“Love What You Do”

Recruitment strategies, training programs and retention plans are essential tools for competing in a tight labor market. But Bart Weitz, executive director of the Miller Center for Retailing at the University of Florida, cautions retailers about overlooking the importance of employment branding as a means of differentiation.

Executed correctly, he says, employment branding can attract the right candidates – and weed out those who wouldn’t be a good fit – long before their resumes land in the HR inbox.

Employment branding is a value proposition intended to manage the perceptions of employees, potential employees and key stakeholders as they relate to a company. In so doing, it sets the stage for recruitment, retention and productivity.

By creating a specific perception of a retail company and ensuring that it is demonstrated in the store experience and overall business practices, experts say employment branding can provide a competitive edge.

“Strong employment brands provide value to both retailers and their potential employees,” Weitz says. “For retailers, it provides a means to attract candidates, build loyalty – even facilitate entry into new markets. For potential job seekers it holds the promise of a consistent experience, helps to simplify the job-choice process and reduces the time and effort someone might spend searching for information about a retailer.”

JCPenney uses the tagline, “JCPenney & YOU ... A Perfect Fit.” At Home Depot, it’s “A Team. A Future. A Career. What Will You Build?” At Southwest Airlines, the theme is “Feel Free to Actually Enjoy What You Do.”

Weitz considers Starbucks (“Love what you do”) a poster child for employment branding. Along with an intense training program, the coffee giant has a strategy that includes printing the company mission statement on the back of business cards, hosting an internal Facebook community and providing employees with the opportunity to pursue a “masters” program in coffee tasting. It’s been reported that the company spends more on recruitment and development than it does on advertising.

Another key to luring talent may be tying employment branding to social responsibility and/or activism. Gen Y is idealistic and has proven to be committed to social causes, particularly the environment. Employment branding can work to attract a portion of this workforce – provided the messaging is in line with what they actually see and experience.

Wal-Mart was rated the second-most socially responsible company in the United States in a recent Harris Worldwide survey of college students (Ben & Jerry’s was No. 1). Three-quarters of the students surveyed cited “fair labor practices” as the issue most important in determining a company’s social responsibility; two-thirds said being “eco-friendly” or “green” was most significant.