In an era where organisations are falling over each other to recruit the best talent and employees hop jobs for just a few thousands rupees, employers need to stand out in the crowd. That’s why e-branding is increasingly seen as the single-most important factor influencing the selection of an employer by a potential employee. “What employment branding helps in doing is increasing the perception of a company as a potential employer of choice thereby not only reducing attrition but also increasing the pool of available talent. Also, most importantly, it makes the shift from people joining an organisation because of money to joining a company because of what it is,” explains Vipul Prakash, partner, Elixir Web Solutions, which helps companies build employment brands.

Initiated by BPO firms, today, not only the entire IT industry, but also companies in banking, financial services, retail and hospitality swear by e-branding. And, as retaining employees in today’s competitive market becomes an even bigger HR challenge, delivering on the brand promise becomes all the more critical. Agrees Mandeep Singh, head-HR, BMR & Associates: “I perceive employment branding as the communication medium for the organisation through which the ultimate objective of attracting talent and retaining it can be achieved.”

Strong employment brands have a magnetic effect when it comes to attracting and retaining good people. According to industry watchers, 15%-20% of today’s HR budgets are set aside for e-branding activities. So, whether it is Mastek Alumni (a forum for Mastek’s former employees to share their thoughts) or IBM’s Innovation Jam (which helps employees across geographies collaborate on innovative ideas), almost every IT/ITeS company grabs every opportunity to not only reinforce that it cares for employees but that it is also a place to have fun. Says Shiv Agarwal, managing director, ABC Consultants, “We have a unique system wherein we encourage a lot of inter-employee bonding and camaraderie. We follow the ‘work hard, party harder’ culture and earmark the first Saturday of every month for fun activities.”

Experts say organisations planning an effective e-branding programme should first look internally. The best way to start is through dialogue with current employees. Open houses and employee events help companies reach out to them. Events ensure not only fun and bonding, but also provide a forum for recognising good performance. Events are also an important way for management to interact across levels, and create a sense of identity, according to industry experts.

The objective of the e-branding message at Aspire Systems, an outsourced product development company, is to convey that it aggressively works to build the careers of employees by enhancing their knowledge and skills. The company has what it calls a ‘Wisdom Curve’, a platform that enables competency centres for specific technologies to share knowledge across the organisation. “At Aspire we have consciously created a framework of constant learning and growth for every individual. We believe that every initiative that we take is meant to make that difference,” says HR head Kalpana Srinivasan.

The impact of such exercises has begun to be felt. Explains Priyasha Banerjee, assistant vice-president, HR, Elixir Web Solutions, “Ever since we introduced the employee engagement programmes, the feeling of belongingness has increased. In case of prospective employees, many a time, we have come across candidates who are keen to join Eixir as they have heard about the company’s goodwill, and the way we work. Mostly, they learnt about us from articles in the media and through word-of-mouth.”

However, an employment brand can be marred, too, if it is not anchored to reality, warn HR experts. Any disconnect between brand claims and ground reality can really backfire by not only driving away talented individuals, but also warding off potential recruits. A recent e-branding study conducted by Hudson, an international talent management consulting group, found that only 37% of employees felt their employer had kept the employment brand promises made when they joined the company. “When you do employment branding, people who know the system well would ridicule it if the depth and reality is missing. Internally, a person knows what black and white is, so the perception on employment branding, if not done with seriousness and focused effort, can hit employers badly,” says Rashmi Deshpande, head, human resource, South Asia, Group M.

Clearly, employee-branding initiatives need to strike the right balance between focusing on attracting future employees and retaining existing ones. E-branding is not just about getting more people; it is about getting those who really believe in the company. After all, to them, an employment brand conveys the image of the dream job at their dream company.