Strengthening Your Employment Brand to Attract and Retain Top Talent

October 4, 2024 – Why should a high-performing employee who is head down, working hard, not looking for change, and doing a great job for your top competitor come to work for you? If your words don’t yet paint a very compelling why, you’ve got work to do, according to a recent report from Allen Austin’s Rob Andrews. “Short of being just plain lucky, if you’re not able to clearly articulate why your next impact player should put down what he or she is working on, and listen carefully, you are destined to select from the ranks of the unemployed, underemployed, and disgruntled,” he said. “You can reframe the question by asking: Why should your A-players ignore or politely decline the recruiter calls and employment offers that come their way during the great resignation?”
As someone who has studied leadership, employment branding, and workforce engagement over four decades, Mr. Andrews says that the workforce has changed in fundamental ways, as have the key attributes you need to attract and retain top talent. Below, he provides the conclusions he has drawn along with some material excerpts from recent research on the subject.
“To attract and retain the best talent for your organization, clearly articulate what makes your culture attractive and what kind of culture you’re trying to build,” said Mr. Andrews. “A-players want to know who you are and why you exist, not just what you do. Impact players want to be a part of an organizational culture, to enjoy and contribute to it. Cultural imperatives include unified leadership, disciplined hiring, leading with purpose, measuring what matters, clarity in communications, customer experience, stakeholder engagement, cost leadership, and a growth mindset. Living your values daily and divesting your organization of those not supporting your purpose, mission, and strategy is key to retaining those who are bought into what you’re trying to accomplish.”
One great example Mr. Andrews points to is QuikTrip, an enigmatic 870 store, 29,000 employee convenience store chain headquartered in Tulsa, OK, is well-known for having an exceptional culture, driven by its purpose to provide opportunities for employees to grow and succeed. A critically important part of that culture is an employee base that is fully engaged, almost to the point of being fanatical. This incredibly strong culture results in 100 people applying for every job filled, workforce turnover of less than 10 percent of the global average, and per-store profits doubling its next best competitor. Mr. Andrews notes that QuikTrip has built a culture of peak performance.
A LinkedIn study said that 36 percent of workers left their employer because of work environment and culture. The Coca-Cola employee engagement study cited lack of recognition for a job well done as number one and work environment/culture as the second reasons employees changed jobs. The Workopolis study cited work environment/culture as the second reason people left their jobs, the second reason employees began a job search, and the top reason for new job acceptance. Work/life balance was cited as the third reason for new job acceptance in the same study. The LinkedIn study said that 39 percent joined new employers because of alignment with the organization’s overall mission or direction and 32 percent left because of a lack of recognition for a job well done. Eighteen percent of the Cordant respondents cited flexible work hours as a reason for joining new employers. Right Management cites seeking work/life balance as the number four reason for changing jobs, and better alignment of personal and organizational values as reason number seven.
Meaningful and Challenging Work, Purpose and Making a Difference
“We all want to be excited and feel great about our work, and yet most of the world’s workforce is disengaged,” Mr. Andrews said. “Talk about why the work at your company matters and why your employees feel challenged and connected. A clue here: It can’t be just about making money.”
Related: Using Employer Branding to Attract Senior Talent
Mr. Andrews points to Southwest Airlines, the largest and consistently most profitable airline on the planet has a very clear purpose which is to connect people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel. All of Southwest Airlines’ 69,000 employees are substantially engaged and excited by its clear sense of purpose.
Based in Houston, Rob Andrews is founder and CEO of Allen Austin, a leadership advisory and executive search firm. He leads Allen Austin’s global CEO, consumer packaged goods & durables practice, and is also a member of the firm’s leadership advisory, private equity, industrial and marketing officer practices. Building on his earlier career experience as an operating president with major convenience store and supermarket chains, Mr. Andrews conducts searches for board members, CEO, and senior officers across a broad range of sectors.
Another LinkedIn study said that 41 percent joined new organizations to make a difference and do meaningful work, 47 percent joined for more challenging work and 36 percent left due to the lack of it. The Coca-Cola study cited lack of challenge, meaningful work, and making a difference as reasons second, third, and fifth for changing jobs. Right Management cites new challenges as the top reason for change. The Gallup study says the combination of purpose, meaningful work, and making a difference is the top reason millennials join organizations.
Senior Management Leadership is Key
“People rarely join or leave companies,” Mr. Andrews said. “They join and remain with leaders with whom they are well aligned, and with whom they can make a difference and enjoy themselves. Many organizations are overmanaged and underled. Articulate what great looks like in your organization. Great leadership can be felt and appreciated from the board room to the front lines and the customer base.”
One great example Mr. Andrews points to are two CEOs, former Green Bay Packers football players who played in Super Bowls I and II, and now running their own companies, said this of Vince Lombardi: We never felt so loved or cared for by any human being. It was this love that enabled Coach Lombardi to push us to levels we never thought possible. We would absolutely do anything for him.
A recent Coca-Cola employee engagement study cited a lack of senior management leadership as the second reason employees changed jobs. A LinkedIn study said that 41 percent left because of senior management. Right Management cites ineffective leadership as the second reason for changing jobs, a poor relationship with supervision as the third, and lack of recognition as the fourth reason for changing jobs. The Workopolis study cited difficult boss relationships as the top reason people left their jobs. Thirty percent of Cordant’s respondents joined new organizations for better management, and 27 percent left for better training and development opportunities.
“The emerging workforce is looking for different leadership than the workforce of the past,” Mr. Andrews said. “Organizations that will win the hearts and minds of the new workforce will be able to articulate how they develop and coach their emerging leaders by having ongoing conversations to help them capitalize on their strengths and enhance their overall lives. Quite a challenge for baby boomers who grew up in the command-and-control era.”
Career Path, Advancement, and Development
The best companies in the world place major emphasis on providing opportunities for employees to grow personally and professionally, according to Mr. Andrews. “Talk about growth opportunities for those who are willing to work hard,” he says. “Opportunities also for continuing education and development go a long way.”
Related: Staying Ahead of the Great Talent Migration
One great example Mr. Andrews points to is QuickTrip. Because their purpose is to provide opportunities to grow and succeed, how many stores they open is driven by how many store teams are ready to advance. “Substantially everyone in the company has the same career opportunities which are well articulated and are not offered to people from outside the company,” Mr. Andrews said. “Development programs, which are plentiful yet competitive, require peer group recommendation.”
Referrals, Reputation & Your Recruitment Brand
Design an identity around your recruitment website, not the other way around, says Jack Saxton of Tempting Talent. Building a brand revolves around telling a story about your business. Start on the candidate journey and maybe even storyboard it. This narrative will ultimately help boost referrals. In the end, incentives might even be unnecessary.
A LinkedIn study found that 45 percent of respondents left their current employer because they didn’t see an attractive career path, 59 percent joined their new organization because they saw more opportunity and a more attractive career path, and 47 percent joined because of a better fit for their skills and interests. The Workopolis study cited lack of advancement opportunities as the fourth reason people left their jobs, the third reason for beginning a job search, and the second reason for new job acceptance. Cordant said that 59 percent of their respondents left their employers for better advancement opportunities.
Compensation and Benefits
“Compensation and benefits are below the top spot in virtually all studies but in the top five in most,” Mr. Andrews said. “Make certain your salaries, incentives, total cash compensation, and other perks are competitive for your sector. Remember that benefits can include flexible schedules, creative personal time off, and other methods that provide autonomy and balance. Remember that great compensation does not necessarily mean higher base salaries.”
Mr. Andrews points to how Southwest Airlines’ pilots are far from the most highly compensated pilots in the air. Yet, when considering total compensation, including stock appreciation and profit-sharing, they are extremely well compensated.
A LinkedIn study found that 54 percent joined for better compensation and/or benefits and 34 percent left because of dissatisfaction with the same. Cordant indicated that 56 percent of its respondents changed jobs for better compensation. Right Management cites better compensation and benefits as the number six reason for changing jobs. Another key finding from the LinkedIn Study: A candidate’s biggest challenge is the uncertainty of what it would be like to work for a company. Forty-nine percent of job-changers said that the biggest obstacle they faced when considering a new job was the uncertainty of what it’d be like to work for the company.
What does this mean for retaining top talent? “Communicating your company culture to potential candidates is crucial,” Mr. Andrews said. “How can you accomplish this? Consider allocating space in your budget to make a recruiting video. According to LinkedIn talent solutions blog, not only do videos do a better job of engaging candidates, but they also make a company seem more human and personable. Bring your company to life with a recruiting video. Answering the so what question can be a game-changer for your organization. Having a compelling reason, the best talent available should consider your organization will allow you to sell the opportunity and not the candidate.”
Related: How Brand Authenticity Attracts Top Talent
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media