On y va! Employer branding for a strong employer brand – Interview with Elise Bourgeois

Elise Bourgeois is an expert in employer branding and founder of the “onyva Employer Branding Agency”. With her employer branding agency, she supports companies in positioning their employer brand authentically and sustainably. In this interview, Elise talks about the importance of employer branding, the challenges for SMEs and large companies and the role of HR and marketing in this process.

Please introduce yourself and your company.

I'm Elise Bourgeois, an employer branding specialist and founder of the “onyva Employer Branding Agency”. I have been working in marketing and digital communication for over fifteen years and have been focussing on employer branding for about 5 years now. One and a half years ago, I founded my agency with the aim of bringing my marketing expertise to the HR world.

I mainly advise and support medium-sized to large companies in the DACH region from various sectors and industries. I support them in the development of employer brand strategies and also accompany their implementation, for example in external communication. My clients appreciate my uncomplicated approach. The company name onyva fits in well with this. The French expression ‘let's go’ stands for embarking on this ‘employer branding journey’ together.

Please define the term employer branding from your perspective.

Employer branding is about first getting to know your identity as an employer and shaping it in the desired direction. This enables companies to create a strong culture that has a positive impact on employee engagement. This creates a unique employer brand internally, which then needs to be made tangible and communicated authentically externally to attract the people who will fit into the company.

So, employer branding is not just about making the company attractive for potential applicants, but also for employees?

Yes, absolutely. Employer branding is not only aimed at potential applicants, but also at existing employees. Ultimately, you can only communicate credibly to the outside world what you actually live internally. The internal aspect is therefore at least as important: If your employer values ​​are not experienced positively internally, it will be difficult in the long term to represent them authentically externally.

This is precisely why employees should also be actively involved in employer branding. If this does not happen, there is a risk that a discrepancy will arise between the external image and the internal reality. This can lead to new employees being disappointed and an increase in early fluctuation – meaning that they leave the company shortly after joining. Companies should communicate clearly from the outset who they are, how they work together and what they expect from their employees.

Why is employer branding important for companies?

Employer branding is very important for two key reasons. Firstly, it enables companies to position themselves specifically on the labour market. Just as a company has successfully marketed its products and services for years, it must now also present itself as an attractive employer. A clear understanding of its own identity and corporate vision helps to attract and recruit the right talent.

Secondly, internal positioning plays a key role. It is crucial that a strong, consistent corporate culture is cultivated and actively practised within the company. This not only contributes to the satisfaction and identification of employees, but also promotes their loyalty. A solid internal culture increases the motivation and commitment of employees and reduces the effort and costs of recruitment in the long term. There is less fluctuation and satisfied employees actively recommend the company to others.

What do large companies have to do differently to SMEs when it comes to employer branding? Are there differences, other challenges, etc.?

Well, it's impossible to generalise. But I often find that smaller companies face challenges due to their low profile and reach. They have to be much more creative to attract attention. At the same time, they often have to make do with limited resources. This means that people have to take on employer branding who may not have sufficient expertise or time to do so. On the other hand, decisions can be made more quickly due to the proximity to the management and creative ideas can be implemented quickly without lengthy approval processes.

In contrast, larger companies often have more financial and human resources available to implement comprehensive employer branding campaigns. They usually have established social media channels and specialised teams responsible for maintaining and developing content. This enables them to achieve a greater reach and produce diverse, professional content.

However, the size of companies also brings challenges. Some large companies often have to deal with complex structures and address a large number of different professional groups - sometimes in different language regions or countries. This requires a differentiated employer branding strategy. Coordinating these measures and communicating the employer brand consistently across all areas and locations can be very challenging.

But one thing applies to all companies: There needs to be a clear, authentic presence that is lived internally and communicated credibly externally.

You mentioned the human resources. Where should employer branding be located, in marketing, in HR or should it be an interplay?

This question is much discussed. And unfortunately, I still don't have a real answer to it. In practice, HR is responsible for employer branding in around 70% of cases. However, employer branding is about a brand, which is already in the name. That's why it also needs marketing, because this is where the expertise lies in how a brand is managed and communicated internally and externally. HR, on the other hand, knows the target group and their emotions better and knows how important authenticity is. The latter plays a very important role in employer branding.

So, if you have the opportunity, you should integrate both departments. Marketing should integrate the employer brand into the company's brand strategy – but not on its own. The implementation requires both departments. In practice, however, I have also seen that there is no marketing department and the tasks are distributed among agencies. That makes it even more difficult. Ultimately, the most important thing is that someone is clearly responsible for employer branding. This must be a person who is positioned hierarchically in such a way that they can also demand something from the management and has sufficient competences to drive something forward. Because perseverance is very important in employer branding, i.e. really sticking with it.

When you look at the current employer branding of large Swiss companies, where do you see room for improvement?

I see particularly great potential for improvement in the understanding of holistic employer branding. Instead of planning individual, isolated measures, an integrated approach should be pursued which covers the entire candidate and employee journey. Every interaction – from the initial contact to the long-term retention of employees – should be designed positively. For example, what use is an elaborate social media campaign with numerous applications if the application process in the background causes frustration among applicants?

If companies think holistically and optimise their internal processes, they can secure a clear competitive advantage in the long term. An authentic, positive employee experience not only strengthens employee loyalty, but also promotes attractiveness as an employer to the outside world. Companies that take this approach will benefit from sustainable success and position themselves as a sought-after employer brand.

Another point that is still missing in many Swiss companies is clear responsibility for employer branding. There is often no one who holds the reins permanently and pursues a long-term strategy. In many cases, employer branding is only carried out on a temporary basis and loses priority after a short time because no one is officially given overall responsibility. This means that the necessary continuity is lacking. I also often see that the people who are supposed to take on this task in addition to their other work are not sufficiently trained. There are now very good training courses in this area that are completely worthwhile. I am currently working with a group of interim HR managers, for example, to strengthen their knowledge of employer branding through targeted workshops.

Furthermore, many companies continue to focus too much on recruiting new employees instead of retaining current ones. This means that a lot of potential remains unutilised. Recent surveys have shown that the loyalty and commitment of employees in Switzerland is rather low compared to other European countries. Particularly when staff are in short supply, emphasis should be placed on promoting internal talent and ensuring that they do not switch to the competition.

Which channels are suitable for employer branding?

The choice of the right channels depends heavily on the target groups, i.e. the so-called personas. Companies need to be clear about who they need in their team to advance their mission. It is crucial to understand what makes these people tick, what their needs are and which channels they use.

Social media offers a fantastic opportunity to make the employer brand visible and appeal to potential talent. Any social media channel can be used for this purpose. However, in this context, I think it is more important to think in advance about whether enough relevant and appealing content can be delivered. Content that meets the needs of the target group and is presented in a target group-appropriate format.

The careers website also plays a key role here – it is often the first point of contact for potential applicants and offers a great opportunity to make a lasting, positive impression. With an authentic and well-maintained site, you can arouse interest and quickly win over talent.

It is important that all these channels, whether social media or the careers page, are continuously maintained. It takes creativity, consistency and interaction to keep an employer brand alive and dynamic. This is why it is often worthwhile to optimise your online presence with external support.

Anything else you want to say in conclusion?

Get started, try things out and have the courage to break new ground! Be careful not to get lost in too many individual measures and focus on the message you really want to convey as an employer. But above all: keep at it! Success comes when you consistently keep going – together as a team. Listen to your employees, involve them and walk the path together. Genuine employer brands grow through the commitment of everyone.