What is Employer Value?
When I talk about recruitment marketing and employer branding with people who are new to these disciplines, the topic of “employer value” comes up quickly in the conversation. My explanation challenges people to think beyond pay and benefits for the reasons why people not only decide to work for them but stay with the company.
Employer value refers to the kind of experience that people have as employees. That doesn’t mean that pay and benefits aren’t important. They are, and you have to be in the ballpark in that area but sometimes employer value can trump pay and benefits.
Employer Value Comes from Employee Experience
What kind of experiences contribute to employer value? All of them. Employer value answers the question – “Why should I work for you?” This question is answered in different ways for different people, but you can generally find common themes. These are themes like:
Professional development
Appreciation of contributions and input
Work-life balance
Equipping people for success
Teamwork and relationships
Is employer value the same as core values? It might be but your core values may need to be reframed in your messages that communicate employer value. For example, instead of saying “We work as a Team” you might say “Your team has your back.”
Individuals Have Their Own Employer Value Priorities
People’s priorities for employer value are not only individual, but they can also change over time depending on the stage of their career and life circumstances. Someone starting out in their career might prioritize support for professional development the most, while for someone who has young children it might be flexibility that is most important.
Sometimes employer value is simply a matter of meeting expectations for being treated fairly and having a positive work environment.
I said that employer value answers “Why should I work for you?” questions. There’s another question that is addressed through employer as well and that’s -- “How are you going to treat me?”
Employee Experience is Connected to Emotions
At its core, employer value isn’t just about the experiences that people have. It’s about how people feel about their employer because of those experiences. Positive feelings lead to trust and there are outcomes that come from trust, two of which are confidence and loyalty.
Confidence is what job candidates need as they’re considering job options. Making a job change is a big decision. It takes confidence to move forward because people need to feel that they’re making the right move.
Current employees need confidence too, but loyalty is a sign that there’s an even deeper connection between an employee and their employer.
Communicating Employer Value
It’s possible for a company to be a great provider of employer value but still be invisible to people who would be great job candidates or referral sources. It’s better to be visible and that’s where recruitment marketing comes in.
Recruitment marketing is the use of marketing tactics to achieve recruiting results. It’s the way you promote your employer brand and the source of the messages that communicate employer value come from employee experience. (There it is again!)
The way to uncover employer value is to interview employees and find out what’s important to them. You only need a handful of interviews before you can start to see themes emerge. The beautiful thing about communicating with value is that you suddenly have a better message and a way to promote your company in its role as an employer all the time.
Having an “always on” employer brand is a proactive way to attract the talent you need today and in the future. When you don’t have to compete for talent solely with pay and benefits, you can stand out to the people who could be your best employees. Communicating with employer value becomes your competitive advantage.
