Attract your best workforce through employment branding and culture

In a time where everyone talks about Artificial Intelligence (AI), it’s good to remember that our biggest asset in the workplace is still human capital. The most pressing challenge we hear from businesses is about the shortage of talent. What does that actually mean – shortage of talent – and what can you do to find the right people?

The answer is the law of attraction – what you put out to the universe will come back to you. So how you cultivate and talk about culture, comes back to you in terms of people being attracted to your business. There’s a multitude of talent out there that’s probably a perfect match for your business, but you might be unaware of it. Employment branding is a fancy term for building up your reputation as an employer so people will want to work for you. It’s your value proposition to prospective employees. If you are smart about it, you will only attract those who provide the best skills and motivation for your business.

Here are five guiding principles on how to shape your brand and talk about your culture:

1. Clear and consistent messages- If you fail to be clear and consistent about who you are (not just what you do), then you are sending confusing messages out into the market. Understand what your business is about, your values and purpose beyond just making profit. The decision to accept a new job is an emotional decision and not only guided by rational criteria. Potential employees need to relate to your purpose and values to understand if they align it with their own. This is necessary for both parties to thrive and enjoy a win/win situation.
    
2. Create the right culture- What is the personality of your business? Are you a quirky, creative workplace that profits mostly from ad hoc collaboration and working groups, or are you a more conservative, deep thinking, autonomous based company? Either way, you need to understand your business working process and personality to create and support the right culture for your desired outcomes.
    
3. Unlock potential- Studies show that employees who have the opportunity to work autonomously are more innovative, productive and engaged. In addition to this, getting people to work to their strengths helps achieve the best results. If you see someone doing tasks that are outside their sweet spot, allocate them to someone else whose potential sits there.
    
4. Recognise talent- Employees are happiest, less stressed and work to their full potential when they feel appreciated. Make them feel part of the business by letting them know how their work contributes to the bigger picture. Even the smallest acts of recognition, like a ‘thank you’ or ‘good job’ can make a huge difference. 
    
5. Authenticity– Your staff will see right through lip service and hollow words on your website. Long-term studies prove time and again that highly successful businesses care about what they do and what they stand for. Exploring your organisations values, prioritising and commiting to them, will reap huge long-term cultural dividends. 

To sum it all up, investing in employment branding and building a great culture can help you differentiate yourself in the market and attract your best workforce. The most desirable outcomes and synergies arise when an organisations purpose connects with what’s meaningful to an employee, you play to their strengths, and you genunily support them through their career journey.