Category: Employee Engagement

Employer Brand Hacks: 10 Tactics to Steal from Consumer Marketing 

Posted on by akessler

By Simon Wright, Global Head of Talent Advisory Consulting 

Consumer marketers have honed their brand strategies through decades of tracking detailed customer analytics, optimizing digital experiences and crafting emotionally compelling messages. When it comes to leveraging data and analytics, consumer marketing is ahead of employer branding. But it doesn’t have to be that way!  

Talent acquisition pros can adapt these same tactics to understand candidates, polish touchpoints and build strong employer brands. Your employer brand can steal a page from the consumer brand playbook to step up talent attraction and retention. 

Hacking the Employer Brand: 10 Tricks from Consumer Marketing 

To help you think outside the recruitment box, we’ve outlined 10 employer brand hacks below to infuse your candidate attraction strategy with consumer-savvy flair. From mystery shoppers to NPS surveys, these creative approaches will revolutionize your talent attraction strategy.  

1. Engagement Analytics 

Consumer Brand Best Practice: Measure engagement metrics on ecommerce and social platforms to gauge product resonance. 

Employer Brand Hack: Consumer marketing is as much science as it is art these days. Take page from your marketing peers and leverage analytics tools to monitor engagement levels with your content across digital platforms and third-party sites. You can gain valuable insights into how potential candidates perceive your employee value proposition (EVP) by monitoring the types of content that talent interacts with on sites like LinkedIn and your career pages. 

For example, heavy traffic and shares of content spotlighting your company’s flexible work options, learning and development programs or commitment to DE&I indicates these subjects are important to candidates. Likewise, you can identify red flags where pieces of your EVP are falling flat or even turning candidates away. 

By analyzing these engagement metrics, talent acquisition teams can refine outward-facing messaging to better reflect and emphasize the cultural elements already igniting passions. 

2. Sentiment Analysis 

Consumer Brand Best Practice: Analyze customer conversations on social media to gauge sentiment around products. 

Employer Brand Hack: Job forums and social media channels have become backchannel focus groups, where in-the-know candidates exchange intel and impressions of potential employers. The everyday dialogue happening online shapes perceptions of your organization and EVP outside your control. Are you listening? 

Immerse yourself in these dynamic discussions by using social listening tools to assess the narratives being woven about your company culture and their sentiment. Pay special attention to the emotional tone. What feelings are sparked at the mention of your organization? Is it warmth, intrigue and affinity? Or perhaps skepticism, frustration or even antagonism? 

These unfiltered insights should inform your talent marketing strategy in real-time. Where positivity and praise emerge, double down on those messages. When you uncover misconceptions, course correct. Talent will continue to chatter, but plugged-in talent leaders can help guide the tone. 

3. Feedback and Review Platforms 

Consumer Brand Best Practice: Closely monitor customer reviews on sites like Amazon or Trustpilot. 

Employer Brand Hack: Employer review platforms like Glassdoor, Indeed or kununu have become gold mines for candid insights directly from current and former employees. Monitoring these key sites should be a standard pulse-check for talent acquisition leaders and CHROs alike. But be warned—this is where you’ll find the unvarnished truth. 

One way to improve your employer brand is through employer review sites. We recommend a quarterly audit digging into themes and analyzing sentiment over time. Are certain departments or practices called out repeatedly? Do some locations have better scores than others?  

Used strategically, these insights provide CEOs, talent acquisition leaders and hiring managers at every level with an unfiltered mirror into the inner workings of company culture as employees are actively experiencing it. With this invaluable intelligence in hand, you can address problem spots through policy change or manager coaching. You can also double down on what’s working—the perks, flexibility, and cultural elements making employees stay. 

4. Net Promoter Score (NPS) 

Consumer Brand Best Practice: Use NPS to gauge product loyalty and word-of-mouth potential. 

Employer Brand Hack: Implementing employee NPS (eNPS) and candidate NPS (cNPS) surveys offers a valuable pulse check for recruitment and retention alike.  

With existing employees, these surveys quantify the likelihood of recommending your organization as a workplace. Low scores signal disengagement. Likewise, surveying candidates during the recruitment journey provides an understanding where expectations aren’t matching up with realities, helping you to refine your talent screening practices. Candidate NPS surveys can be sent post-interview and again post-onboarding for insights into both the recruitment and induction process. 

Your employer brand health hinges on aligning the candidate experience with the employee experience and delivering on your brand promises throughout the talent lifecycle. Both eNPS and cNPS metrics offer evidence-based insights to inform your talent program strategy. 

How does your Candidate Experience Quotient stack up? Learn all about our new method of calculating candidate experience as well as the hard truth about candidate expectations versus reality in our report, Inside the Candidate Experience.  

5. Focus Group Discussions 

Consumer Brand Best Practice: Dive deep into consumer preferences using focus groups. 

Employer Brand Hack: When was the last time you picked the brains of candidates who have recently been through your recruitment process? As you refine your employer branding strategy and before you evolve your candidate experience, these individuals offer invaluable, straight-from-the-source insights. 

In addition to surveys, organize quarterly listening sessions with a mix of talent segments: recent new hires, employees in their first year, candidates who made it to advanced stages but ultimately declined offers, and even short-listers you opted not to hire. In a judgment-free environment, empower them to share candid impressions about their journey with your organization pre- and post-hire. 

Use this time to dig deep. What excited or deterred them about your employer brand initially? How did the interview or communication style align with their expectations of company culture? What workplace elements inspire their loyalty or doubts now as employees? Are perceptions consistent or disparate across genders, generations and ethnic groups? 

These focus groups go beyond what a survey can fully capture. As a result, you can pinpoint what’s resonating or missing the mark in talent attraction, selection and retention. Bonus—it also demonstrates that employee input spurs action. 

6. Mystery Shopping 

Consumer Brand Best Practice: Deploy individuals to assess the customer experience—incognito. 

Employer Brand Hack: Another way to get the insider perspective on your candidate experience is to use an old trick from consumer marketing—mystery shoppers. This involves engaging individuals to navigate the recruitment process undercover, reporting on their experience from start to finish. 

