The Two Employee Demands That Will Determine The Success of Your Employer Brand in 2022

2021 was a year of ultimatums.

When workers said we’re not returning to the office, companies said work from home. When workers said pay me, companies said here’s a (teeny bit) more money. When workers said I want to feel safe at work, companies said everyone has to be vaccinated. When workers said I haven’t showered in three days because I am now also a third-grade teacher, companies said feel free to turn off your camera during Zoom calls. 

Companies can’t neglect employer branding in 2022. Not only does the workforce wield incredible power, they’re not letting it go. Next year, they’ll roll out a new list of demands. On that list will be employer differentiation and ethical leadership.

Employer differentiation

The workforce has realized the incredible power they wield. Next year, they will roll out a new list of demands.

Employer branding will be an essential discipline in 2022 because it’s now much harder to differentiate your company in the job market. The external attributes are increasingly ubiquitous—remote or hybrid work, flexible schedules, increased pay, vaccine requirements—and can all be fact-checked on a company website. 

What’s harder to know is what it’s like on the inside, and in 2022, that’s what job seekers want to know. Are you delivering on your promises to fight racial injustice? What is it actually like to be a member of a marginalized community who works at your company? Do you honor employees’ personal time and responsibilities? How will my manager respect what I bring to the table? Will you help me grow my skill set so it’s not obsolete in five years? 

It takes finesse to show candidates what it’s like on the inside, so 2022 will be a more challenging year for employer branding. It will require critical introspection and thoughtful engagement with your existing workforce.

Employer branding begins inside a company, and that’s what job seekers want to see. 

Ethical leadership

Speaking of what it’s like on the inside: The workforce will no longer tolerate bad leadership. 

Employees at Activision Blizzard are calling for the ouster of CEO Bobby Kotick. CBS News reports the accusation is that Kotick withheld information about alleged sexual misconduct at the company. Mortgage company Better.com also suffered a significant blow to their employer branding image when the CEO coldly terminated 900 employees right before the holidays via Zoom call.

How does an employer recover from damaging moments? Repairing the company’s image from within. Employer branding is about doing the right thing, not just saying the right thing. 

So it’s worth getting ahead of incidents like these. A strong employer brand can earn you some social capital with the public, a public that is full of potential hires. 

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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