How authentic is my employer branding? This key question is still rarely given the priority it deserves in companies. Sometimes because its impact is underestimated. We presented strategies and tips on this in January in an article in our Valdivia Newsroom. Sometimes, however, the challenges of day-to-day operations don’t quite seem to fit in with an attractive employer image. In this case, we would like to present an approach that focuses on openness, honesty and communication at eye level.
Honesty is the basis for success
Certainly — employer branding is a bit like advertising. It can and should emphasise the positive characteristics of your company as an employer. At the same time, there is a growing temptation to minimise or even completely ignore hardships and challenges. But too much “sugar-coating” does not work in employer branding:
- Employees have daily contact with the reality of work. If the communicated self-image does not match the real experiences, this can easily lead to demotivation or even negative reactions — from unflattering Kununu entries to dismissal in some cases.
- Dishonesty has an even more serious impact on applicants. Thanks to the probationary period, they are gone in no time at all; the time-consuming search and onboarding process was for nothing.
Another form of honesty is openness and transparency. A Capgemini study1 lists core requirements that are unfortunately only met 32% of the time. Employees want to understand what is expected of them: How does my work fit into the overall concept? What do I contribute to which of the company’s goals?
Communication without pink cotton wool
Some companies try to compensate for unavoidable hardship with feel-good factors — and overshoot the mark in the process. Prof Armin Trost, who teaches Human Resources Management at Furtwangen University of Applied Sciences, warns against this. In an article for Harvard Business Manager2 , he describes the risk of exaggerating motivation and over-indulging employees. However, he does not fundamentally reject bonuses and other benefits. In his eyes, it is the dose that makes the poison: too much of a good thing can tempt employees to abandon their professional attitude and sense of responsibility. They can no longer tolerate failure or frustration and expect more and more benefits.
This is also about authenticity. Companies would do well to treat employees as adults who don’t need to be wrapped in pink cotton wool. They are aware of unavoidable hardships and will accept them if backgrounds and perspectives are transparent. The fundamental distribution of roles in the world of work does not have to be denied, neither in employer branding nor in everyday working life: Line managers set goals, tasks and values, employees implement them.
Fresh tones for your employer branding
Trost is by no means calling for a return to the old-style command economy. Rather, he recommends respectful communication at eye level. Authenticity therefore means that hardships and challenges are addressed openly by both sides — in a constructive, equal exchange. Employees should feel the trust that their employer has in them … including the confidence to face realities without embellishment.
What applies to comfort for conflicts therefore helps to address necessary and unavoidable burdens — also in employer branding. This does not have to go as far as self-exposure. It is often enough to avoid embellishments and flat formulas. Instead of nebulously praising a “team-orientated way of working”, for example, a clear sentence such as “we are a strong team with a good atmosphere, but when it comes down to it, everyone really gets stuck in” is enough.
Open, honest, transparent: with this approach, you can score points with committed employees and applicants in particular — and at the same time strike a much fresher note in employer branding than your competitors.
- “Employee Experience Survey”, Capgemini Research Institute, April/May 2022
- “Stop coddling your employees! — 7 misconceptions about employee retention”, Prof Dr Armin Trost (Furtwangen University of Applied Sciences), Harvard Business Manager 7/2022
(Image source: istockphotos.com)
