should be able to see if they are a good cultural and professional match through the organisation’s employer branding.

Creative platform – find your own expression

In this phase, the EVP and strategy must be translated into a strong visual and creative concept that defines the expression of the client’s employer brand. The platform may include guidelines for image style, description of style and tone, specific graphic elements, and how the employer brand relates to the organisation’s overall visual identity.

Execution – getting it right

In the final phase, the concept and strategy are rolled out. When everyday life hits, it is important to stick to the overall framework, but of course also be flexible and open to learn from experience and adjust the strategy, messages, and visual expression along the way.