Why A Strong Employer Brand Is Important In Manufacturing
As the manufacturing industry continues to grow and expand, the need for qualified employees continues to build. Unfortunately, there continues to be a persisting skills gap in the manufacturing field, resulting in more career opportunities than there are people qualified to fill them. There is only so much a manufacturer can do to directly combat this gap. Indirectly, however, there are more options. A business can improve their recruitment efforts by building a stronger employer brand.
In a business, an employer brand is a buzzword used to describe and represent the perceptions current and potential employees have of your organization. Your brand is how your business is viewed, from the way your work is conducted in the market, to the way you work with your employees.
By forging a strong employer brand, a business will appear to be a more unique place of employment than others in its field. This branding will open doors for your business, as over time it will draw in more skilled employees, while also increasing loyalty and reducing turnover rates. Your business’ strong employer brand will increase your visibility in the job market and help you stand out amongst fellow competition.
In 2012, LinkedIn published and released a whitepaper about the current state of employer branding. Through their research and findings, they were able to determine that employer branding was important “everywhere.” Regardless of what business or your field you specialize in, employer branding is important. Manufacturers should not risk getting left behind.
Here are a few of the key statistics to keep in mind:
- 83% of global recruiting leaders agree that employer branding strongly influenced the availability and increase of higher talent.
- A business possessing a strong employer brand was rated as important for attracting more junior employees, including both staff and managers, as well as candidates under 40 and residing outside the U.S.
- 85% of employees are most interested in companies or businesses that possess a reputation for providing career opportunities.
- An organization or business that has a strong employer brand, particularly one that resonates with its current employees, will have an approximately 28% lower turnover rate.
Additionally, we’ve provided some tips to begin building your stronger employer band:
• Introduce more employee engagement initiatives: Implement more initiatives to demonstrate employee appreciation. The resources may not be available to increase salaries or provide more bonuses, but try to find additional ways to support your employees emotionally. Schedule more regular employee evaluations, so as to provide the opportunity to give positive feedback and constructive criticism. Creating more forums where employees can communicate honestly, and without repercussions, shows you care about their concerns.
• Ensure “buy-in” on projects: Implementing improvement projects should be on your radar this year. Whichever improvement you choose, you can’t grow your business if your staff isn’t on board. Make sure your staff understands why improvements are being made and how the changes benefit them. It will make them feel as if they are part of the decision-making process and motivate them to sustain changes.
• Encourage employee vacations: Employee burnout diminishes productivity and can ultimately lead to turnover. By encouraging your employees to take their allotted vacation time, they can recharge and come back with a more clear and positive outlook. A survey from Harris Interactive found that 57% of workers don’t use up all of their vacation time.
There are many other statistics in this whitepaper, but the results boil down to this: employers and candidates are placing a higher importance on businesses to offer a stronger employer brand experience. With this knowledge in place, your manufacturing business can begin the steps necessary to strengthen and improve your brand.
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