Employer branding is an integral aspect of any business and there are several purposes of building a decent employer brand including to create a good rapport with the employees. Retaining good employees is clearly a better option than looking for new candidates and employer branding is one of the tools that can help serve this purpose. Five aspects of employer branding highlighted below explore some common but efficacious techniques that will help retain your valued employees by building a stronger association between your company’s brand and its employees.
1) Company’s EVP
Employee Value Proposition or EVP is simply a practice to synchronise the contributions from the employers and the employees. It is a set of attributions, skill sets or values that an employee has to offer in exchange for the benefits and personal or professional growth components the company can offer. A company’s EVP is an essential tool to crystallize that company’s brand which can attract the right candidates for the right positions and better optimize the company’s recruitment process.
There are many variations of what entails in a comprehensive EVP as part of the employer branding process but the idea boils down to just three simple elements - knowing the right talent persona for your company (Who), defining what the company can offer to its employees (What) and identifying how to attract the right talents who have something tantamount to give in return (How). Companies with employees recruited through an EVP tend to have a lower turnover rate because the contributions from both parties - the employer and the employee - are in alignment and the possibility of expectation mismatches is very unlikely.
In developing Asian countries like Myanmar, a handsome paycheck is not the only expectation the employees have at a company; a lot of them want to go up the corporate hierarchy while some want relevant work experiences before venturing out further for opportunities elsewhere; some are just trying out some jobs as part of their career transition plan and some want to focus on professional development as the goal of an employment. Employers, therefore, can align their own value proposition to those various expectations of prospective job candidates and make offers that can accommodate them properly so that what the employers can offer and what the employees are expecting can meet in the long run.
2) Distinct Company Culture
A company culture is a significant aspect of a company; it is, in a way, part of the company’s brand and it entails a set of practices and ideologies that drives the company’s vision and goals. A company culture also shapes the way the people work together and interact with one another; it is reflected in the collective behaviours and the thinking processes of the employees and a strong company culture always tends to adhere to its standard beliefs or practices no matter its size, reputation or demographics.
A distinct company culture can attract more employees to stay with the company because they feel that their presence in the organization is solidified through the set of values, attributes and practices that constitutes the culture. Whether a company culture is distinct or otherwise can be tested through the extent people recognizes the association between a company and its stated cultural aspects. For example, Google Singapore is recognized for its flexible and open working culture reflected in the employees’ working hours, dress code and communication style.
Myanmar is a country known for its hospitality, politeness, patience and trust, which is why it makes it important especially for multinational corporates and foreign companies to integrate a kind of company culture where people value friendship, foster mutual respect, treat each other as family and work close-knittedly. Incorporating a warm and amiable working culture not only makes it possible for Myanmar employees to weave a sense of bonding with their co-workers, it also allows them to feel belonged and purposeful working for the company.
3) Integrated Employer Branding Process
Employees are one of the many stakeholders of the company; they’re the assets of any business and how they represent the company has an effect on the brand of the company. Integrated employer branding extensively includes the employees in the company’s branding process.
One way this can be done is through appointing company representatives like ambassadors to act in the interests of the company. This ambassadorship consolidates the employees’ status as trusted and highly valued members of the organization and stretches their willingness to work longer for the company. The company can also include the employees’ testimonials, statements or experiences in the company’s marketing collaterals and promotional campaigns to allow them to speak for the company and voice out their opinions. This strategy serves as an outlet of expression for the employees and makes them feel more comfortable sticking to the company in the long run.
One way this approach can be integrated into Myanmar’s corporate market is through social media. It works simply: elect the company’s ideal representative employees as ambassadors and give them an option to sell the company’s products or services to their own network of consumers. For example, say every ambassador is assigned a promo code which he or she will use to promote the company’s products on his or her social media account. Friends and connections on that ambassador’s account will use that promo code to buy the products or services. The company can track how many products or services are sold by an ambassador through the promo code and reward the ambassador accordingly for the promotional efforts. This way, the company’s sales can be positively impacted, its employees can be properly incentivized and the brand can be promoted through several other social media presences. This approach is more relevant and applicable in countries like Myanmar due to the social media versatility of a lot of people and their tendency to consult to online testimonials to make certain decisions like whether to buy a product or not.
4) Personal Touch
No employee likes to be treated like a standard worker who’s required to immerse in a 9-5 job and gets compensated on a monthly basis; it is always a good initiative for the employers to create opportunities or incentives tailored to the needs of the employees and boost their growth within the organization. The way the company accommodates the needs of the employees is one of the ways the company brands itself to retain the employees and it is arguably the most effective way to preserve the employee royalty and sustainability.
Training and development plans catered for employees with a specific need for a particular skill or capability are one of the best ways to get them in shape for their roles in the company. These training and development programs may be more personalized through mentors, sponsored course enrollments, regulated feedback schemes and similar plans customized to meet the employees’ shortcomings. Employees who come out of these upscaling strategies are now the capital of the company embodying the resources and qualities consistent with the company’s brand.
Burmese millennials value mentorship and personalised tutelage which allows them to emulate the way the professionals think, make decisions and execute. Catering such a personal touch to employees within the Myanmar corporate realm will be indeed a wise investment because Myanmar is still on its ascent toward industrial development and a cohort of specially groomed employees sounds like a true leverage against the competitors who aren’t investing enough in their employees.
5) Employer Reputation
Employer reputation is a vital unit of the employer brand. Employer reputation affects his relationship with all stakeholders of his business that includes current and prospective employees, customers and clientele, investors, collaborators and sponsors. How the company or employer is perceived by the stakeholders enact a major role in how long the employees choose to stay within the company.
Building and maintaining a good relationship with the employees has a direct relevance to employer reputation and it is important to be always on positive terms with the employees. This relationship also applies to uneasy processes like dismissal, demotion and layoffs. Employers and employees can still attain a level of mutual understanding and satisfaction even in such circumstances by conducting proper exit management meetings or providing compensation and indemnity packages.
Myanmar is one of some countries that use a vast range of social media tools and channels for different communication purposes with Facebook topping the list followed by Instagram, LinkedIn and a couple other platforms, which makes it possible for stakeholders of all kinds to get a glimpse at your company’s background within just a couple of minutes. Maintaining a positive social media presence with constructive feedback from the consumers is not just a reflection of how employees satisfy the customers’ needs, it also shows how much the employees are invested in their responsibilities. This sense of pride keeps the employees longer than any other incentive and this is the reason why companies need to have a strong and relevant image.
Ending Words
In Conclusion, employer branding is a holistic planning process and every company should have a roadmap on how to successfully implement a strong employer brand that remains relevant in the market several years down the road. But it is worthy to keep in mind that retaining your employees is as crucial as branding your company and there are several ways to implement these two in conjunction like the five suggestions above.