Visualization of the Foundations for Employer Branding and Employee Experience

Diving into the theory behind Employer Branding and Employee Experience can be confusing for even the most experienced Employer Brand professionals. The following guide is a high-level summary for today’s C-Suite, and to quickly demonstrate the connection between terms like Organizational Strategy, Employer Branding, Employee Engagement, and Employee Experience.

For the purpose of this article, an Organizational Strategy sets the ‘Why,’ ‘What,’ and ‘How’ of an organization at the highest level. This includes elements like the Belief/Purpose (Why), Mission/Vision (What), and the Values/EVP (How). The Organizational Strategy is the foundation of your BRAND, the why, what, and how that guides your actions and differentiates you in the marketplace.

These elements are accompanied by a Business Strategy (how you will make money), and an Operating Model (how you will operationalize the plan). The Business Strategy is about how to create value, the way you bring it to market, and compete against peers in the market.

Your Employer Brand is the perceptions of all stakeholders (i.e. current and future employees, external talent), of what it is like to work in your organization. It is influenced by the Organizational and Business Strategy and includes the Employee Value Proposition and Employee Experience.

An Employee Value Proposition are the key pillars on which your employer brand differentiates the work experience and opportunity you offer candidates/employees. It is what employees’ value most about working at your organization. This could include things like helping to achieve your purpose, the ability to learn/grow, or belonging to a unique team of talented professionals.

The Employee Experience are the events or occurrences within your organization that leave an impression (or create a feeling) with your team members. This is what drives the perception of your Employer Brand. This includes all of the interactions across the employee lifecycle from potential candidate to exit and comprises all aspects of work life.

Employee Engagement is a measurement of how motivated employees are feeling to perform at a high level within the Employee Experience you have created. Strong Employee Engagement is important for business results and is also commonly used as a barometer for the health of your Employer Brand. It can also uncover insights about your Organizational and Business Strategy (.i.e. Are leaders clear on what your priorities are are)?

Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is an important measurement for the strength of your Employer Brand in the marketplace. It includes measuring how much of your current talent pool would recommend your organization as a place to work. This is an important metric to be mindful of when considering the cost of attracting and retaining talent.

If you are looking to learn more about how Employer Branding can drive your Employee Experience and your Business Strategy, we’d love to connect for a discovery discussion. Send us an email to find a time.