27th June 2022 6 MIN READ •Talos Attract •Employer Branding
In order to attract the best talent, your company needs to sell itself as an ‘employer of choice’ to potential candidates. This means aligning your values, culture, and workplace incentives with the wants and needs of talent in your sector.
Here’s how you can optimise your employer brand, workforce strategy, and HR processes to position your organisation as an employer of choice and attract the best new talent to your team.
What is an employer of choice?
Becoming an employer of choice means your business is regarded by candidates and current employees as a desirable, if not exemplary, workplace. This gives your employer brand the strength it needs to attract top talent in your sector, and retain employees for the long-run.
Your employer brand is the first factor candidates will consider before applying to join your company. To become an employer of choice, you’ll need to build your brand’s reputation within the job market, showcasing your company as a positive, supportive workplace.
There are three principles that should underpin an organisation’s efforts to become an employer of choice:
- Company culture
- Employee engagement
- Leadership
Read more about how to build an effective employer brand strategy.
Employer of choice benefits
The main benefit of becoming an employer of choice is that it will help your organisation attract more top-quality talent. Depending on the role you’re hiring for, the benefits of this will vary, but employers of choice can enjoy a great reputation with talent on board to drive their business forward.
As you attract better quality talent for open positions as an employer of choice, you may also find yourself saving money and time on hiring, as there’ll be fewer unsuitable candidates to sort through.
The Relationship Between Your EVP and Becoming an Employer of Choice
Your organisation’s employee value proposition (EVP) will need to be at the beating heart of your journey to becoming an employer of choice.
EVP statistics show:
- Employees with a strong sense of belonging report 56% higher level of overall job performance – BetterUp
- Just 31% of HR leaders believe that their employees are satisfied with their EVP – Gartner
- When EVP is activated effectively, it decreases talent turnover by 70% and increases new commitment by 30% – Gartner
- 78% of job seekers are prepared to leave their jobs for better benefits – Talos360
- 75% of employees believe that innovation is key to job satisfaction – PwC
- Highly engaged teams show 21% greater productivity – Gallup
Analyse your EVP with Talos to find out exactly what it is that makes your company desirable to candidates, and why staff stay with you. Understanding all of this is key to becoming an employer of choice.
5 steps to becoming an employer of choice for top talent
Becoming an employer of choice may not be easy, but it’s essential for attracting the best talent in your sector. Without a strong employer brand, you’ll find it difficult to attract and retain new talent, potentially losing out to competing employers.
Here’s how you can strengthen your employer brand reputation to secure more of your sector’s most sought-after talent:
#1 – Optimise your EVP in line with employee expectations
Your employee value proposition (EVP) is the collection of incentives and employee benefits given to your staff in return for their hard work. This includes individual benefits like healthcare schemes and bonuses, as well as company-wide incentives like staff socials and flexible working.
To make your company an employer of choice, you need to ensure your EVP remains in line with your employees’ expectations. This means evaluating your company culture and benefits package on a regular basis, and acting on employees’ suggestions.
Survey your colleagues to identify which values, benefits, and cultural factors matter most or least to them. What makes them choose you as their employer, and what would they change given the chance?
This will help you to construct an EVP that truly resonates with both your existing workforce and new talent in your sector.
#2 – Pursue learning and development – don’t just talk about it!
Employees are rarely happy in stagnant job roles – they want to learn, develop, and thrive in their careers!
To become an employer of choice, approach learning and development proactively. Provide training courses, peer-to-peer learning and regular performance reviews to give your employees access to future opportunities.
Many companies list ‘learning and development’ as a generic benefit, yet fail to deliver when it comes to their day-to-day workforce strategy. Don’t be one of them – be an employer that encourages, and actively supports its employees growth and development!
#3 – Act on your employees’ feedback
An employer of choice is one that listens to, and acts upon, the feedback of its employees.
Make sure your colleagues are heard: hold regular 1:1s, surveys and strategy sessions to gain their input on your company’s development. This can relate to absolutely any part of your company’s strategy – be it your HR policies, cultural values, employee benefits or leadership style.
Communicate any company-wide changes to your employees, and gain their feedback before moving forward. This helps to keep your brand’s vision in line with your employees’ expectations, increasing engagement levels and boosting staff retention.
#4 – Target employee engagement issues proactively
Every workplace encounters engagement issues from time to time, whether it’s friction between colleagues, operational structure, or an individual’s career goals.
Unfortunately, if left unhandled, such challenges can quickly lead to resignations, and disengaged team members.
If you’re committed to becoming an employer of choice, be proactive in your approach to engagement challenges. Make sure employees have regular, personalised 1:1 sessions with relevant managers to help you identify engagement issues before they begin to affect your workforce, and damage your employer brand.
Don’t ignore the signs of friction within your workforce. Make sure employees feel supported, and have their concerns heard on a regular basis.
#5 – Bring your HR strategy ahead of the curve
The modern workplace is constantly evolving. From flexible working initiatives to the office environment, employers are always looking for ways to make their workplace more appealing.
To position your organisation as an employer of choice, stay ahead of the curve with the latest HR trends. Keep track of other employers – even those outside of your immediate industry. Is there anything they’re doing to improve their workplace that you could adopt yourself?
It’s crucial to maintain a dynamic, forward-thinking workplace strategy – don’t let other employers beat you to the best new talent. Make sure your company culture, employee benefits and workplace remain in line with the latest trends. This is vital for making your employer brand more appealing than its competitors.
How to use Talos Engage in your employer of choice strategy
Want to become an employer of choice for talent in your sector? Introducing Talos Engage…
Talos Engage makes it easy to identify the wants, needs and expectations of your employees, and beat your competition to the best talent – make it a key part of your employer of choice strategy.
Gamified EVP analysis and optimisation
Talos Engage enables gamified EVP analysis and optimisation. Existing employees simply play the Talos Engage swipe-card game to give feedback on your company’s values, culture, and workplace benefits. This is formulated into a straightforward report, showing you the current strengths and weaknesses of your employer brand strategy.
This makes it easy to improve your workplace reputation, and tackle engagement challenges proactively, helping you attract more of the best talent, retain top performers, and ultimately become an employer of choice.
Sign up to our webinar on becoming an employer of choice and start your journey to build a better workplace to attract and retain top talent:
