The Field of Employer Branding - Research Paper Example

Abstract

The field of employer branding is one of the most recent areas of concern in the corporate sector. Most corporate ventures have resorted to presenting themselves as the best option for employment to attract potential workers and retain the existing ones. This paper is a critical evaluation of the future of employer branding, based on scholarly evidence in line with corporate management tenets. This paper noted that changes in technology would affect the techniques used to achieve the employer branding targets. The evaluation also pointed out how the future will be associated with measures meant to attract not only the permanent employees but also the temporary and part-time competent workers. The effect of personalization and authenticity also featured in the findings. Therefore, the paper recommended that managers should focus on these themes when seeking to achieve the desired resiliency and competitiveness regarding employer branding.

Abbreviations

VR - Virtual Reality

AR - Augmented Reality

Introduction

Background

Changes in talent requirement and skills diversity needs have been depicted across the different dimension of the corporate sector. The current trends associated with the shortage of advanced competencies essential to enhance the degree of competitiveness in the organization has led to the development of the field of employer branding (Martindale, 2010). The concept entails the presentation of an employer as the best option in the market within the segmented group. According to Guthridge et al. (2008), research regarding the best employer branding practices has been essential in informing the strategic decisions regarding the solutions to employee retention and attraction of critical talents. However, the level of competition in the labor market remains a crucial concern for most organizations. In such a case, managers have embarked on a strategy where they create an attractive environment for workers and promote the organization as a competitive alternative to potential employees to overcome turnover and retention challenges (Edwards, 2010). (Martindale, 2010; Edwards, 2010)

According to Martindale (2010), employer branding has become an intervention in the changing corporate sector regarding the retention and recruitment shortcomings. Different scholars have presented diverse perspective regarding the role and the future implications and trends associated with employer branding. The 2014 report by ManPower Group indicated that there is an increasing trend regarding the shortage of talent in the corporate sector (ManPower Group, 2014). Such a phenomenon creates a high level of competition when seeking to acquire skilled employees. Therefore, most organizations have adopted strategies that will ensure they rise above their rivals in the market. The conglomeration of the approaches in strategic human resource management and brand marketing has presented the immediate insights needed to advance the level of excellence in enterprises seeking to retain and attract competent and skilled workers (Lievens, 2007).

Problem Statement and Justification

The field of employer branding is one of the most recent areas of concern in the corporate sector. The changes in the management of the organizational affairs in line with the need for skills that can enhance the competitiveness of a firm has created the need for an alternative approach employee acquisition (Martindale, 2010). On the other hand, the scarcity of skilled personnel in the market has also generated the limited supply, which is to be shared amongst the venture within that segmented niche. Therefore, most corporate ventures have resorted to presenting themselves as the best option for employment to attract potential workers and retain the existing ones. Such a phenomenon has led to the establishment of prototypical techniques associated with employer branding. Different researchers have addressed the diverse perspective on this aspect of corporate management (Edwards, 2010). However, employer branding is a dynamic area based on the constant corporate sector changes across the globe. There is a need for an understanding of the future considerations that organizations should be aware of to ensure that they strategies while focusing on the possible emerging trends. Therefore, a critical evaluation of the future of employer branding, based on scholarly evidence in line with corporate management tenets, is required to prepare the organization for the management of possible externalities.

Research Question and ObjectivesBased on the advancement in employee retention and acquisition, evaluation of the potential of employer branding in enhancing organizational competitiveness is current concern. This paper was designed to evaluate the future considerations for the organization in line with the dynamic corporate sector when seeking to enhance the competitiveness through employer branding. Therefore, the purpose of the evaluation was to examine the current situation associated with this notion and generate a future perspective of employer branding. The paper undertook a multidimensional perspective of the topic of study to ensure that the significant areas of concern associated with employer branding have been addressed. However, the study did not include many research and publications regarding the objective since it is a recent area of concern in corporate management. Therefore, the following research question and objective guided the study.

Objective: To determine the key factors that will characterize the future of employer branding through the assessment of the current scenario in the corporate sector.

Question: What are key factors that will characterize the future of employer branding through the assessment of the current scenario in the corporate sector?

Literature ReviewThe onset of the popularity of employer branding emanated from the shifts experienced in the market in line with skills shortage in the 1990s. Before this period, more emphasis was set on the role of brand marketing to enhance the competitiveness of the firm. However, the changing corporate sector attracted the introduction of employer branding as a preferred approach to talent and skill acquisition and retention across the global management community. Over 65% of talent acquisition leaders have acknowledged that employer branding is a fundamental priority for their organization from 2015. In fact, critical strategic leaders have ascertained how the use of active employer branding approaches is associated with a high level of skill competitiveness, acquisition, and retention of skilled workers.

Worth pointing out is that employer brand is the conglomeration of functional and psychological advantages that characterize an employment based on the specific internal environment of the organization. Therefore, corporate ventures have capitalized on these attributes to create strategies associated with the planning, creation, and implementation of measures meant to attract competitive and potential employees. Presenting an attractive image that the firm is the best place to work has been proved to attract a pool of competent candidates. Successful employer branding depends on the sustainability of employer brand equity. In this case, the firm needs the appropriate assets and liabilities to execute the values that define the presented employment brand. On the other hand, employer image is the potential attitudes and perceptions that are presented regarding the employment potential of the organization. In most cases, it is regarded as employer attractiveness serving as the antecedent of the employer brand equity.

Based on the historical and rapid development in the field of employer branding, several scholars have examined different perspective associated with this notion to determine the implications, trends, and future consideration. According to Brannan, Parsons, and Priola (2015) and Baum and Kabst (2014), organizations are faced with three dimensions of roles and objectives that define their need for competent skills across the departments: corporate, strategic business unit, and product or service brand development tenets. In such a case, the management is tasked with the role of outsourcing the human capital that will enhance the realization of the set targets specific to each brand development perspective.

Moreover, Ewing et al. (2002) argued in their studies that corporate branding and employee branding are inseparable since their approaches and roles are interrelated. While it is essential to recognize how the rate of change in marketplaces is rapid, the need for the organizations in line with human resource capacity is also dynamic. In line with this sentiment, Biswas and Suar (2013) found out that the brand portfolio in an organization supports the process of developing a competitive culture that enhances the process of employer branding. In fact, Biswas and Suar (2013) postulated that the approach to labor market had been divided into three sections: employer branding, a focus on current employees (internal), and potential employee outsourcing (external).

Furthermore, the findings of Backaus and Tikko (2004) correlated with the postulates of Dell and Ainspan (2001). The two studies among others have pointed that employer branding is central when seeking to enhance the competitiveness of the organization. In fact, the results of their assessments indicated that the approaches adopted across different sectors of investment is essential in enabling the employees to understand the value and objectives of the firm. Moreover, Priyadarshi (2011) noted that through employer branding the retention and acquisition of competent employees are guaranteed. On the other hand, the success of employer branding process depends on the level of strategic planning and implementation of the set measures. According to Davies (2007), the impact of employer branding in a competitive market can only be realized when internal needs are aligned to the external shifts within the segmented market.

The perspective of CIPD (2008) regarding the aspect of employer branding showed how it is multifaceted. The body defined employer branding as the attributes and qualities that make the organiz...