Õppevahend: tööandja bränd ja selle loomine

Date

2012

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Publisher

Tartu Ülikool

Abstract

The economic recession of the recent years has createad a quite unique trend in the Estonian labour market. Side by side with significant unemployment there is an almost similarly significant demand for labour force. Although unemployment has reached record heights, some parts of the economy wrestle with shortage of qualified labour force. If the demand for qualified employees is much higher than supply, employers are bound to find new ways to increase their attractiveness in labour market. Employers have a number of ways to increase their competitiveness in the eyes of potential employees while also valuing current employees. This master thesis is presented in the form of practical handbook to help these employers, who need to stand out from the competition, keep their current staff satisfied and recruit new people by means of creating employer brand. This material aims to open the concept of employer branding and instruct the reader in creating this brand. At first, the importance of the employer brand is explained through the context of labour market changes in micro and macro level. First chapter details the supply and demand of skilled labour in labour market and on the organisational level. In addition, this chapter highlights the most important trends that organisations need to pay attention to in order to guarantee excellent human resources. Second chapter lays out the basics of brand and branding. This is followed by a closer look at the employer brand, its components, uses, goals, effects etc. As it turns out, employer branding does not work as an only external, temporary or illusive measure. Employer brand has to be managed, systematic and continuous, embracing both current and prospective employees. Just as well, employer brand cannot rely only on symbols, values or one-timeactions. For a successful employer brand an organisation needs attractive salary policy, possibilities for self-development, organisational culture that values individual, relationships that are based on respect etc. This first, more theoretical part of the handbook is followed by the second part, which instructs on the creation of the employer brand in five stages. Every stage corresponds to a chapter in the second part. Third chapter outlines the preliminary actions of the branding in the first stage. These include evaluation of the need, assembling the branding workgroup and blueprinting the brand project. Two practical tools are introduced to evaluate organisational need of employer brand. If found to be necessary, a workgroup must be called together that will start working according to the brand project blueprint. This consists of different guidelines and directives, organising the work of the team, setting up subtasks and steps, and specifying core concepts of the brand (target groups and goals). Brand project blueprint is a living document that will be updated and changed on-the-go in all the following stages. Next, the second stage is introduced, which is a research-oriented audit. Its aim is to concentrate information from different sources that are needed in later stages to specify brand identity, action-plan, communication strategy etc. Different approaches and methods are welcomed in audit-stage, e.g. interview, questionnaire, document analysis. While conducting the audit, all brand target groups as well as appropriate employees inside the organisation should be interviewed. This results in an audit document. Fifth chapter or the third stage covers the employer brand identity elements: employer value proposition, slogan and motivational package. Employer brand proposition is the combination of material and immaterial benefits and properties of organisational culture that appear attractive to potential employees, separate this particular employer from others, help motivate its current employees and increase their loyalty. Slogan carries the core idea of employer and helps stand out. Motivational package is the tangible result of the employer brand. It should be as differentiated as possible, and the “cafeteria plan” is the most flexible solution for all target groups. The creation of the brand continues in the next stage, which concentrates on communication. This sixth chapter helps compile communication strategy and launch employer brand. The brand must be introduced to the current employees at first and only after general approval from them may the external communication campaign start. Seventh chapter concentrates on the last stage of the creation of the employer brand, which consists of closing the project and post-project activities. Before closing the project, team needs to evaluate the achievement of preliminary goals as well as overall conduct of the project. When the project is closed, team hands the remaining branding-related activities and tasks over to the main organisation. It is vital, that post-project activities will be kept alive after the project is finished. In best case, they will become an inseparable part of the daily routine for the appropriate staff in the main organisation. Every chapter in the second part, i.e. every stage is supplied with additional exercises for studying individually and in team. Individual exercises are made to direct the reader to relevant sources of information and touch on the main questions of each stage. Teamwork exercises can be used as measures of active study in seminars or collective homework.

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