Equip your “mystery shopper” to navigate the application, screening and interviews as authentically as possible, jotting detailed notes along the way. Instruct them to assess logistics around communication cadence, process efficiency and technology glitches. But more importantly, they should capture the emotional highs and lows they felt when interacting with your employees, content and brand at each step. 

When you debrief, try to uncover interactions where your employer brand deviates from the actual experience across key variables like location, department, seniority level and demographic background. These behind-the-scenes findings will prove invaluable as you seek to optimize recruitment ROI and evolve the candidate journey. 

7. Competitive Analysis 

Consumer Brand Best Practice: Assess the brand vis-à-vis competitors. 

Employer Brand Hack: Benchmark your employer brand against competitors to grasp areas of strength and improvement. 

In today’s transparent talent marketplace, candidates have unprecedented visibility into everything from compensation to culture at your organization as well as your closest rivals. They are comparing you on everything from your work environment to DE&I commitments. 

This means your employer brand strategy can no longer happen in a silo. Formal competitive intelligence monitoring can help you benchmark your employer brand against competitors to understand strengths and opportunities. 

Audit the career sites, social media channels, job boards, industry reports and review site profiles of competitors to understand what messages and claims they’re leaning into with their employer brand. The goal here is not copying others’ employer brands but to understand how you can stand out and where you can bring sharper focus to what makes your culture uniquely attractive.  

8. Deep Dives into Unstructured Feedback 

Consumer Brand Best Practice: Sift through customer service calls and chats to identify common themes. 

Employer Brand Hack: In their focus on surveys, employer review sites and focus groups, talent acquisition leaders often overlook the wealth of qualitative feedback hiding in plain sight internally.  

Sources like exit interviews, town hall meetings and other internal platforms can offer genuine glimpses into how employees view your employer brand. You’ll uncover grounded narratives around things like which leaders inspire employee pride or skepticism, or real-talk on workloads affecting mental health and work-life balance. 

This intelligence takes your employer brand strategy from reactive to proactive. It empowers you to intervene early before issues become viral Glassdoor threads. But just as importantly, you can also double down on what’s working, giving you an informed perspective to guide messaging, policy and experience in sync with employee values and expectations. 

9. Audience Segmentation 

Consumer Brand Best Practice: Segment the customer base to tailor messaging and understand perception among different audiences. 

Employer Brand Hack: Employee perceptions within departments, roles, locations and tenure lengths often vary more than we realize. What engages your engineers may disengage your creatives. What excites recent college hires may fall flat for senior leaders. 

In today’s fragmented but transparent talent marketplace, one-size-fits all employer branding is no longer effective. By investing time and effort into audience segmentation, CHROs take big step in evolving their EVP to PVP, personal value proposition.  

Like customer personas, developing talent personas are a great way to engage in a targeted, personalized approach to talent attraction. These nuanced profiles allow you to sharpen your employer brand and talent attraction content for niche talent pools beyond one generic EVP message. Plus, you can tailor by regional expectations, whether in different cities in the same country or across continents.  

Getting segmentation right ensures candidates see your employer brand as a match for people like them from the start.  

10. User Behavior Analytics 

Consumer Brand Best Practice: Understand how customers interact with their website or app by using user analytics tools like heatmaps. 

Employer Brand Hack: Consumer marketing teams are increasingly adopting digital analytics tools to better understand customer preferences and behavior. Talent acquisition leaders can borrow this tactic too. Tools like heatmaps and click maps offer visual snapshots tracking precisely how users navigate and scroll career pages. These visual activity maps identify which content generates the most interest or engagement on your career site.  

Lingering on the mission statement? Scrolling past office photos? Double-tapping into stories on career mobility but glossing over benefits? These granular insights reveal which candidate attraction content holds the greatest appeal for your candidates. 

By understanding where your high-traffic areas and natural user flows are, you can guide candidates with attention-grabbing messages or entry points to more in-depth information. Likewise, you can weave in more stories around topics that are proving popular to leverage that momentum. These tools can also flag areas of friction, like errors or “rage clicks,” that could lead to candidates abandoning their application or leaving your career site.  

Employer Brand Strategy: The Value of Data 

Data and insights should always be the bedrock beneath an employer brand. Take time to gather feedback, analyze findings and track the impact of new initiatives. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new perspectives and unconventional approaches to stand out from the crowd. 

With the right balance of boldness and research, you can craft a magnetic employer brand that both resonates with candidates and drives critical recruitment metrics. So, take a cue from your marketing peers—be brave, think big, and transform employer branding into a discipline as sophisticated as consumer marketing.  

Don’t Make These 10 Employer Brand Mistakes

Posted on by akessler

By Simon Wright, Global Head of Talent Advisory 

Let’s be real—crafting an authentic, compelling employer brand in today’s dynamic talent marketplace is no easy feat. With diverse candidate expectations and rapid digital disruption, even the most seasoned talent acquisition and HR leaders can slip up. Don’t fret if you’ve made some employer branding missteps along the way. To help you diagnose potential gaps, I’ve put together this handy list of 10 common employer brand mistakes.  

These pitfalls can erode candidate trust, diminish your employer value proposition, and even cost you top talent. Learn from other companies’ miscues to refine your brand messaging and employee experience. The key is course-correcting before your employer brand perception deteriorates further. Let’s dive in! 

1. A One-Size-Fits-All Approach  

Companies often craft a single, broad message, expecting it to resonate with everyone. In our diverse world, nuanced tailoring to different demographics, cultures and backgrounds is far more impactful.  

By evolving your employee value proposition (EVP) into a dynamic, human-centric personal value proposition (PVP) you embrace a flexible approach that addresses employees’ diverse needs and aspirations as unique individuals, not just workers. The PVP does not replace the EVP; rather, it evolves it. It’s not just about being an attractive employer. It’s about enabling each individual to realize their full potential, and in doing so, empowering your organization to thrive in an increasingly competitive and complex landscape.  

Learn how to evolve your EVP to a human-centric PVP and increase productivity 23%.  

2. Overlooking Employee Voices 

Employers sometimes mistake professional aesthetics for authenticity, sharing polished, yet hollow messages. In today’s world of TikTok and Instagram, your talent craves real talk and real storytelling. At the end of the day, facts and stats don’t connect like stories do—whether it’s through videos, podcasts, blogs or social media posts. 

One of the most effective ways to manage perception and shift views is through showcasing real-life employee experiences, achievements and testimonials to highlight the positive aspects of your workplace. PeopleScout’s recent research, Inside the Candidate Experience, found that 35% of organizations don’t feature their real employees on their career site. Yet, 86% of candidates say they value stories from employees and that it helps to influence their job search. 

Employee testimonials can provide the most candid and compelling insights about a company and are one of the best ways to inject authenticity into your employer brand. So, put your people first, and let their journeys within your organization take center stage. Leveraging employee advocates in your employer brand and candidate attraction content will help you grab hearts and stand out from the competition.  

3. Static Branding in a Dynamic World  

The pandemic was a major shift that changed people’s perspectives on work. The Great Resignation shook things up even more, with workers now expecting a lot more from employers when it comes to meaningful work, development opportunities, work-life balance and flexibility. However, many organizations are still relying on the same old pay and perks-focused EVPs that just don’t inspire today’s talent anymore, leading to low engagement and high turnover. 

Companies that define their employer brand—but don’t revisit and revise it periodically—risk appearing out of touch or stagnant. If your organization hasn’t updated its employer in the last three years, you’re overdue. 

4. Overemphasis on Perks, Under-Emphasis on Purpose  

Modern employees, especially younger generations, often prioritize purpose and impact over perks. Our research shows that half (50%) of candidates say an organization’s mission and purpose are key influences on their decision to apply. Yet, less than half of employers show information about the organization’s mission, purpose or values on the career site. Companies that solely highlight surface-level benefits may miss attracting deeply committed talent. 

Top Considerations When Looking for a new Job by Generation

candidate experience
(Source: Inside the Candidate Experience 2023 Report) 

Candidates want fulfilling employment and a company that upholds their values. By not featuring this information on your career site, you’re passing up an opportunity to create an emotional connection with your talent audiences. 

I know what you’re thinking—why not just direct candidates to where this information is on our corporate site? Here’s the thing: the second you send applicants somewhere else, you risk losing them. They may never make it back to actually submit an application. Instead, make things seamless by keeping the candidate journey in one place. The more you immerse talent in an experience right on your career site, the more likely they’ll envision themselves at your organization and apply for a job.  

5. Over-Promising, Under-Delivering 

Brands sometimes craft a compelling and aspirational image, but if the day-to-day reality doesn’t match, it can lead to disillusionment and distrust among employees. 

The number one obstacle for candidates when it comes to applying is not knowing what it’s like to work at an organization. So, brands that can show candidates what their day-to-day tasks will look like in a role will see more applications and higher-quality candidates. Consider creating videos that show a diverse range of your employees in their real work environment so candidates can see themselves in the role and at your organization.  

6. Neglecting Feedback Loops 

Not establishing mechanisms to gauge how the employer brand is perceived internally and externally leaves companies blind to misalignments or areas of improvement. Different workforce segments—full-time workers, contingent workers, working parents, employees just starting their careers and those considering retirement—all have diverse needs. So, involving employees in the EVP development process is a great way to ensure their voices are heard and their perspectives are considered.  

Conducting focus groups, workshops or surveys to gather employee input and insights will help you understand how to tailor your EVP to these unique segments. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of ownership and buy-in among employees, increasing their engagement with the EVP and creating a crucial step toward achieving a PVP. 

7. Not Addressing Negative Perceptions  

Ignoring negative reviews on platforms like Glassdoor can further erode trust. A proactive, open approach of responding to reviews is one of the most important ways to create a strong brand presence on employer review sites.  

Leaving thoughtful replies demonstrates maturity and commitment to growth and is guaranteed to show candidates and employees that you care—regardless of whether the feedback is positive or negative. In fact, according to a Glassdoor survey, 62% of job candidates agree their perception of a company improves after seeing an employer respond to a review. 

8. Lacking Cultural Competence 

Global brands must recognize and respect the cultural nuances of the regions they operate in. A message that resonates in one culture might misfire or even offend in another. A lack of cultural literacy in your employer brand can lead to confusion among your talent audiences, making it more difficult to recruit top talent.  

When it comes to your global talent strategy, it is important to work with local employees to build an employment brand that is effective across the world. Plus, you want to ensure that your recruitment marketing campaigns are culturally appropriate in each region. This could even include leveraging different social media sites which can have varied relevance for employer brand recognition and job searches from country to country. 

9. Failure to Integrate Your Employer Brand Across Touchpoints  

An employer brand isn’t just about recruitment ads or company websites. It should be integrated into every employee touchpoint, from onboarding to training to exit interviews. 

Every aspect of your employer brand—from voice to visuals—should capture the essence of life at your company. When candidates see your brand personality reflected everywhere, it builds trust. They don’t just hear you boast about culture fit and experience—they feel it through every interaction. So, let your employer brand shine through in big and small ways on your career site, social posts, job descriptions and more. Candidates will gain confidence that your employer value proposition rings true if you walk the walk at every step. 

10. Ignoring the Role of Middle Management 

While top leadership plays a role in defining the brand, it’s often middle management that has the most face time with employees. They translate your employer branding into daily reality. If they aren’t aligned with the brand message or don’t embody its values, the EVP can quickly fall apart as employees recognize the inconsistencies between branding and behavior. 

Managers should undergo employer branding training. When the entire management chain fully buys into the brand promise, managers can activate it for both employees and candidates. With alignment from executives to front-line supervisors, your employer brand transforms from buzzwords into actual company culture. 

PeopleScout Can Help You Avoid Employer Brand Mistakes 

Avoiding common employer brand mistakes takes dedication, but the rewards are well worth the effort. By sidestepping these pitfalls, you’ll craft authentic and human value propositions, strengthen candidate connections and build an employer brand that is flexible enough to speak to a variety of talent audiences.  

PeopleScout’s award-winning in-house Talent Advisory team has fresh ideas to help you evolve your employer brand. Contact us today to get help with your toughest challenges. 

Menopause in the Workplace: Creating a Supportive Environment for Women

Posted on by akessler

Once a taboo topic, menopause in the workplace is having a moment. And it’s about time. Globally, 657 million women are in their menopausal years (aged 45–59) and around half contribute to the labor force. According to CIPD, three out of five (59%) working women between the ages of 45 and 55 who are experiencing menopause symptoms say it has a negative impact on them at work.  

With stereotypes and embarrassment persisting, some women try to push through the challenges on their own. But at an age when many women are stepping into leadership roles, employers must do more to support employees who are experiencing symptoms of menopause in the workplace. 

What is Menopause? 

Menopause signals a natural transition in a woman’s life, marking the end of menstruation and fertility. It typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 as hormone levels fluctuate and decline. While a normal part of aging, menopause can usher in a variety of symptoms. Hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, fatigue, memory lapses, mood swings—no two women experience it the same.  

How Menopause Impacts Women at Work 

In the same CIPD report, nearly two-thirds (65%) of women said they were less able to concentrate. More than half (58%) experienced more stress, which led to less patience with clients and colleagues.  

Not only do menopause symptoms disrupt focus, but they can also impact morale and attendance. In fact, 30% of impacted women have taken sick leave because of their symptoms. However, only a quarter of them felt able to tell their manager the real reason for their absence with some citing embarrassment (34%) and concerns about privacy (45%). Even more concerning is that another 32% said an unsupportive manager was the reason for not disclosing. In some cases, women have even left their jobs due to these challenges.  

The decrease in engagement and loss of productivity shouldn’t be overlooked by employers. A report from the Mayo Clinic revealed the U.S. economy loses $26.6 billion (USD) each year due to lost productivity and health expenses resulting from employees who are managing menopause symptoms.   

With the right support, women can shine through menopause without missing a beat in their careers. Enlightened leaders can create a culture where women openly discuss their experiences and get the flexibility they need.  

How to Create a Supportive Environment for Menopause in the Workplace 

HR leaders have real power to destigmatize menopause and help women thrive. By treating this transition as you would any other employee wellbeing topic and regularly evaluating policies, you can set the tone for women in your organization. Menopause isn’t just about managing symptoms. It’s about supporting employee growth. 

So, how can CHROs foster a supportive environment for menopausal staff? Here are some recommendations: 

1. Encourage open dialogue and self-advocacy. Make space for open, judgment-free conversations about menopause and let women know assistance is available. Breaking the stigma through dialogue and education is key. 

2. Review policies through a menopause lens. Is time off sufficient? Are you penalizing women unfairly? Consider putting a dedicated menopause policy in place. Ensure that work schedules, remote work options, and time off allowances give women managing menopause the flexibility they need to manage their symptoms.  

3. Make accommodations. Give leeway on start times for sleep struggles. Allow remote work flexibility. Simple adjustments like cooling fans, access to cold water and relaxed dress codes can go a long way to help ease hot flashes. 

99% of women don’t get any menopause benefits at work 

4. Provide education. Make educational resources readily available including FAQs, support groups, webinars, workshops. Consider offering menopause-specific training for managers so they feel more comfortable initiating menopause discussions. Plus, ensure they understand your policies to ensure women are not penalized or sidelined in performance reviews and career advancement unfairly due to menopause difficulties. 

It’s time to move past minimizing women’s symptoms or whispering about “the change.” Companies that support women experiencing menopause in the workplace are better at holding on to experienced female talent and avoiding costly turnover. With the right policies and culture, women can feel empowered and valued during this transition. When women feel their company has their backs through this transition, that loyalty and trust lasts. They’ll repay it with their talent and dedication. 

The Multigenerational Workforce: Bridging the Gap So Everyone Can Thrive [Infographic]

Posted on by akessler

It’s a new era in the workforce as we speed towards 2030 with four powerhouse generations in the mix: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. Understanding what makes your employees of all ages tick is the key to unlocking a culture where everyone thrives.

Check out this infographic on the multigenerational workforce and pave the way for an inclusive workplace that’s all about motivation and growth.

Get more on the multigenerational workforce in our guide, Destination 2030: 10 Predictions for What’s NEXT in the World of Work.

Reinventing Your EVP: The Secret to Hacking Your Productivity and Performance

Posted on by akessler

By Simon Wright, Global Head of Talent Advisory Consulting

CHROs are a facing a tough balancing act. Employees want flexibility, purpose and belonging. The C-suite wants innovation, productivity and profit. How can you satisfy both without compromising? The answer lies in evolving your employee value proposition (EVP) into a dynamic, human-centric personal value proposition (PVP).

I know, I know, your EVP seemed pretty solid just a few years ago. But let’s face it, times have changed. The pandemic shifted mindsets, the Great Resignation shook things up, and workers now expect a whole lot more from employers when it comes to meaningful work, development opportunities, work-life balance and flexibility. Yet despite these changes, many organizations are still relying on the same transactional EVPs focused on compensation and benefits, leading to low engagement levels and high turnover.

This article delves into the profound changes happening in our workplaces, the shift in employee expectations and how a more human-centric approach to your EVP can help you keep up.

The Productivity Vacuum

One-third of new hires begin looking for a new job within the first six months. It takes approximately eight months for an employee to reach their full productivity. So, if a third of employees leave their job before they’ve become fully productive, organizations experience a productivity vacuum that not only disrupts continuity and knowledge transfer but impedes innovation and business performance.

This productivity vacuum is costing the global economy $8.8 trillion (USD) every year, or 9% of global GDP, according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report. To put this into perspective, $8.8 trillion is the combined market capitalization of the top 10 companies in the world or the third wealthiest country based on GDP.

(Sources: Gallup | Mercer | Microsoft | Gartner)

The connection between employee retention and productivity—and in turn revenue growth—is a compelling driver for organizations to prioritize engagement and retention efforts. Retaining top talent through a compelling EVP is crucial to mitigate disruption, knowledge loss and financial costs caused by attrition. According to Gartner, companies with a strong EVP can decrease annual employee turnover by 69%. Plus, these organizations are four times more likely to have highly engaged employees and two times more likely to have high performers.

