Aiming at retention of talent

Think Google, Infosys or Tata Sons. Great brands. Great places to work. And it’s
largely word-of-mouth publicity by employees themselves that make these
organisations highly coveted by job seekers across the country. That’s called
employment branding (e-branding)-- positioning a company as a ‘great place to
work for’ by using a well-crafted messaging strategy backed by consequential
and relevant employee-oriented initiatives.

In an era where organisations are falling over each other to recruit the best
talent and employees hop jobs for just a few thousands rupees, employers need
to stand out in the crowd. That’s why e-branding is increasingly seen as the
single-most important factor influencing the selection of an employer by a
potential employee. “What employment branding helps in doing is increasing the
perception of a company as a potential employer of choice thereby not only
reducing attrition but also increasing the pool of available talent. Also, most
importantly, it makes the shift from people joining an organisation because of
money to joining a company because of what it is,” explains Vipul Prakash,
partner, Elixir Web Solutions, which helps companies build employment brands.

Initiated by BPO firms, today, not only the entire IT industry, but also companies
in banking, financial services, retail and hospitality swear by e-branding. And, as
retaining employees in today’s competitive market becomes an even bigger HR
challenge, delivering on the brand promise becomes all the more critical. Agrees
Mandeep Singh, head-HR, BMR & Associates: “I perceive employment branding
as the communication medium for the organisation through which the ultimate
objective of attracting talent and retaining it can be achieved.”

Strong employment brands have a magnetic effect when it comes to attracting

and retaining good people. According to industry watchers, 15%-20% of today’s
HR budgets are set aside for e-branding activities. So, whether it is Mastek
Alumni (a forum for Mastek’s former employees to share their thoughts) or IBM’s
Innovation Jam (which helps employees across geographies collaborate on
innovative ideas), almost every IT/ITeS company grabs every opportunity to not
only reinforce that it cares for employees but that it is also a place to have fun.
Says Shiv Agarwal, managing director, ABC Consultants, “We have a unique
system wherein we encourage a lot of inter-employee bonding and camaraderie.
We follow the ‘work hard, party harder’ culture and earmark the first Saturday of
every month for fun activities.”

Experts say organisations planning an effective e-branding programme should

first look

internally. The best way to start is through dialogue with current employees.
Open houses and employee events help companies reach out to them. Events
ensure not only fun and bonding, but also provide a forum for recognising good
performance. Events are also an important way for management to interact
across levels, and create a sense of identity, according to industry experts.

The objective of the e-branding message at Aspire Systems, an outsourced

product development company, is to convey that it aggressively works to build
the careers of employees by enhancing their knowledge and skills. The company
has what it calls a ‘Wisdom Curve’, a platform that enables competency centres
for specific technologies to share knowledge across the organisation. “At Aspire
we have consciously created a framework of constant learning and growth for
every individual. We believe that every initiative that we take is meant to make
that difference,” says HR head Kalpana Srinivasan.

The impact of such exercises has begun to be felt. Explains Priyasha Banerjee,
assistant vice-president, HR, Elixir Web Solutions, “Ever since we introduced the
employee engagement programmes, the feeling of belongingness has increased.
In case of prospective employees, many a time, we have come across candidates
who are keen to join Eixir as they have heard about the company’s goodwill, and
the way we work. Mostly, they learnt about us from articles in the media and
through word-of-mouth.”

However, an employment brand can be marred, too, if it is not anchored to

reality, warn HR experts. Any disconnect between brand claims and ground
reality can really backfire by not only driving away talented individuals, but also
warding off potential recruits. A recent e-branding study conducted by Hudson,
an international talent management consulting group, found that only 37% of
employees felt their employer had kept the employment brand promises made
when they joined the company. “When you do employment branding, people
who know the system well would ridicule it if the depth and reality is missing.
Internally, a person knows what black and white is, so the perception on
employment branding, if not done with seriousness and focused effort, can hit
employers badly,” says Rashmi Deshpande, head, human resource, South Asia,
Group M.

Clearly, employee-branding initiatives need to strike the right balance between

focusing on attracting future employees and retaining existing ones. E-branding
is not just about getting more people; it is about getting those who really believe

internally. The best way to start is through dialogue with current employees.
Open houses and employee events help companies reach out to them. Events
ensure not only fun and bonding, but also provide a forum for recognising good
performance. Events are also an important way for management to interact
across levels, and create a sense of identity, according to industry experts.

The objective of the e-branding message at Aspire Systems, an outsourced

product development company, is to convey that it aggressively works to build
the careers of employees by enhancing their knowledge and skills. The company
has what it calls a ‘Wisdom Curve’, a platform that enables competency centres
for specific technologies to share knowledge across the organisation. “At Aspire
we have consciously created a framework of constant learning and growth for
every individual. We believe that every initiative that we take is meant to make
that difference,” says HR head Kalpana Srinivasan.

The impact of such exercises has begun to be felt. Explains Priyasha Banerjee,
assistant vice-president, HR, Elixir Web Solutions, “Ever since we introduced the
employee engagement programmes, the feeling of belongingness has increased.
In case of prospective employees, many a time, we have come across candidates
who are keen to join Eixir as they have heard about the company’s goodwill, and
the way we work. Mostly, they learnt about us from articles in the media and
through word-of-mouth.”

However, an employment brand can be marred, too, if it is not anchored to

reality, warn HR experts. Any disconnect between brand claims and ground
reality can really backfire by not only driving away talented individuals, but also
warding off potential recruits. A recent e-branding study conducted by Hudson,
an international talent management consulting group, found that only 37% of
employees felt their employer had kept the employment brand promises made
when they joined the company. “When you do employment branding, people
who know the system well would ridicule it if the depth and reality is missing.
Internally, a person knows what black and white is, so the perception on
employment branding, if not done with seriousness and focused effort, can hit
employers badly,” says Rashmi Deshpande, head, human resource, South Asia,
Group M.

Clearly, employee-branding initiatives need to strike the right balance between

focusing on attracting future employees and retaining existing ones. E-branding
is not just about getting more people; it is about getting those who really believe
in the company. After all, to them, an employment brand conveys the image of
the dream job at their dream company.

Amjad Alam