Why Employer Branding Is Like A Hot Potato

Hot Potato – what a wonderful saying! I remember years ago playing “hot potato” at school with friends. When it comes to Employer Branding I see the same scenario today, only this time between functional departments.

Which department is responsible? Is it Marketing? After all, they are the keepers of the brand image. Is it Communications? They are responsible for messaging – often internally and externally. What about HR? They manage all things workforce related.

The truth of the matter is that this is the time for cross team collaboration.

Marketing is out there finding new opportunities, increasing brand awareness and supporting the pipeline but they are also responsible for the customer brand experience. Employees can make or break that experience. If the brand promise doesn’t match the experience, you’ve lost a customer. They need to be involved in the employer brand.

Communications folks are also busy. Their primary job is communicating messages to stakeholders – mostly journalists, shareholders and bloggers. They’re the storytelling experts. They know how to construct messages in a way that audiences understand. Stories are an essential way of pulling your employees closer to the brand. Use them!

HR is responsible for all things workforce related – talent management, recruitment, organisational design, compensation, training and much more. No other department within a company knows the workforce better. If nothing else, HR should really be leading the charge when it comes to engaging and motivating the workforce, working closely with Marketing, Communications and Leadership.

In SAP there are pockets of innovation in all three departments. Marketing are developing the SAP Experience for customers, employee communications are pulling together specific tactics for employees and HR are carrying the bigger picture – the ability to attract, retain and engage talent for the greater good of the company.

Where does Employer Branding sit within your organisation?