Deloitte Ireland has identified Employer Branding (EB) as a vital process in attracting, and retaining, the best and brightest candidates.

‘Employer branding is the process of creating a perception that a company is “a great place to work” within the minds of a targeted candidate pool.  It is directly linked to an organisation’s employee value proposition, which can be defined as the value or benefit that is provided to employees through association with the firm,’ says Robert Freese, a Consulting Manager with Deloitte Ireland’s Talent, Learning and Leadership Team.
‘EB is becoming increasingly important because of factors such as intensifying competition in the labour market, an increasing difficulty in staff retention and recruitment of generation Y, and the necessity to retain both competitiveness and key talent,’ he adds.

To respond to these challenges Deloitte has created an ‘EB Framework’, which is comprised of the five key components: Work Life Balance, Work Environment, Company Culture and Environment, Compensation and Benefits, and Product/Company Brand Strengths.

The framework is used as part of a road map to work with Deloitte’s clients towards strengthening their EB. This road map analyses all facets of an organisation’s EB and identifies key improvement areas during a three-step process: Project Initiation, which encompasses the clarification of current HR strategies and employer brand goals; a Review Phase comprising of an internal and external EB analysis; and finally, Recommendations, whereby the identification and prioritisation of improvement areas takes place.

As a result of implementing key EB initiatives, Deloitte believe employers will enjoy a wider range of qualified individuals from which they can choose their employees, and most importantly, a reputation for being a ‘great place to work’.