Employer Branding Applied to SMEs: A Pioneering Model Proposal for Attracting and Retaining Talent

Beatriz Monteiro,Bruno Sousa,Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira,Vasco Santos,Filipa Martinho,Maria José Sousa,Isabel Reis,Marta Correia Sampaio

doi:10.3390/info11120574

Abstract

Most business enterprises are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and many of them are without a human resource and recruitment department. Thus, one of the challenges that organizations currently face is to find a strategy to retain and attract talent. To overcome this difficulty, enterprises must invest in employer branding policies and be aware of the factors that differentiate them from others when attracting employees. This study aims to develop an employer branding model applicable to SMEs, to increase and enhance the attraction and retention of talents. An exploratory approach based on a quantitative perspective was adopted to develop an employer branding model applied to SMEs, with two major reference employer branding models and frameworks used as the main support. The model of employer branding was applied to SMEs regarding four dimensions, whereby essential questions are asked, namely (1) organizational culture (e.g., do employees have a job description aligned with the corporate culture?), (2) company strategy (e.g., what is the strategy if business volume decreases?), (3) company reputation (e.g., how do you perceive and treat negative feedback?), and (4) reward systems (e.g., do you feel that your employees are motivated intrinsically or extrinsically or both?), ordered by layers based on a logical sequence. The new proposed model is expected to serve as a useful strategic tool and as a basis for attracting, retaining and managing talent, specifically in the SMEs context. This new model provides a set of strategic and competitiveness benefits for SMEs, while contributing to making enterprises more profitable. The model also contributes to SMEs having a better image and reputation, enabling them to stand out from others in the war for talent.

Highlights

Reference [1] argues that talent is an embracing term that describes the human resources that organizations want to attract, retain, and develop to achieve their business objectives
Developing an effective employer branding strategy becomes paramount for any company that wants to be a reference in the job market, and this need is underlined with the global talent shortage that has begun to concern organizational managers and academics from different fields [16]
The construction of an employer branding model applied to companies should not be a universal endeavor—to build a model, it is important that several factors are taken into account [46]

Summary

Introduction

Reference [1] argues that talent is an embracing term that describes the human resources that organizations want to attract, retain, and develop to achieve their business objectives. Employer branding is the concept used to define an entity’s reputation as an employer and the value that employees can derive from it. The first publication of the concept came just six years after the authorship of [3] when [4] defined employer branding as the package of functional, economic, and psychological benefits provided by employment, and identified with the employing company. Reference [5] argue that employer branding is the organization’s set of efforts to promote, both internally and externally, a clear vision that makes it different and desirable as an employer

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion