Building a Strong Employer Brand: Insights from Industry Leaders

In today’s competitive job market, cultivating a strong employer brand has never been more critical. It’s not just about filling roles — it's about attracting individuals who resonate with your organisation’s values and culture. A compelling employer brand fosters loyalty, reduces turnover, and enhances employee satisfaction. At our annual Employer Branding Summit last week, we heard inspiring insights from industry experts on how to create an employer brand that stands out, draws top talent, and aligns with organisational goals. Read on to discover our key takeaways from the day.

Harnessing the power of employee advocacy

Employee advocacy is a powerful tool in building a compelling employer brand, as it leverages the authenticity and influence of employees to attract top talent. David Burke, Head of Global Talent Acquisition and Employer Brand at Workhuman, shared valuable insights on how to use employee-generated content to strengthen an employer brand. One of his core messages was the idea that "people buy into people" — candidates are more likely to engage with organisations when they see real, authentic stories behind the brand. At Workhuman, they’ve embraced this idea through their #MoreThanATitle initiative. The initiative encouraged employees to share personal stories and experiences, and has proven highly effective, with 80% of employees opting into sharing their stories within just two weeks.

In addition to employee advocacy, David outlined Workhuman's strategic priorities for 2024, focusing on the creation of high-quality, evergreen video content that highlights the people and culture of the organisation. There was also an emphasis on the importance of conducting regular employer brand health checks to assess how effectively these initiatives are resonating with candidates and to refine the approach. 

David also shared some top tips for employee advocacy:

• Company culture is everything: Employees who feel valued will naturally become advocates
• Employee advocacy doesn't have to be for all employees: Instead, it is about nurturing, enabling and scaling motivated participants
• It's not all about you: Keep your content varied - think of each article of your programme's content as belonging to one of three categories; company-centric content, employee-centric content and third-party educational content
• Ensure your employee advocacy programme is clearly aligned to your business objectives: for example employee retention, talent acquisition, etc.
• Measure your efforts, but don't sweat the small stuff: Stay focused on the overall goal

Hear more on building your employer brand through employee advocacy from Riley Stefano in her episode of The Red Cube Podcast 👇

Creating a safe space for inclusive employer branding 

Another key element of employer branding is embedding diversity and inclusion (D&I) into your strategy. A workforce made up of diverse perspectives brings fresh ideas, essential for organisations to thrive in a global market. Trevor McCarthy, Assistant Director of People & Culture at The iNUA Collection, shared how their 70-nationality team drives creativity through an innovation panel, ensuring employee voices shape the organisation while reinforcing inclusivity.

Embedding D&I into employer branding starts with small steps, and it's important to be aware that organisations are at different stages in their journeys. As highlighted by Conor Buckley, Founder at Human Collective, a top-down approach is key, where leaders not only educate themselves but actively promote intercultural engagement and create safe spaces. By integrating employee voices into employer branding strategies, organisations demonstrate authenticity and foster trust, showing candidates that their contributions will be valued. 

Balancing global strategies with local authenticity

Engaging employees while aligning global and local employer branding strategies is essential for multinational organisations like Cisco. Audrey Bleach, Engagement Leader (People, Culture & Operations) highlighted how Cisco Ireland nurtures its local identity within the framework of its global employer brand. At the heart of their approach is a people-first ethos, with initiatives designed to enhance the employee experience. Their motto, "Make the office a magnet, not a mandate," reflects their commitment to creating a workplace that employees are drawn to organically rather than being required to attend.

Transparent and thoughtful communication is also key. With regular all-hands meetings hosted by senior leaders every 6-8 weeks, followed by localised discussions, employees stay connected and informed. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), such as Cisco's Emerging Talent Group, play a critical role in fostering a sense of belonging. Each ERG at Cisco is supported by a dedicated sponsor or leader, ensuring its goals are championed throughout the organisation. By integrating these local stories and employee-driven initiatives into their broader employer brand strategy, Cisco demonstrates that even a global company can maintain an authentic local identity centred on its people.

Hear more on aligning employer brand strategies within a global organisation with DHL 👇

The power of storytelling

Storytelling is a crucial element in attracting top talent. Our panel of recent graduates from TUDublin shared examples of how storytelling can make a workplace culture relatable and aspirational, helping potential hires envision themselves thriving in the organisation. Platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram were highlighted as powerful tools for communicating this message, particularly through initiatives like “Life @” posts, which give candidates a window into the daily life and culture at an organisation.

Storytelling doesn’t just captivate audiences — it creates a ripple effect of benefits for the speaker, listeners, and the organisation itself. Hearing from Colm O'Regan and Julien Clancy from the Dublin Story Slam, our audience learned how sharing personal stories builds connection and trust while fostering empathy and understanding. Creating spaces for employees to share their stories amplifies the authenticity of their employer brand. These narratives allow companies to showcase their culture, values, and the real people behind their success, while empowering employees by giving them a voice. When employees feel heard, their engagement grows, strengthening the bond between the individual and the organisation.