Your EVP captures the essence of your uniqueness as an employer and the give-and-get between your organization and your employees.

However, today’s employees are demanding more, and the one-size-fits-all EVP approach must evolve to keep up. Rethinking your EVP with a more human-centric approach that recognizes employees as people, not just workers, can help achieve the balance between empathy and economics. By focusing on shifting the EVP to a Personal Value Proposition, or PVP—so each employee feels it’s personalized to them—organizations can go beyond traditional offerings and provide exceptional life experiences that match employee needs and deliver a positive emotional connection.

Introducing the Personal Value Proposition (PVP)

Lucky for you, we’re sharing how forward-thinking companies are effectively shifting from a generic EVP to human-centric strategy that shapes the individual employee experience. The Personal Value Proposition (PVP) is a personalized, flexible approach tailored to address employees’ diverse needs and aspirations as unique individuals, not just workers.

Think of the PVP like building your own custom sports car versus buying one off the factory lot. You get to select each component to match your preferences—convertible or hardtop, leather or cloth seats, high-powered V8 or fuel-efficient hybrid engine—tailoring a one-of-a-kind vehicle personalized just for you. Similarly, organizations embracing a PVP approach offer employees personal growth opportunities, flexibility in their work arrangements and customized career paths that align to what motivates them.

The result? A 18% increase in productivity and a 23% increase in profitability, according to Gallup.

Getting More Personal to Boost Productivity

The PVP does not replace the EVP; rather, it evolves it. It’s not just about being an attractive employer. It’s about enabling each individual to realize their full potential, and in doing so, empowering your organization to thrive in an increasingly competitive and complex landscape. Give your EVP a fresh new flavor that will leave employees smiling and revenue growing. Because keeping your workforce happy and driving performance doesn’t have to be impossible. A PVP makes it possible.

Intrigued to learn more? Get the inside scoop on evolving to a PVP along with stats on the productivity vacuum crisis and the steps for scaling your PVP strategy in our new ebook, The Human Advantage: Redefining EVP to Fuel Organizational Performance.

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The Human Advantage: Redefining EVP to Fuel Organizational Performance.

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The Human Advantage: Redefining Your EVP to Fuel Organizational Performance

Posted on by akessler

The Human Advantage: Redefining Your EVP to Fuel Organizational Performance

Engaged and empowered employees are the key to unlocking productivity and profitability. Employees now prioritize meaningful work, development opportunities, work-life balance, and a sense of belonging over job security and loyalty.

Complete the form to download our ebook, The Human Advantage: Redefining Your EVP to Fuel Organizational Performance, to learn how evolving your employee value proposition (EVP) to a personal value proposition—what we call a PVP—can help you attract, engage and retain top talent.

This ebook provides data-backed insights on:

  • The cost of disengaged and unsatisfied employees in terms of productivity loss and turnover
  • How emphasizing employee well-being and purpose can boost engagement, innovation and performance
  • Shifting from a generic EVP to a tailored Personal Value Proposition (PVP) focused on each individual

Plus, you’ll get actionable steps to implement a human-centric and dynamic PVP strategy.

The Multigenerational Workforce: Has Gen X Been Overlooked in the Workplace?

Posted on by akessler

There’s a new generation moving into leadership roles that’s poised to change how things are done in the workplace. You may not hear as much about them as Baby Boomers or millennials, but Generation X is the silent workhorse that makes up over third of the workforce and over half of managers.  

So, who is Gen X and what exactly are they bringing to the workforce? Grab your flannel shirt, and let’s find out! The last in our series on the multigenerational workforce, this article explores what makes Gen X tick and how they’re stepping up to lead organizations into the future.  

Who are Gen Xers? 

Born between the early 1960s and 1980, this cohort came of age and entered the workforce in the shadow of the larger Baby Boomer generation. Now, as they move into management and leadership roles, Gen X is ready to put their own stamp on workplace culture. 

Growing up as latchkey kids in an era of change, Gen X professionals are more independent and adaptable than previous generations. Gen X entered the workforce during the rise of Silicon Valley and the dot com era, making them comfortable with the pace of technological advancement. For them, adopting new technology feels natural, and they are driving digital transformation across sectors. 

When it comes to the workplace, Gen X values authenticity, work-life balance and professional development. They respond better to flexible schedules that allow for caring for aging parents and children and prefer managers that empathize with those priorities.  

According to a study by Stanford University, Gen X prefers to work from home 50% of the time, compared to Boomers at 35% and Gen Z at 45%. Make no mistake, Gen Xers are focused on results, they just believe there are many valid ways to achieve success beyond face time at the office.  

Having watched their parents climb the corporate ladder, Xers are focused on carving their own path at their own pace. This cohort is extremely hardworking with an innate sense of independence. If you want something done, hand it off to a Gen Xer and let them run with it. 

Gen Xers don’t pay much attention to rank and hierarchy. They prefer direct communication and are more likely to casually ping you on Slack than set up a formal meeting. But don’t mistake their informal style for a lack of drive. Generation X is extremely entrepreneurial and forge their own career paths rather than expect opportunities handed to them.  

Are Gen X Overlooked at Work? 

Gen X may be overlooked in the workplace due to their easy-going approach. In fact, 79% of Gen X says they’re forgotten in the workplace, overshadowed by younger and older workers. It’s hard to blame them, when Gen Xers are promoted at rates 20% to 30% slower than millennials, despite being strong candidates for leadership roles.  

As employers have paid a lot of attention to nurturing millennial talent in recent years, Gen X has gone underappreciated for their contributions to the workforce. With Gen X leading the Great Resignation as 37% more left their company in early 2022 compared to the year before, employers should concentrate on retaining and engaging this valuable cohort as they enter the second half of their careers.  

