Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinçer Atlı emphasized the importance of institutional reputations and their relationships with employees during the pandemic and made recommendations.
The Covid-19 pandemic conditions, which caused one of the most severe health and economy-based crises the world has experienced, also bring a tough struggle for businesses regarding reputation management and employer branding. Experts, emphasizing that trust lies at the heart of being a reputable institution, state that the issue of trust must be embraced as a management philosophy to build corporate reputation. Experts point out that how businesses approach existing employees, especially during difficult times, has become extremely important, and employers should always maintain open communication based on trust with their employees.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinçer Atlı stated that the Covid-19 pandemic conditions, which started in December 2019 and caused one of the most severe health and economy-based crises the world has experienced, also brought a tough struggle for businesses regarding reputation management and employer branding.
Trust is at the Core of Being a Reputable Institution
Emphasizing that employer branding is closely related to the concept of reputation, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinçer Atlı said, “The concept of reputation, in its etymology, comes from the Arabic word for prestige. At the heart of being a reputable institution is trust. In this sense, building corporate reputation is primarily possible by the senior management embracing trust as a management philosophy, including this issue within the corporate values that form the corporate culture, the institution attaching importance not only to profitability but also to nature and people—in other words, prioritizing sustainability—and strategic communication planning.”
Image is Formed by the Impression Left in Minds
Atlı stated that employer branding, in addition to the institution's reputation among employees, includes functional value propositions offered to employees, covering economic, emotional, and the institution's success and development activities. “In other words, employer branding is about an enterprise's image as the best place to work for current and potential employees. Image means the impression left in minds. While employer branding is closely related to how an enterprise differentiates itself from its competitors as an employer, it is critically important in attracting talented employees to choose that enterprise.” he said.
Talents Should Not Be Lost in Difficult Times
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinçer Atlı stated that during the pandemic, the management of existing and potential talents should be carried out in cooperation with senior management, corporate communications, and human resources management departments. “How businesses approach existing employees during difficult times becomes extremely important. It is necessary not to lose talents in difficult times. Furthermore, in our country, businesses can be seen asking for sacrifices from employees or restricting their personal and fringe benefits, even when institutional profitability has not decreased. Considering that honesty and trust are at the heart of corporate reputation and employer branding, dissatisfaction created by the employer image among employees, who are internal customers, can lead to productivity losses while limiting opportunities to be an attractive employer for the most talented employees.” he said.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinçer Atlı stated that employers should always maintain open communication based on trust with their employees and concluded his words as follows:
Content Aimed at Increasing Well-being Should Be Created
“Furthermore, how an employer positions itself against competitors with the value propositions it offers is also an important issue. Human resources managers need to keep their digital footprint regarding employer branding alive in the media, be visible to potential candidates, keep job postings updated, and highlight the institution's value propositions on all platforms. At the same time, practices such as specifying flexible and remote work opportunities, organizing virtual events that support employee well-being, organizing or participating in virtual career fairs, producing content on social media aimed at increasing employees' well-being, creating a sense of meaning in the work done, providing autonomous work opportunities to talented employees, and being involved in corporate social responsibility initiatives are of strategic importance to support employer branding.”