Increase your business attractiveness through a strong employer brand

by Julian Azzopardi, Up Your Level, CEO

There is no better branding exercise for your organisation than gauging the perception of your employees. More than ever in times of uncertainty.

Malta and the world has gone through a disconcerting couple of years that seems to be compounded by the war in Ukraine and talk of recession in 2023. This has led to employers re-working how they work and why they work. And employees are taking stock.

The value of what your organisation stands for is the best way of retaining and attracting employees. The 2022 Attractiveness Survey run by EY Parthenon Malta highlights the everlasting impact of quality employees on attractiveness, for foreign entities to locate and remain operating in Malta. Even after going through peak COVID-19 pressures in 2020 and 2021, labour issues remain the largest concern in the local sphere and the main priority for locally invested companies in order to ensure Malta remains a competitive place to do business and attract business.

So how can employers raise their brand attractiveness to an ever selective, mobile and value-driven workforce?

In light of the FHRD (Foundation for Human Resources Development) annual conference, we highlight 3 key elements that are at the core of some of Malta’s top employers in making their workforce an awesome brand ambassador.

1.     Purpose: 

Today’s workforce (especially after COVID-19) has brought forward a shift in prioritisation of work for purpose rather than work for purely financial gain. While the underlining benefit is the salary to take home. This has been increasingly tied to the value of the salary to the individual to pursue personal and family-related goals. Organisations with a strong purpose that align with people’s value-set are much better at recruiting and retaining people.

2.     People: 

People are at the centre of everything a business does, so a people-first policy within an organisation is going to help align employee objectives with organisational objectives. This goes beyond the posting of images from company events on social media, but is really about the behaviours of all the people in the organisation. Starting from the top, whatever branding exercise is used to showcase how great your working environment is, this needs to be reflected in how people behave within the organisation when the cameras are off. We need to keep in mind that people shape culture, and as a result culture shapes people. So if your brand isn’t attracting the right talent, then think of what your culture and people are doing to influence that.

“if your brand isn’t attracting the right talent, then think of what your culture and people are doing to influence that.”

3.     Position: 

As a result of the above, an organisation can position themselves as an employer but also a preferred supplier for the services or goods they offer. The way the organisation is perceived to treat their people, will influence the way people consume their products and services. Positioning yourself as an employer of choice will inevitably impact how customers relate to your brand, talk about your brand and purchase from your brand.

We will be attending the FHRD conference on Friday 21^st October on Revitalising HR: Leveraging Employer Branding. Visit us at Stand 5 and we can share our expertise with you to continuously level up your employer brand, enhance your purpose and ensure you are ahead of the pack in attracting and retaining your key asset: Your People!