As a future IT engineer, after having finished my studies, I’ll have many possibilities: A study of «ITC Berufsbildung» says that Switzerland will have a lack of 25 000 employees in IT business in 2020. What a great prospect! But let us have a look on the employers‘ side. What do they have to do to get good employees and to not to lose the ones who work for the company.
The keyword today is Employer Branding. The concept of creating a precise company perception exists since the 90ies. Primarily big companies invested into their image to the inside and the outside of the company, to be an attractive address for new employees. Some of the first who tried to create the «perfect image» built castles in the air – so the effect was positive for a short time. But employees who had been pulled wool over their eyes, quit again. Today with social medias and the need to communicate transparent, empty promises are revealed and made public even faster. Employer branding consists all the elements which answer the question: «Why should someone choose/work for the company? Why should someone not leave the company?»
In Switzerland, with a very low percentage of unemployment good employer branding nowadays is an important element to have a chance to get the «best» employees. But what is good employer branding? Just pay the highest salary is not enough. The blog entry «Employees want more than a rise» of Geoffry James shows a personal view, but a view I absolutely agree with: the attractiveness of a job, having a certain autonomy of the accomplishment of tasks, having a good atmosphere and a equable life balance are more important than the fame of a company and a big salary. Every employee needs a little bit of security, to know that his effort will not be a waste. And everyone want to make something which is appreciated by someone – We all want to be «useful»! All these values don’t need to be communicated necessarily, but they must be lived!
Who gets a top ranking? And what does it mean?
There are many different rankings which try to show who is the «best employer» in Switzerland. For example there are two organisations «Great Place to Work» and «Swiss Arbeitgeber Award» who do some kind of business certification/consulting. Each year they make a list with «their» best the companies (companies which were certified/consulted by the organisation): so pay attention, this may show good employers, but probably not really the best ones in Switzerland. Even if the title «Swiss Arbeitgeber Award» seems to take every company into consideration!
Actually one of the most important rankings which is made every year is a big survey on the students opinions on the question: «Who’s your favourite employee?». It reflects a truth about how big companies with much financial power are perceived from outsiders, but it rejects all the employers who need most of the time «normal working people without academic degrees» – even before the survey is started. It also doesn’t consider the internal image of a company at all. But anyway, to get a good rank is nice, because it is free, positive publicity for the employer branding.
«I’ve got a small company; I’ll never win against big ones. So what’s employer branding for…?»
For sure, small companies with a tight budget cannot launch costly campaigns and ads to form their employer brand. But as I mentioned above, employer branding is not only to get a good image to the outside, but also work on values inside. That’s where small companies must start their employer branding: As it is really hard to get good talents, as an employer you should do everything to keep the ones you have as long as possible and needed. Every retirement is a loss of know-how, stability and finally of money for a company. The effect of a retirement for a small company is even worse. Doing employer branding even only for the few people an employer may have, it’s always worth it!
To beat the «big ones» in the competition about talents, small companies have some aces in sleeve, which often are forgotten:
- Creativity, be different: Show the world that the company is different – and that’s exactly the advantage not to be like all the others.
- Sharper profile: For small companies often it is easier to communicate what their business core really is, what values they live/work for. And also rough edges are part of a sharp profile.
- Faster decisions and more autonomy: The bigger a company is, the slower and more complicated decisions get. Less hierarchy means often more autonomy.
- Small is beautiful: Employees are not just numbers, the CEO knows everyone!
If employer branding manages to highlight these points plus to maintain a healthy working atmosphere, small companies can win talents – even if they cannot pay as much as big companies.
Finally I think it will not become easier to find the «right employee» in the next years. But I’m convinced that if a company works on his employer brand constantly and treats humans as they want to be treated, the good reputation will precede.
***
External sources:
Themenzeitung Smart Media, Oktober 2013, Artikel «Das Personal – die wichtigste Software im Unternehmen»
http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/10-things-employees-want-more-than-a-raise.html – nice blog entry of Geoffrey James about what emploeyees really want: to have a salary is not mentioned.
http://swissarbeitgeberaward.ch/beste-arbeitgeber/beste-arbeitgeber-2013/, http://www.nzz.ch/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaftsnachrichten/die-beliebtesten-arbeitgeber-der-schweiz-1.18098509 and http://de.greatplacetowork.ch/beste-arbeitgeber/beste-arbeitgeber-der-schweiz – three different rankings about who is the best employer in Switzerland.
http://www.nzz.ch/aktuell/digital/werbekampange-will-lust-auf-informatik-machen-1.18155449 – Campaign to fight the lack of 25000 it engineers in 2020 in switzerland.
Related articles
- Make Your Employer Branding Shine Through in Job Postings (ziprecruiter.com)
Sujet 6 : un sujet d’actualité en marketing et/ou business en général, par exemple crowdsourcing, crowdfunding, angel investors, cause marketing
christianheimann 