Blogs & Videos

Series: Talent Retention in 2016, Article 2 (The Q Works Group)

The sum of who you are as a business can be partially defined by how you are perceived.  You can control much of this by being aware, and maintaining an accurate employer brand. Trouble can arise as we become complacent. Employer branding mistakes are easy to make unintentionally, but the repercussions can be lasting and take an effort to correct. As referenced in our last article, How is Your Company’s First Impression, potential employees have generally formed an opinion about your company before they even start the interview process. This can be a positive or a negative depending on what research is uncovered.

Once you recognize the importance of displaying an appealing, yet genuine employer brand and you have identified any areas that may need improvement, you can begin the process of cleaning up your image. You don’t have to be a Public Relations wiz to know when there is perceived negativity surrounding your company. The initial step to reestablishing what you want to be perceived is to take a look at all of the channels out there in cyberspace that are representing your company. These may include:

• Company website
• All social media/ networking sites
• Sites that evaluate or review your company, such as Glassdoor, Indeed, Reseller Ratings and The BBB

After you’ve gathered your insight and analyzed your findings, do what you can to fix it. Got a lousy website? Get it updated!  Is your contribution to social media failing to promote a positive image, increase traffic, sales and/or awareness? Do better!  Post more engaging, informative content and post more often. Are you receiving poor customer reviews online or from disgruntled ex-employees?  Respond immediately!  Ignoring these only makes your company look worse.

It is just as important to look internally when evaluating your own employer brand. The most vital representation of your company is your employees.

• Are they happy?
• Do they feel good about working there?
• Are they brand ambassadors?

It is more important than ever to allow your employer brand to permeate your entire company culture. What this means, is to not only “talk the talk,” but to also “walk the walk.”  If you promise a candidate X, Y and Z will occur at your company (casual Friday’s, flex-time, telecommuting etc.), then you don’t deliver, you are promoting inconsistency.  Studies have shown that this type of misrepresentation can lead to poor moral and eventual employee resignation.

How’s your retention rate?  If it’s not good, then you know something is not right.  Herein lies one benefit of working with a trusted, highly skilled recruiting firm. One who has the time and skills to thoroughly understand your employer brand and company culture and is able to effectively and accurately communicate that to potential employees.

As we move through this series, the objective is to formulate strategic plans to help companies increase retention and improve overall employee satisfaction.  Promoting a positive and accurate employer brand is only one piece of this puzzle, but in a time when companies are struggling to retain good talent, it is worth reevaluating and taking steps to improve.

Written By: Angie Barnes, Q Works Marketing Coordinator