Skills shortages have been plaguing the construction industry for years. Even with the Chancellor announcing £600 million investment to train 60,000 construction workers in the recent Spring Forecast, there are still questions about whether this will be enough to tackle the problem or if it’s simply going to paper over the cracks.  

Recent research from the Construction Industry Training Board found that 250,000 extra construction workers will be required by 2028 to meet demand. This is all before the Planning and Infrastructure Bill currently working its way through parliament no doubt creates a housebuilding boom.  

As a result, attracting and retaining talent is becoming even more essential to a construction company’s future, and with research from LinkedIn finding that 88% of job seekers care about your employer’s reputation, those not investing in their employer brand may lose out in the marketplace.  

What does employer brand mean?  

Employer brand specifically refers to how a company markets itself as an employer and its reputation among current, former and prospective employees and stakeholders. In other words, an employee’s expectation of their employment experience can be largely formed based on a company’s employer brand.   

This can include everything from certifications, such as Great Place to Work, CPD or early careers programs, your Glassdoor score to even just how your employees talk about their experience of working at your company. 

Your employer brand should remain cohesive with the company’s overall brand, as well as aligning with their values, people strategy and policies, such as perks and CPD. Even the company’s attitude to maternity/paternity leave, bereavement, flexible working and illness all play a part in building a company’s employer brand.  

Why is employer brand important? 

Employer brand is vital for businesses to focus on and invest in for a number of reasons: 

1.It is intrinsically linked to your ability to attract top industry talent.  

Prospective employees naturally research the companies they apply for, and so by demonstrating your company’s culture on owned and social channels, it will almost certainly play into their decision when deciding whether to apply for a job or accept an offer.  

 2. It helps build an engaged and loyal workforce. 

Growing a workforce that is genuinely bought into where they work is one of the biggest assets of any employer. With a positive culture undoubtedly being one of the biggest reasons people choose to stay at the same workplace, with some people even considering it more important than salary when deciding where to work, it’s vital employers get it right.  

 3. Companies can tailor their employer brand to appeal to those that would be the best fit for the workplace. 

Different aspects of an employer brand will appeal to different people. By refining your brand and giving it careful thought about what qualities you would like in your employees you can ensure that you pique the interest of the best people for the job. 

So, is comms the answer to improving employer and brand?  

Yes and no – hear us out.  

If your business has a fantastic culture, not demonstrating that through owned and social channels is a missed opportunity. How else will prospective talent be able to see the perks that come with working for your company?  

However, if your business doesn’t focus on cultivating a thriving culture through investment in CPD, perks or socials for example, then comms will not have anything to showcase externally. It’s crucial that businesses have the foundation of a good culture, training and development and exciting projects before amplifying it in your comms plan.  

Our tips for effectively communicating your employer brand:  

• Be in the know.  

To showcase your thriving culture, you first must be able to capture it. This means being in the know about your employees’ achievements and capturing their socials. Make sure you designate the role of employer brand to someone, and ensure they have mechanisms or processes in place to be notified.  

Whether that’s encouraging people to share achievements on internal channels, sending out a regular email asking for news, or scheduling time with team managers there has to be a planned way of gathering information to share.  

• Utilise all your marketing channels. 

It’s vital to ensure that employer brand is communicated on all your marketing channels, including your website, newsletters and social media. Not only will this maximise its reach but it will demonstrate that your company is consistently championing its employees.  

• Enter awards.  

Awards are a fantastic way of highlighting employees’ achievements and gaining industry recognition. But in terms of employer brand it also lends third party credibility, particularly in categories that are designed to reward the employer, innovation, training or culture.  

• Be Consistent.  

A brand is built carefully over time. It’s highly unlikely that a prospective employee will see one social post or a one-off blog. By putting out consistent content it increases the chances that people will see it and demonstrate that these activities are not performative but an integral part of the company’s values.  

Having set KPIs or targets will ensure that this vital activity is not neglected. For example, dedicating at least one social post per month to employer brand activities or one blog centring on an employee’s achievement.  

Have a fantastic culture but don’t know how to show it off? Get in touch with us today and our talented team can help you improve and showcase your employer brand.