Why Employer Branding is Critical in Our Post-Pandemic World

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If you haven’t been giving much thought to your employer branding recently, then now is the time to start.

All businesses have an employer brand, whether they actively work on it or not.

Your employer brand is the way the world sees you; from your products and services, your mission, your vision, your ethos and your team – yes, there is a lot to consider!

The question is – how should your manufacturing or FMCG employer brand be positioning your company in our post-pandemic world?

The manufacturing and FMCG sector has changed, and it is more crucial than ever that your employer brand is positioning you above your competitors.

In today’s blog, we look at the crucial elements of manufacturing and FMCG employer branding in our post-pandemic world.

What is Employer Branding?

Your employer brand is your talent attraction magnet – it is the beacon to the potential pool of candidates to be drawn on that want to work for your company.

It is also the way your customers view your business – the reason people interact with your organisation and the way the wider world views your company.

But for the purpose of today’s article, we’re going to be focusing on employer brand in terms of talent attraction.

And specifically, employer branding in our post-pandemic world.

What worked pre-pandemic will not necessarily work now; the best talent is looking for certain things from your post-pandemic manufacturing or FMCG employer brand, so let’s look at what they are.

A Considerate Brand

The pandemic has brought down barriers in ways that we could never have expected.

Now more than ever what people are looking for from the organisations they interact with, and specifically the organisations they want to work for, is that they have a personal, considerate approach to being an employer.

People are now looking for reassurance and support wherever they turn – from their friends, their family, and especially their employer.

Transparency is key here too. If you have had to make redundancies in certain areas, but senior management have received bonuses, how will this look to candidates who are researching your brand?

It can be tricky getting the balance here right, but everyone is aware of how tough things have been during the pandemic. Being honest and transparent about the decisions your business has made is key – candidates are increasingly turning away from brands that are seen to be dishonest about their practices.

A Focus on Health and Wellbeing

A big focus for candidates that you must consider in your post-pandemic employer brand is how much of a focus you now have on health and wellbeing.

Wellbeing and particularly mental health have been gaining traction in the employment world for some time, but the pandemic has skyrocketed their importance.

Your post-pandemic employer brand needs to ensure candidates that you are treating the health and wellbeing of your workforce with the utmost importance.

This includes-

  • Prioritising clarity and caution – the virus hasn’t gone away yet, and brands who maintain an excellent focus on physically protecting their employees with excellent Covid-19 procedures will be viewed by candidates favourably.
  • Offer flexible working (where possible) – allowing employees to work from home, and being flexible on the matter is what the best candidates will be looking for.
  • Offering real help to support employee health and wellbeing – do you encourage physical health in your employees by providing fresh fruit in the workplace (where it is safely possible) or cycle to work schemes and gym memberships? Do you champion mental wellbeing and strive to be a compassionate employer – if so, will candidates know this from looking at your website or social media?

Showing that you are dedicated to health and wellbeing is not about bragging about it on social media – it’s about demonstrating your values in a way that’s easy for candidates to find and communicates your wellbeing offering in an honest and transparent way.

A Communicative Brand

Communication was the one thing that kept us together during the pandemic, and the way you continue to communicate with candidates during the ongoing crisis and afterwards will be a significant part of your employer brand going forwards.

Your social media channels are the first port of call for candidates to contact you, and your followers (which will include potential future candidates) are still the number one place to maintain your employer brand.

But some manufacturing and FMCG organisations stepped away from posting anything on social media during the pandemic. Some thought it insensitive; others simply didn’t know what to post during the highly changeable time.

But posting online to maintain your employer brand doesn’t always have to be about self-promotion.

There are many different types of content you can share on your social channels to alert candidates to what type of employer you are, and what your company is focusing on in our post-pandemic world.

This can include:

  • Manufacturing and FMCG news and industry updates
  • Helpful articles which could be of interest to employees and candidates including think pieces either from your own company or from a manufacturing or FMCG thought-leader
  • Updates about your company – have you launched new products or services? Have you celebrated a milestone recently? Moved office? People love to see ‘human’ updates from real people about real people (your team).
  • And of course – your latest job vacancies.

Giving Candidates a Sense of Purpose

Finally, a sense of purpose is another major factor that great candidates are now looking for in their post-pandemic employers.

Meaningful work is increasingly what millennials are looking for – and this section of workers now makes up the largest part of the worldwide workforce.

The Deloitte 2020 talent survey states that employers should provide meaningful work or they will struggle to attract and retain their workforce.

What is it about your company that makes your employees feel as though they are making a positive difference to the world?

How We Can Help You Build Your Finance Team

If you are looking for new talent for your manufacturing or FMCG organisation and are struggling to find the ‘right’ candidates – we can help.

We recruit accountants for manufacturing and engineering organisations in various sectors and have over 250 happy clients. These include food, FMCG, aerospace, electronics, building materials, automotive, and pharmaceuticals. We recruit on a permanent, interim, or contract basis.

To find out more, get in touch with BTG Recruitment on 0115 960 7000 or email us here and we will help you find the talent that you have been looking for.

Thank you,

Matt Finch.

Managing Director.

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