With the aim of continuing in our reflection on employer branding, I will begin this second post by rescuing from the inkwell one of my main convictions regarding the matter: “(…) a good start to implementing employer branding will always be to remember that our employees value us for what we do and not for what we say. Walk the talk and things will improve from there.”
From my point of view, it would be convenient to highlight the word “start” in the previous paragraph if what we propose to circumscribe the concept of employer branding to an economic and business context like that in which we find ourselves. It has been a reality for some time that in Spain there is still not much of a real sense of interest in the use of effective employer branding strategies that will contribute globally to better company results. In my opinion, the reason for such lack of mobilization has more to do with a misunderstanding of concept than anything else. In many companies, investment in employer branding policies are still considered expenditures with no return; they have not understood, not realized it exists, (as opposed to in other countries, such as in the U.S.) the belief that backs that motivated employees always yield higher returns for the company, as compared to those that are only connected by job stability offered by the employer. In this sense, family-run companies in Spain tend to achieve this better than larger corporations.
Therefore, it would be an error of “oversimplification” to blame only the make-up of companies for this situation. One of my personal beliefs is that if Spanish companies -as of today and in contrast to many companies in other countries- continue to turn a blind eye to powerful potential employer branding policies, it is because the Spanish employment market still doesn’t allow for it. This happens because, as a general rule, Spanish professionals are not particularly discerning when they choose the company at which they will work. Also, this situation is worsened in times of economic crisis such as the present, when the highest aspirations of most professionals tends to be to find a stable job. However, the employer brand of a company is not treated and received in the same way at all levels of the professional pyramid. For those professionals that move between the highest rungs of the ladder, belonging to a company with a strong employer brand tends to be a must when looking to embark on any new project.
In this sense, and above all, for a group as specific as upper management, is where Spain places itself closer to other “more sophisticated” job markets as, for example, the U.S. or the U.K. On more than a few occasions on my tours abroad, I have met candidates that have rejected job offers because their values were not in sync with those of the hiring company, o because they had heard some negative comments about it. The existence of annual rankings, such as that of Fortune magazine, that list the 100 most desirable companies to work for in the world, is another clue that in these countries employer branding is very important. In the same way, stressing one of the central points in both articles, for employer branding to work you can’t just believe in it. As we have already said, one must walk the talk, and in this sense I believe that in Spain we are still far away from understanding why an airline pilot would accept a position as a baggage handler in order to work with a particular company (in this case, and it’s a true story, for Southwest Airlines).
In conclusion and going back to the word “start”, I believe that in Spain the best way we can advance in the realm of employer branding is, on one hand, a greater sophistication in the job market (candidates need to be more discerning), and on the other hand a greater belief on behalf of companies in the benefits of employer branding policies. If we work towards having our employees motivated at work, they will in turn work towards making our company more competitive. Acting this way, the solution to the equation will always be a guaranteed: WE WIN.