3 Employer Brand Moments We're Thankful for This Year
Employer branding in 2021 has been about companies responding to employee demands. Workers wield the power now, so employers that failed to do so lost staff and will continue to lose staff as their competitors raise wages, expand access to WFH and hybrid arrangements, and prioritize safety.
In a way, it was easier to cultivate a positive employer reputation in 2021. It’s clear what workers want—the freedom to work wherever they want, fair pay, better work-life balance, equity, and safety.
Employer branding begins on the inside, and companies are catching on.
Here are our favorite moments in employer branding from 2021.
1. When companies announced permanent WFH options
The mass expansion of WFH and hybrid work will forever be a greatest hit. Workers love it.
One of the earliest announcements from a major employer in 2021 came in February when Salesforce announced a forever-WFH policy and triumphantly declared in a press release that “the 9-to-5 workday is dead.” By the spring, Twitter and Square (ILY forever) adopted WFH, and since then, Novartis, Slack, and PwC have also told employees to stay put.
According to Boston Consulting Group, 89% of workers expect to be able to work from home at least some of the time after the pandemic wraps. Simply giving employees the option to work wherever, whenever they want cuts an advantage in the hiring market: Just under half of office workers say they would look for a new employer if their current one doesn’t offer a hybrid work option.
NOW! That’s What I Call Policy 2021. (Ask your parents.)
2. When employers had to make good on the promises they made in 2020
Magnanimous pledges to fight racism in the workplace were the gladiator sandal of summer 2020. In 2021, workers were watching—did anything change?
Some employers decided to show their work. Athletic apparel company lululemon published its plan and progress toward workplace DEI, and fintech company Affirm published numbers on representation and how they’re asking for and responding to employee feedback. Both of those reports are worth reading, by the way.
3. When companies raised wages*
Workers want better pay, specifically those who work hourly wage jobs in the service industry and retail. And when they’re not getting it, they’re leaving. Employers listened, and they’re increasing pay.
Last month Bank of America raised its minimum wage to $21 per hour. By 2025 it will be $25, they say. Other companies also announced higher minimum and starting wages—Target, Starbucks, and Walgreens now pay $15 per hour.
*Wage hikes are worth celebrating (yahoo!)—but they’re not without problem. It’s popular to call $15 per hour a living wage, but it’s only about $31K annually if you never take an hour off, which isn’t livable in most places, and not livable at all if you have a family. Or have student loan debt. Or want to save for retirement.
Service industry and retail employers are still having trouble filling open jobs, so will they take the hint? Fingers crossed that more wage increases will make our list in 2022.
Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza writes about workplace culture, DEI, and hiring. Her work has appeared in Fast Company, From Day One, and InHerSight, among others.
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