Employers get branding boost

Released 02/07/2009

New guidance on ensuring long-term success

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has launched new guidance on employer branding to reflect the challenges organisations face in recession. Based on content gathered at roundtable discussions with practitioners, consultants and academics, it provides practical pointers to help navigate employer branding in the current context.

The CIPD defines employer branding as "a set of attributes and qualities - often intangible - that makes an organisation distinctive, promises a particular kind of employment experience, and appeals to those people who will thrive and perform to their best in its culture." Rebecca Clake, the author of the guidance urges organisations to meet the ‘on a shoestring' challenge by focusing on the long-term, not just thinking of short-term cost cutting that will impact negatively on employee engagement and motivation.

The guidance encourages employers to do more with less and put an end to "employer branding-lite" as a quick fix for an organisation's challenges. It includes case study examples from a range of organisations including Broadway homelessness charity, Paul UK, the British Library and E-on.

Clake, research manager, CIPD, says: "Employer branding shouldn't be simply about damage limitation in challenging times. It's useful to consider how the current economic situation can help drive culture change and new ways of working in your organisation. There is a real opportunity now, as we prepare for the good times, for employer branding to help create the organisation we need for the future. Seeing beyond survival in the current climate to thriving in the future is crucial.

"Employer branding approaches that take into account the importance of maintaining a positive presence in the recruitment market - but also the need to maintain employee engagement and to nurture talent inside the organisation - are vital."

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