How to create employee engagement that retains and attracts candidates

Employee engagement is the very core of a strong and credible employer brand. In fact, your employees are the most credible ambassadors for your employer brand. When employees thrive, get involved and want to talk about their workplace, it creates something no campaign or ad can match.

Always start from the inside

Investing in external employer branding before you have built engagement internally is a bit like building a house without a foundation. It may look nice from the outside, but it won’t last. That is why you should start by creating genuine engagement and pride among the people who already work for you.

Why are engaged employees so important in employer branding?

• Credibility: Candidates trust an employee’s personal story far more than the company’s official messages. It is the same reason influencer marketing works so well.

• Reach: Engaged employees happily share positive experiences both online and offline.

• Authenticity: Authentic stories get through better than polished ads and campaigns.

How to increase employee engagement

• Listen: Regular employee surveys and conversations are the foundation for understanding what drives or holds back engagement.

• Involve actively: Create involvement through workshops, internal ambassador programmes and transparent communication.

• Recognise and reward: Show that engagement is appreciated through recognition, feedback and development opportunities.

• Create pride: Highlight good examples internally. When employees see their own and their colleagues’ efforts recognised, they feel proud and motivated to contribute even more.

Give employees the right tools to succeed as ambassadors

For your employees to be ambassadors, they need the tools and the opportunity to share. That can be anything from simple social media guidelines to storytelling training or internal channels that make sharing content easy.

Would you like help kick-starting your internal ambassador programme or increasing engagement at work? Get in touch!

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