NH237 Consulting and WDAD Communications - Research on the future intentions and challenges facing the UK’s employers

The opportunities for the Employer Branding profession have never been greater and neither have the challenges 16 “We’ve recently won an award for our ‘We are the Protector ’s campaign which has been used for internal comms and employee engagement over the last 12 months, whilst our people were mostly working from home. Now we are using it externally to start hiring again for some key cyber and software skills. Whilst our own people understand what it means, research showed that we need to contextualise it for an external audience. As an employer brand professional , it is so exciting to help create something that is continually evolving and developing, shaping the communications for our current and potential talent ”. Laura Price Employer Brand Lead for Security, BT What feels surprising is that 34% felt that the key challenge facing their Employer Brand was about consistency of message, suggesting that different internal (and potentially external) stakeholders were playing fast and loose with the brand. This suggests a number of issues. That the employer brand messaging has not been communicated with enough vigour and cut-through across the organisation, with the associated business case not made. Or that the employer branding has perhaps become diluted and tired, with stakeholders beginning to adopt their own take on key messages. Or that the employer branding function does not have the heft and presence sufficient to address those who might deliver inconsistent messages. “And might well be a combination of all of those! This is where educating stakeholders internally has a huge part to play - and changes to the EVP, or the org, or how companies are moving forwards in the new normal is a good time to look at this”. Alison Heron Whichever reason lies behind such inconsistency, this feels like an opportunity to deliver newmessaging, of its time, that disincentivises such inconsistencies. Clearly, the term employer branding touches on the whole candidate journey, from initial application interest and attraction, through to the ATS, interviews, engagement with line managers, on-boarding and the ultimate employee experience. In an ideal world, this entire journey should be mapped by TA professionals to ensure it is delivering to the promise made by their Employee Value Proposition.