Keys to improve your firm’s employer branding

It is common to talk about talent recruitment and management when addressing the strategic challenges of a law firm. The training and experience of candidates, together with a good selection process, is key when it comes to adding new names to the ranks of any company.
But is it everything? Is it enough to select the best talent? The reality is that it is not. In an increasingly changing and flexible marketplace, firms can’t just select the best, they have to make the best people want to join them.

The employer branding strategy will be fundamental for human capital to become a real competitive advantage for the firm. This concept refers to the image that the market has of each organization as an employer brand, as well as the perception that exists among its employees and potential employees.

Digital transformation, a healthcare crisis that has driven hybrid and flexible work and a less traditional view of the labor market by the millennial and z generation, who demand diversity and social responsibility from companies, is a mix that has caused companies to have to update and adapt their search for talent.

In addition, one should not forget that there is a growing concern for mental health and quality of life. According to the Infojobs 2021 annual report, published in March this year, the emotional balance of workers, as well as their happiness, are elements that companies are increasingly taking into account in the Spanish market. However, there is still a long way to go.

Public involvement and awareness of workers’ well-being

This study reflects that the labor context, marked by two serious social and economic crises in a period of less than fifteen years, is increasingly demanding greater involvement and public awareness of the welfare of the people who drive the daily activity of the company.

And the fact is that, according to this report, the weight that work has on psychological problems raises the need for an in-depth study of the climate of work environments, as well as for companies to carry out an exercise of reflection on the circumstances in which their workforce finds itself.

The economic and business literature says that, if workers are happy, they perform much better, their motivation and creativity increase and they become more involved in the business culture and in the activities they carry out, which results in an improvement in the economic activity of companies and professionals,” according to the conclusions of the report. The question is, how can this be achieved?

Keys to improve employer branding

1. Knowing the motivations of workers

The main motivations that drive those who already have a job to consider a change are to improve their salary conditions (74%), to have a better schedule (45%) and to achieve facilities to reconcile work and family life (44%).

This is followed by teleworking, which is increasing as an option to consider, and is already a reason for job change for 24% of people. In fact, this 2021 study reveals that 50% of those who telework would consider changing if their company made them return to the office in a 100% face-to-face model.

Therefore, knowing the priorities and motivations of workers is essential when it comes to incorporating talent into the company, but it is equally important to know what drives those who are already part of the company. The objective is not only to take care of the selection, but also their incorporation and loyalty.

2. Employee loyalty

Just as law firms devote part of their resources to building client loyalty, they should do the same with their human capital. As explained above, taking care of the relationship with employees is one of the differentiating elements when it comes to maintaining a stable and committed workforce.

Thus, among the loyalty actions that can be most attractive to employees are:

• Work-life balance facilities
• Flexible schedules
• Teleworking
• Incentives
• Career plans
• Training
• Health care service
• Food service

A good relationship between company and employee is essential to maintain a motivated workforce and a cohesive team. In the end, employees are the main brand ambassadors of a company. Listening to their vision of the company can be the starting point for employer branding and the starting point for seeking improvements.

3. To know the perception of candidates and former employees

To get a more complete picture, it is interesting to add to the opinion of the current workforce the opinion of candidates and former employees. Knowing the perception that potential employees have of the company is a way of studying the external image of the firm as an employer.

In turn, knowing the vision of former employees has a high value because it will help to define the weak points of the organization and to understand the reasons for the departure of workers. A useful tool in this regard are the interviews or exit surveys.

4. Transparency in objectives

Actions to enhance the firm’s employer brand must be aligned with its strategic base. The starting point for any organization in achieving its corporate objectives is to have three aspects well defined: mission, vision and values.

• A firm’s mission is the reason for its existence. It answers the questions: Who are we? What do we do? It identifies its philosophy.
• The vision, on the other hand, determines its vocation for the future: Where do we want to go? What are our challenges?
• The values are the guide, the set of ethical and professional principles that the firm identifies as its own and that govern all its internal and external actions.

5. Implementation and follow-up

Once all the information has been analysed internally and externally and the objectives have been defined, the next step is implementation. Communicate the actions and carry them out to improve the firm’s employer brand. Implementation must be accompanied by monitoring and evaluation.

In conclusion, the strategy to improve the image as an employer brand should not be limited to a race for salaries, because not only is it likely to be left out of this competition -since there are figures impossible to match for medium and small firms- but it is easy to fall short of providing a complete response to the needs and concerns of workers.