HR Industry News

Reputation growing in reputation

— 28 November 2007 —

Too many businesses are preoccupied with their reputation with customers and are overlooking the importance of building reputation among its workforce.

38% of businesses fail to see corporate reputation as important to current and prospective employees, leading recruitment consultancy Harvey Nash to comment yesterday during the annual CBI conference that corporate reputation is key in the fight to resolve the UK skills gap.

“Too many businesses […] fail to recognise the importance of their employer brand in enabling them to attract and retain the best talent” said CEO Albert Ellis. “Reputation has an undeniable impact on the bottom line of a business, but it’s not just about boosting sales and improving customer service. Attracting and motivating a workforce is where reputation plays a key role.”

This is disappointing to see. Any individual worth their salt will attempt to get a realistic view of the working environment prior to making a decision on the next career move instead of just listening to the corporate recruitment spin. As a result, employers need to wake up to the fact that their employees will be actively engaging in recommending or disparaging their organisation to their friends, colleagues and associates and that this will ultimately affect the quality they attract and therefore hire.Nick Thomson, Ceridian

Research reveals some more heartening figures, as 70% now believe that reputation is more important than it was five years ago, while 91% acknowledged the growing importance of reputation as a result of globalisation.

As Albert Ellis concluded, “In an increasingly competitive, global and digital market for talent, reputation is not just one of, but potentially the most important differentiator.”

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