Move Over, Boomers: Here Comes Gen X 

As Gen X moves into boardrooms and leadership roles, we are starting to see their impact on workplace culture. Transparency and direct communication are in. Bureaucracy and hierarchy are out. Gone are the days of formal business attire and rigid top-down management. Today’s workplaces are more casual, flexible and egalitarian.  

Gen X leaders prefer to mentor and develop talent rather than micromanage. They lead by example and earn respect by rolling up their sleeves alongside their employees. Gen Xers believe the best way to achieve success is by empowering their team.  

How to Keep Gen Xers Happy in the Workplace 

Here’s how to help your Generation X colleagues gain success at work as they move into leadership positions: 

  • Offer flexibility: Gen Xers appreciate flexibility in their work hours and locations. Consider options like remote work, flexible schedules and job sharing. Plus, autonomy over their time is key. Don’t expect 24/7 availability from Gen X employees. They value their personal responsibilities outside of work and crave work-life balance. 
  • Provide opportunities for career development: Gen X is highly self-sufficient but still values feeling appreciated. Provide both informal and formal recognition—including promotions and leadership opportunities. Invest in professional training, mentoring programs and clear paths for career progression. 
  • Limit bureaucracy: Gen X resists rigid corporate structures and prefers collaborating in relaxed settings. Eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy that can hamper productivity and innovation. Empower Gen Xers to accomplish tasks independently. Provide opportunities to work on new initiatives and pilot programs. 

The Future of Work with Gen X at the Helm 

While perhaps overlooked when sandwiched between two larger generations, they bring a perfect blend of independence and adaptability to evolve workplace culture for the better. Talent leaders should take notice of Gen X’s entrepreneurial spirit and prioritization of work-life balance and career progression.  

The skateboards may be gone, but Generation X is still the same pragmatic, diverse and ambitious cohort. Only now they are grown up and calling the shots.  

Read the rest of our Multigenerational Workforce series: 

The Power of Employee Advocacy in Recruitment

Posted on by cevans

By Ayo Ogunde, Strategy Director of Digital Innovation

Employee advocacy is an effective tool for promoting your organization through your employees. It also serves as a great way to boost your employer brand and attract candidates who want to hear from employees directly, giving the inside scoop on what it’s like to work for your organization.  

PeopleScout’s recent research, Inside the Candidate Experience, found that 35% of organizations don’t feature their real employees on their career site. This is a problem since the number one obstacle for candidates in the application process is not knowing what it’s like to work at an organization. The research also revealed that 86% of candidates value stories from employees and that it helps to influence their job search. In particular, 92% of Baby Boomers said it would influence their choice to join an organization. One third of women also agree that this is an important deciding factor.

One of the great things about leveraging your employees as brand advocates is that it brings the diversity of your people and culture to the forefront. By its very nature, employee advocacy in recruitment naturally encourages an increase in the team’s sense of belonging.

Getting Started with Employee Advocacy for Your Brand

Employee advocacy in recruitment could be an employee speaking at an industry panel or sharing user generated content (UGC) across social channels. This helps to boost the reach and engagement of your employer brand

We found that a third of employers do not post recruitment content to their social media at least once a week. Yet, two-thirds of candidates research potential employers through social media, so organizations are missing a trick.

Some employees may want to take part but don’t know where to start. To encourage employees, create a unique, engaging employee advocacy program that rewards participation and engagement.

Incentivize everyone to participate in their own unique ways. Some of your employer brand advocates will excel at content creation, while others will thrive representing your company as a conference speaker or through podcast opportunities, for example. Rewarding participation is a smart way to build momentum, especially when rewards can be redeemed against holidays, events, training, swag or other perks.

A successful employee advocacy program will include a lead who sets the strategy for content and topics to attract the kinds of talent you need. This also helps you control your organization’s overall content and brand messaging, while still giving employee advocate enough freedom to showcase their authentic personalities.

Plus, one of the key learnings we’ve found is that bringing your employees into the process early on creates buy-in and boosts personalization which goes a long way on social media.

Benefits of Employee Advocacy in Recruitment

There are many benefits to implementing an employee advocacy program, for both employees and for the organization.

  • Empowered Employees: Employees who are empowered to act as advocates often feel a stronger connection to the company. They feel valued and integral to the company’s success, leading to a sense of belonging and increased job satisfaction. This empowerment directly correlates to higher engagement levels and improved retention rates.
  • Organizational Transparency and Trust: Advocacy programs require a certain level of transparency from the organization’s side, which, in turn, helps to foster trust between employees and management. Employees who trust their employers are more likely to feel engaged and less likely to leave the organization.
  • Career Development and Personal Branding: Employee advocacy programs can play a crucial role in personal branding and career development. As employees share their work and achievements, they are simultaneously enhancing their own professional reputation. This not only benefits the employees but also increases their attachment to the organization, nurturing a mutually beneficial relationship.
  • Boost to Employee Morale: Advocacy can help to create a positive work culture. By encouraging employees to share their experiences and achievements, companies demonstrate that they value their employees’ work and contributions, which boosts morale and productivity.
  •  Improved Internal Communication: Employee advocacy programs can improve internal communication. As employees become more involved in advocacy, they often become better informed about the company’s goals, products and services. This improved understanding can lead to employees feeling more aligned with the company’s mission and objectives.
  • Increased Brand Awareness: Beginning an employee advocacy program is a great way to organically increase the organization’s brand awareness reach. Utilising social media naturally generates opportunities to network, which can therefore drive leads, as the positive content posted by employees will be passively acknowledged by potential clients.
employee advocacy in recruitment

How to Leverage Employee Advocacy for Candidate Attraction

If you’re just starting out with your employee advocacy program, here are some tips to help you begin.

Use the Voice of Your People…Everywhere!

It’s magic, it’s authentic and it works.

Embrace Storytelling Through Employee Experiences

One of the most effective ways to manage perception and shift views is through authentic storytelling. Showcase real-life employee experiences, achievements and testimonials to highlight the positive aspects of your workplace. You can use a variety of content formats like videos, podcasts, blogs, and social media posts. This approach humanizes your brand and makes it easier for potential employees to imagine themselves in your company culture.

