EMPLOYER BRANDING

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Problem statement4

Thesis statement4

Aims and Objectives4

Research questions5

Significance of the study5

Literature Review6

Tactics being used in employer branding8

Future of Employer Branding11

Proposed Research Method12

Expected results from the study12

Limitations of the Research12

Directions for future research13

References14

Introduction

As economies get more competitive, demand for highly skilled and qualified workforce continues to rise. This is because these employees are a potential source of sustainable competitive advantage. Thus we see that the labor market is changing from a buyers' market to sellers' market. This is especially true for highly skilled employees, because high-value jobs are more in numbers than the number of suitable candidates. Therefore attracting and retaining a highly skilled and motivated workforce is a constant challenge (App, S., et al., 2012).

Organizations face new challenges in vying for a high-quality workforce. Especially, ageing populations, employees from different cultural backgrounds, increasing numbers of women, dual-career couples, and single parent families make it all the more difficult to address the needs of a diverse workforce (App, S., et al., 2012).

Employer branding is explained as “the combination of utilitarian, financial, and psychological benefits provided by a certain organization as employer and identified with it”. An employer brand is synonymous to the corporate brand. It is founded upon the organization's values and culture (App, S., et al., 2012). The corporate brand creates a distinctive image and establishes an organization's uniqueness. The corporate brand is the sum of perceived good or bad associations formed by a person's perception of the organization (Caplan, J., 2004, p.1).

In its broadest sense, employer branding emphasizes communicating with current and potential workforce, recruitment business partners and relevant communities. It informs potential recruits about the advantages of working for a certain organization. Its goal is to make employees take pride in their work and the employer, provide better recruits, increase motivation levels and retain them longer. There are some ingredients that go into a world-class employer brand; the attractiveness of the sector; company image; product quality; work environment, pay scale and employee benefits. Work culture is also an integral part of the brand and most organizations are keen to provide a good work-life balance (Pinkess, 2008, p.n.a).

Generally, the image a company promotes of itself is similar to what its product stands for. Other companies, with less tangible products and services, build their image on intangible assets. These organizations advertise themselves as an employer of choice on the basis of their culture to recruit and retain quality workforce (Lindstedt, 2002).

Problem statement

This research proposal seeks to explain the existing trends in employer branding in Australia. It will focus on public sector organizations. Public sector organizations have faced financial crisis in the recent years. This study will try to find how these organizations attract and retain skilled and motivated work force. Little is known about the success of these efforts. This research will also try to find out whether these employer branding efforts have been successful or not.

Thesis statement

Employer branding is the building of an image of “great place to work” in the perceptions of the qualified pool of ...