How employee data can drive employer brand. Meet Energage Top Workplaces

UNLEASH Product Spotlights look at products across the HR technology spectrum and are based on our research and member input. Today, we look at Energage, which offers employers the ability to not just survey their employees and measure themselves against 15 culture drivers, but via its Top Workplaces program, it also gives employers recognition in more than fifty media markets. Along with the earned recognition of being a Top Workplace in the relevant markets for the employer, Energage also gives employers the ability to brand themselves as an organization of choice across fifteen Culture Facts and Badges.

Employer Branding is more important than ever. Businesses have always struggled with the ability to differentiate their Employer Brand in a sea of both similar and competitive messages. Even in a job market with high unemployment, the ability to brand yourself and stand out on issues important to desirable candidates can be the difference between their entering your hiring process or applying somewhere else.

This is compounded in today’s market, as everything is, by the emergence of the COVID-19 crisis and other cultural, demographic, and societal shifts that are quickly changing the workplace as we know it.

The COVID-19 crisis has changed the way work is getting done, whether that work is behind a computer screen by someone now working from home, or if it’s done by an essential worker addressing the challenges of the virus and the stressors associated with being on the front-line. In either case, employees are more focused on trust with their employer now more than ever.

Societal shifts, like #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, gender diversity, and more, have shifted the “culture fit” conversation from the employer looking for a match, but to the prospective employee exploring to find an environment they feel comfortable working in.

Our research shows that being strong in culture-related initiatives isn’t just good branding, but good for the business.

How can an employer demonstrate that they foster a culture that breeds trust?

To cultivate employee trust employers need to not only say they encourage transparency, but demonstrate that they act on their priorities and values. Perhaps the best approach is to expose verified employee data and perspectives. Jobseekers especially benefit from insights closer to the “source of truth,” trusting direct employer feedback over third-party rating sites or anonymous sources.

Transparency in the workplace is increasingly important as issues like pay equity, gender equality and inclusion continue to both make headlines and spur activism.

UNLEASH/HRWins research showed that only 47% of employees surveyed report that their company culture encourages transparency. At the same time, 34% agree that their employer struggles with transparency, while only 26% disagree with that statement.

The ability of an employer to establish themselves as listening to employees and establishing the trust to navigate through these times is a potential differentiator that should not go overlooked by organizations of all types.

Energage also provides employers an on-demand platform for the ongoing measurement, to bolster the positive and show improvement over time. Learn more and access Top Workplaces here.