Promote Your Thought Leaders

Create and share thought-provoking content on industry trends, company values or insights on your work culture. This can position your brand as a leader and innovator in your industry. Feature your employees as subject matter experts, giving them a platform to share their knowledge and experiences. This not only enhances your company’s credibility but also provides an opportunity for your employees to build their personal brands, boosting their engagement and loyalty.

Try Interactive and Gamified Content to Boost Engagement

Create interactive content that allows potential candidates and current employees to engage directly with your brand. This could include webinars, live Q&A sessions, virtual tours of your workspace, or interactive quizzes about company culture. Gamified content also works well.  for instance, an online game or challenge related to your company’s work, with the winners getting a chance to be featured on your company’s social media. This type of content not only makes your brand more memorable but also gives an insight into your company’s innovative and engaging work culture.

Measure and Keep Improving

Use social listening tools and analytics to monitor the success of your employee advocacy program for marketing and recruitment and to see how particular pieces of content are performing. This will help you focus your efforts on what’s working and give you valuable insight into what’s important to your talent audiences.

CSR and ESG: How Markers of Sustainability and Social Responsibility Transform Talent Acquisition

Posted on by nfuqua

Amid the alphabet soup of corporate jargon, buzzwords, and acronyms, you’ll find CSR and ESG. Respectively, the two stand for corporate social responsibility and environment, social, governance. These concepts have been around for years but have been growing in importance. Now, CSR and ESG impact talent acquisition in new ways. As candidates become more knowledgeable and passionate about social responsibility and sustainability practices, employers need to respond. The issue is particularly salient for Gen Z, where 87% say it is important to work at a company that aligns with their values.

Job seekers want to work at organizations with values that match their own, with as many as 80% of workers in some industries saying that ESG issues play a role in whether they will resign from or remain at certain organizations.

So, how do CSR and ESG impact talent acquisition? In this article, we explore their impact and outline strategies to help talent leaders incorporate these concepts into their recruitment strategies.

What is Corporate Social Responsibility?

According to the United Nations, corporate social responsibility is “a management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders.” CSR focuses on issues including environmental management, eco-efficiency, responsible sourcing, stakeholder engagement, labor standards and working conditions, employee and community relations, social equity, gender balance, human rights, good governance, and anti-corruption measures.

CSR has been growing in importance over the last several decades, according to Harvard Business School, and has led to specific designations like B Corporations (B Corps), social purpose corporations (SPCs), and low-profit limited liability companies (L3Cs). But for many organizations, CSR is simply a self-imposed regulation. Employers can express it through initiatives and strategies and often report back their results through corporate social responsibility reports.  

What is Environment, Social, Governance?

According to Gartner, environment, social, governance is “a collection of corporate performance evaluation criteria that assess the robustness of a company’s governance mechanisms and its ability to effectively manage its environmental and social impacts.”

Each pillar of ESG includes different criteria. McKinsey outlines environmental criteria as relating to how much energy a company takes in, how much waste it produces, what resources it requires and how that impacts life around the world. Social criteria address the relationships between an organization and the institutions and communities where it does business. Finally, governance represents the internal procedures and checks and balances an organization uses to make decisions and govern itself.

How CSR and ESG Impact Talent Acquisition

Once little-known terms, these markers of corporate responsibility and sustainability now play a role in job seekers’ decision-making.

One survey found that more than half of employees would not work for a company that doesn’t have strong policies addressing social or environmental sustainability issues. Additionally, 74% of employees said their job is more fulfilling when they’re given the chance to make a positive impact on social and environmental issues, and 70% indicated they’d be more loyal to a company in which they can help contribute to solutions.

The changing environment and increasing pace of climate-related disasters plays a role. Compiled data shows that Google searches for sustainable companies have been growing rapidly since 2016, reaching the highest volume yet in 2023, with no signs of slowing down. In that time, a number of environmental events have dominated headlines, from the devastating 2017 floods caused by Hurricane Harvey in the U.S. to the disastrous 2019-2020 Australian bushfires and 2023 Canadian wildfires. Spikes in searches often follow global climate meetings like the United Nations Climate Change Conferences.

Job seekers are paying attention, and employers can only expect that interest to increase. One survey found that 40% of Gen Z and millennial employees have changed jobs or sectors due to climate concerns or plan to in the future. Additionally, 60% of respondents reported feeling anxious about the environment over the past month, and more than 70% said that they are actively trying to minimize their impact on the environment.

3 Approaches for Including CSR and ESG in Your Recruitment Strategy

To stay ahead of the competition, talent leaders should include CSR and ESG in their talent strategies. Below we outline three approaches.

1. Build a Responsible, Sustainable Employer Brand

Your employer brand is your most powerful tool in attracting top talent, and your ESG and CSR initiatives should be featured throughout your branding materials. Think about your efforts to reduce carbon emissions, support local communities or promote diversity and inclusion. You may measure or report on progress of these initiatives for investors, so consider sharing with candidates as well. Even if you haven’t reached your goals yet, being transparent about your progress can demonstrate to candidates that these initiatives are genuine—not just lip service. Share your next steps and the strategies you have in place for reaching these goals.

There are several ways to showcase your progress to candidates:

  • Highlight ESG initiatives in your job descriptions
  • Create an ESG page on your career site
  • Leverage social media to share your progress toward ESG goals
  • Tap into current employees who can share their experiences
  • Train recruiters and hiring managers on ESG initiatives

2. Get Employees Involved

Your social responsibility and sustainability goals should be at the core of your culture. Make your goals and initiatives a regular part of conversation rather than distant promise. This will not only help retain top performers but will also help engage candidates.

You can get your employees involved in reaching your CSR and ESG goals by communicating progress and adding performance targets where appropriate. You can also consider benefits that align with your goals so that employees feel as though your commitment to social responsibility and sustainability are part of your DNA, not just marching orders.

