What Message is your Employer Brand Sending?

The employee experience starts with the new hires first interaction with an organization—recruiting. The first impression a potential employee may have may extend far beyond company offerings in position, salary, and benefits to the employer’s value proposition and brand. The employer’s value proposition and brand can include several things: the employee’s opportunities for career advancement, rewards and recognition, management style, and company culture. The employer’s value proposition and brand are the elements that impact the employee’s experience and their decision to join and remain with an organization.

The importance of brand doesn’t stop at the recruiting process. Some organizations support formal career tracks for their employees in order to create the right kind of employee experience. Brightwing for instance recently received the “Coolest Places to Work For” label that aids in brand building. New hires like to know that an organization is committed to employees’ long-term growth and development.

On-boarding programs provide a good opportunity to reinforce the employer brand and generate a positive employee experience. A new hire that goes through a company’s on-boarding program and sees: a solid company message on the organizational culture, the mission and vision from the CEO, colleagues are upbeat, the company’s core products, value propositions, and performance expectations are clear and consistently presented, and a buddy and/or mentorship have been established, will be more likely to be excited to be part of the team, have a positive attitude, and refer a skilled peer to the organization.

The company’s strategic objectives and mission should be clearly communicated in the on-boarding program and continue through in the employee’s life cycle. They are the key components that drive the employer brand.

Companies spend billions every year on their consumer brands to attract new customers and open new markets. Happy employees can also be great brand sale people. Does your new hire on-boarding program work to attract, retain, and motivate happy employees that can share the organization’s vision, mission, and products with a potential customer as an ambassador for the company’s brand?