6th March 2025
When trying to change what other people think of you, it’s fairly standard to look at the external stakeholders: your customers, your suppliers, and your competitors.
Due to this, when it’s time to attract and retain talent, many businesses make the mistake of thinking they need to change their marketing and outreach.
That’s simply not the case – or, at least, doesn’t paint the full picture.
In fact, a lot of the heavy lifting for improving your employer branding is working on your internal reputation. Employees who speak about you positively on social media, on employer rating sites, and to their friends will boost your recruitment efforts by 92%.
How?
The power of word-of-mouth marketing doesn’t just apply to external practices – it’s great for boosting morale around the office, and attracting talent.
All you have to do is make one internal change: prioritize employee wellbeing.
Step 1: Update HR Practices
When it was time to hire your first employee, you likely spoke to a few experts, gathered some data, and drafted a contract – one you’ve been copying and pasting for years. Recruitment and HR are constantly evolving, and employees are becoming more self-aware of their expected treatment at work. You should conduct an annual review of current recruitment standards (such as salary transparency) and research popular benefits employees are looking for, like flexible working conditions.
Step 2: Open Communication Channels
Communication is an amazing tool for prioritizing employee wellbeing as it allows you to create a channel for employee complaints and feedback – but that’s not all. 50% of employees feel undervalued at work, and a whopping 79% of your workforce are willing to quit due to a lack of appreciation from leaders. Open communication allows employees to report to their higher-ups, but it also works the other way round and could boost retention by 4.5 times.
Step 3: Invest in Benefits & Salaries
The cost of living is on the rise, and recognizing this via regular reviews of benefits and salaries will convince your employees that you care about their needs outside of work, boosting employee positivity and reducing turnover.
Step 4: Promote Mental Health
75% of professionals in creative sectors like Digital, Marketing and Technology face burnout at some point during their career. The stigma around mental health can cause a devastating problem to spiral, making your employees feel isolated, unsupported, and unable to ask for help. It’s your responsibility as an employer to prioritize their overall wellbeing by educating teams about mental health and breaking the barrier around depression and anxiety. As a result, management can respond to employees who are suffering by providing them much-needed days off or remote work to rest and rejuvenate at home.
Step 5: Be A Smart Employer
Smart employers invest resources in retaining and attracting talent, understanding how important staff members are to the survivability and growth of their company. Working to create career advancement opportunities will entice entry-level starters to keep working hard, and offering attractive retirement packages to older employees will retain qualified and experienced individuals for years to come. Smart employment means constantly staying alert, and always asking yourself how you can better support your team members. Good employers listen, build strong company culture, reward staff efforts, remain honest and try to be flexible.