Here are a few strategies you can employ:

  • Communicate updates on ESG initiatives regularly, like in team meetings or all-company updates
  • Encourage leadership to display day-today behaviors that align with goals
  • Add ESG-related performance goals
  • Consider ESG-related benefits, like days off for volunteer work, a cycle-to-work scheme or vouchers for public transit
  • Recognize employees for ESG-related contributions

3. Avoid Greenwashing

As you focus on and promote your social responsibility and sustainability work, avoid falling prey to greenwashing. Greenwashing happens when an organization spends more time and money showcasing sustainability initiatives than actually performing them. It’s often seen as a marketing gimmick, and consumers and candidates are growing more savvy in recognizing it. To maintain a positive reputation and brand perception, ensure that your organization lives up to the values you’re advertising from the top down.

Here are some tips to avoid greenwashing:

  • Avoid overly flowery language
  • Don’t use dishonest imagery
  • Ensure your business practices reflect your marketing promises
  • Be honest, even if you aren’t perfect
  • Share real data
  • Make concrete claims

A Sustainable Future: CSR and ESG in Talent Acquisition

As we move toward a more sustainable future, your CSR and ESG initiatives are important factors for job candidates. The right RPO partner can help you communicate the environmental work you’re already doing to attract top talent. The desire for sustainable employment isn’t going anywhere, and employers should only expect it to get stronger.  

Check out our predictions for the future of work in our ebook, Destination 2030: 10 Predictions for What’s NEXT in the World of Work.

future of work

DESTINATION 2030: 10 Predictions for What’s NEXT in the World of Work

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The Power of Predictive Analytics in High-Volume Recruitment

Posted on by cevans

By Amelia Krol, Business Analytics Lead

While navigating through high-volume recruitment processes, organizations often find themselves overwhelmed by the number of applications for a multitude of positions, ranging from entry-level roles to specialist positions. This can be a costly and time-consuming process that can damage the candidate experience and doesn’t guarantee candidate quality. This is where predictive analytics steps in, transforming the recruitment landscape.

Driven by advanced data analytics techniques and machine learning, predictive analytics offers a strategic advantage in managing high volumes of roles as well as ensuring the right fit.

How Does Predictive Analytics in Recruitment Work?

Predictive analytics involves the use of historical data, such as applicant resumes, interview feedback, performance data, and employee tenure to create models that predict future candidate success. Predictive analytics finds patterns and correlations within this data to identify characteristics that lead to successful hires. These indicators could include specific skills, educational background, work experience, and even personality traits that align with the company culture. This data-driven approach ensures a higher standard of candidate quality, as recruiters are guided towards individuals whose attributes align seamlessly with the organization’s culture and role requirements.

Furthermore, this strategic deployment of predictive analytics doesn’t merely benefit the organization; it elevates the candidate experience by matching applicants with roles that resonate with their skills and aspirations. As a result, candidates feel more engaged and valued throughout the recruitment journey, culminating in enhanced hiring outcomes and a positive brand reputation.

Predictive analytics presents itself not as a solution, but rather as a dynamic framework for continuous improvement. Organizations can leverage powerful analytics to determine fundamental employee attributes for specific roles, effectively managing the hurdles of volume hiring and retention. This involves harnessing predictive analytics insights to craft bespoke pathways that foster workforce growth. 

Predictive Analytics in Action

In late 2021, one of our hospitality clients, Merivale, faced the challenge of recruiting 800 roles within six weeks. Partnering with PeopleScout, they turned to Affinix™, our proprietary talent acquisition suite with includes Affinix Analytics. PeopleScout’s strategy involved deploying Affinix to swiftly source and categorize applicants based on role streams. To ensure quick turnarounds, a tech-powered approach was implemented, utilising video and phone interviews. Leveraging Affinix’s real-time analytics dashboards, candidate responses were screened using built-in AI-powered tools to dynamically filter them into qualified roles. Referrals from current staff were also encouraged through Affinix CRM tool. Despite the challenging talent market, PeopleScout achieved remarkable results a time-to-offer of just 3.36 days and a time-to-fill of 5.5 days. The collaboration’s success continues as they meet the client’s ongoing talent needs, emphasising the transformative role of Affinix’s analytics in the current market.

Several tools are employed for predictive analysis in recruitment, leveraging data-driven insights to enhance hiring decisions. Affinix seamlessly integrates AI, machine learning, digital interviewing and more. It’s a comprehensive solution for streamlining recruitment and enhancing candidate experience. Affinix encompasses various features, including AI Sourcing, which identifies passive candidates for each job posting. CRM optimisation and requisition management enable enhanced communication and talent pool creation based on skills and other factors. Moreover, Affinix Analytics provides job seeker analytics and operational metrics to understand the end-to-end recruitment process. The platform’s integration with HR technologies solidifies its holistic approach to talent management.

Making Informed Decisions about Predictive Analytics

Although promising, predictive analytics, and AI in general, can be perceived as being risky. The key concern is the potential of creating biased algorithms, which can limit diversity in the hiring process and create inequalities. Bias might be present in the historical data fed into the model, from which the algorithm learns. Additionally, the accuracy of predictive models could be compromized due to the constant changes in the recruitment industry as well as evolving organizational needs.

Moreover, the complexity of machine learning algorithms can decrease transparency in decision-making, which would make it challenging for candidates to understand the reasoning behind rejections. Furthermore, quantifying skills and abilities could be difficult for certain roles.

In 2018, a leading retailer released the results of hiring software that was developed internally. The AI scored female candidates lower than male candidates due to bias in the data used to train the model. The model was trained using the company’s historical hiring data, which mostly consisted of men. As a result, AI saw male candidates as preferable to female candidates.

Organizations considering using predictive analytics in recruitment should keep these issues in mind, particularly as they gather data that the models will use. If any bias is discovered by the predictive model, it’s an opportunity for you to introduce (or update) unconscious bias and diversity training to your hiring managers.

Changing the Recruitment Landscape with Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics in recruitment is a powerful force in changing the landscape, particularly in the context of high-volume hiring. The integration of historical data with cutting-edge HR technology optimizes the recruitment process, enriches the caliber of selected candidates and ensures that talent acquisition supports the strategic objectives of the organization. However, balancing the benefits and limitations of this approach is crucial for a responsible and effective application of predictive analytics in high-volume recruitment.  

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