Attracting and retaining talent in challenging industries

With women representing just 9% of the construction industry globally, Glenveagh stands out as a leader, boasting 36% female staff and growing representation in leadership roles. Their commitment to attracting and retaining female employees is not just a response to industry-wide skill shortages, but a strategic effort to foster a more diverse and inclusive workforce, according to Paula Voiseux, HR Business Partner at Glenveagh. 

A key component of any employer branding strategy is promoting clear messaging about an organisation's values and showcasing the real people who work there - and that's exactly what they have prioritised at Glenveagh. Over the last 12-18 months, the organisation has focused on publishing authentic employee stories, including those shared by their Employee Network Group — showcasing individuals with lived experiences who offer relatable perspectives. Mentoring programs also play a pivotal role, helping female employees build confidence and advance in their careers.

Glenveagh tracks metrics to monitor the success of their initiatives, such as the number of women entering their talent pipeline and how those figures evolve over time. Setting clear graduate targets and keeping a pulse on current progress ensures a data-driven approach, essential for refining strategies and maintaining leadership buy-in. Diversity of thought, particularly from women recruited from outside Ireland, has significantly reshaped the fabric of their business, enriching perspectives and driving innovation. 

Crafting an effective EVP

An impactful Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is essential for showcasing an organisation’s culture and attracting top talent, and the development of Irish Distillers' EVP, in collaboration with Atomic, is a prime example of this process. Mairead Griffin, Head of Talent Acquisition at Irish Distillers, highlighted the importance of investing in EVP development to authentically communicate an organisation's values and purpose. Atomic, with its deep understanding of Irish Distillers as an Irish business, played a crucial role in ensuring the EVP aligned with both the company’s local identity and its global aspirations.

A key takeaway from the discussion was the critical role of research in EVP development. The team focused on understanding why employees chose to work at Irish Distillers and, more importantly, why they stayed. Sharing authentic employee stories emerged as a pivotal part of this process, creating a compelling narrative that resonated with current and prospective employees. However, the panel stressed that EVP development is an ongoing journey, and it’s not enough to just create a tagline or slogan —“you have to bring it to life.”

The panel also discussed the challenges and opportunities in such a project, particularly the importance of considering diverse perspectives and ensuring the resources and buy-in needed for success. Despite a small team, this process became a valuable opportunity for upskilling, as the EVP developed not only strengthened the employer brand but also empowered employees within the organisation. 

Read more on crafting a successful EVP in our case study with Bus Éireann: 

• Drive Success with an Employer Value Proposition: Bus Éireann's Story

Leveraging brand power to attract talent

In today’s evolving job market, the most successful organisations blend their consumer brand strength with forward-thinking strategies that prepare them for future challenges. Heineken’s approach to employer branding, as outlined by Alfonso Auñón García, People Director at Heineken Ireland, exemplifies this holistic view. By identifying their “superpower” — the unique elements that differentiate them from competitors — Heineken has created an employer brand that resonates with top talent. Their latest campaign, “We Make the Star”, is a prime example of this - garnering over 500k impressions in just four weeks, it also helped increase job applications to Heineken by 56%. This campaign emphasises collaboration, credibility, and authenticity, showcasing how a strong consumer brand can attract the right talent while maintaining the company’s cultural essence.

Download our Employer Branding Guide below 👇

Future-proofing your employer brand

As industries adapt to technological advancements and geopolitical shifts, organisations must future-proof their employer branding. Robert Mac Giolla Phadraig, Founder and CEO of SkillStack, introduced an important dimension to the conversation: preparing workforces for the rise of AI and new workplace dynamics. As AI transforms industries, organisations need to foster environments where employees can bring their full selves to work, feel safe to fail, and learn without fear. By integrating these principles into their employer brand, organisations can ensure they not only attract diverse talent but also prepare their workforce for the future. 

More resources:

• Employer Branding: Managing Talent Uncertainty
• How Great Place to Work Boosts Employer Brands: Esri Ireland's Story
• 10 Points on Retaining and Attracting Top Talent through Employer Branding

Our incredible speakers - Employer Branding Summit, November 2024

Raise the credibility of your Employer Brand

It's not enough to just build and promote your Employer Brand; you also need to ensure that you are also raising the credibility of your brand. A tried and tested way to do so is through third-party validation. An organisation can present itself any way it wishes, but will they open up their people practices to external experts and put their culture to the test? Are they willing to let their employee’s voices be truly heard? Doing so demonstrates a commitment to transparency and your people.

By joining the Great Place to Work Programme and achieving recognition, you are not only showcasing to the world you are a great employer, but you also get a globally recognised external validation of it. Once you are accredited, you can include your Certification™ logo on your website, careers page, role listing, social media accounts and much more - all excellent ways to increase the credibility of your brand and help you stand out from the rest.

When you can leverage Great Place to Work Certification to enhance your Employer Brand, you are demonstrating your commitment to your people, and you are stating that you are investing in creating a culture built on trust, camaraderie, fairness, credibility, pride, and respect. Click below to get started or check out our webinar for more information 👇

For more info on getting Certified, check out our webinar 👇

About Great Place to Work®

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. We help organisations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. We recognise Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies and the Best Workplaces™ in more than 60 countries.

To join the thousands of companies that have committed to building high-trust company cultures that help them attract, retain and take care of their people, contact us about getting Certified today.