Employer Branding Implementation and Human Resource Management in Greek Telecommunication Industry

Antonios Kargas,Alexios Tsokos

doi:10.3390/admsci10010017

Antonios Kargas, Alexios Tsokos

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci10010017

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Abstract

Even though employer branding has its origins back to the 1990s, only after 2001 did it become a hot topic for human resource (HR) management. Ever since, a series of researchers and professionals have made an effort to understand how the image that job seekers have about employers is shaped and what benefits arise from this bilateral relationship. The Greek business environment delayed adoption of the most recently developed HR techniques, as a result of the economic crisis, and resulting decrease in working manpower, as well as budget reductions for HR. Only in the past few years have some of the leading companies in several business sectors started to implement employer branding as part of their corporate strategy. The current study aims to present how employer branding is actually under implementation in one of the most dynamic, national sectors—the telecommunication industry. Interviews in HR departments were conducted in order to collect (a) qualitative information regarding how employer branding is perceived and what results are expected from its implementation, as well as (b) quantitative data regarding its usefulness on attracting and choosing candidates, as well as evaluating existing employees. Results indicate that even though employer branding implementation is still an ongoing procedure, it has already started to transform HR departments’ operational logic.

Highlights

The international competitive environment forces businesses to seek strategic advantages in non-traditional fields, such as human resources and organizational culture (Kargas and Varoutas 2015).More and more companies are trying to avoid competition by achieving goals that cannot be imitated or copied
Interviews conducted revealed existing practices related with employer branding, as well as the outcome obtained
The current research presented and analyzed employer branding as a theoretical framework and as an operational methodology

Summary

Introduction

More and more companies are trying to avoid competition by achieving goals that cannot be imitated or copied. Such a goal, capable of achieving and maintaining a competitive advantage, is employer branding. While most companies use “branding” to earn customers or to promote their products/services, some of the most innovative businesses are trying to attract the most talented employees. Ambler and Barrow (1996), expanded “branding’s” concept by examining its usage to attract clients and employees. Such a perspective became rather attractive and was adopted by brands and international fora. The Conference Board of Canada, for example, pointed out the importance of employer branding as a means (a) for successfully embedding

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