Top Employer Branding Trends in 2021

Although 2021 is in full swing, who can forget the massive changes in the workforce that happened in 2020? It seemed that the world had stopped. So many companies turned to work online, Zoom became a household name, and offices were bare for months.

Along with these physical changes came a push for greater awareness, inclusivity, and diversity. As a result, hundreds of companies spoke up about the inequality in the workforce and placed much higher importance on work and home life.

In short, 2020 changed the way people viewed the workforce forever.

While it’s hard to see what the rest of the year will bring, we’ve compiled information from the first six months to bring you the top employer branding trends in 2021.

Globalization

For many companies, the pandemic was the first time they tested the waters of working remotely. As a result, people put much less importance on an employee’s location and focused more on their ability to get the job done right. Suddenly, it became possible to work with thousands of talented people all around the world.

Companies realize that looking outside of their local area for talent can help them breathe new life into their organization. Remote work is here to stay, and so is the global workforce. Organizations that move in harmony with this trend will benefit from worldwide perspectives that would otherwise go unheard.

If you’re looking to join a new organization as a remote employee, we’ve got the guide just for you:

How to Find and Get Hired For a Remote Position

Health and Wellness

After a rough 2020, many organizations encourage employees to place a higher value on health and wellness. The pandemic brought mental health to the forefront of the working world, and the negatives effects of stress and burnout became the topic of many workplace conversations.

It’s hoped that as we move forward, companies will start to offer more PTO for employees to take mental health days without having to take a hit financially or feel that they’re doing their team a disservice. Thankfully, some organizations have already begun to make positive changes to encourage the well-being of their workers. In fact, after March 2020, over 68% of companies introduced at least one new wellness benefit to help support their employees holistically.

Talk Less, Listen More

While the conversation is essential, change won’t happen if you leave listening out of the equation. Leading CRM platform Hubspot is doing a great job of fostering conversion by asking thought-provoking questions that invite honest responses from their employees and followers. They don’t stop there. Hubspot responds to participants in the comments and shows that they’ve been listening by posting summaries of opinions and replies.

With this tactic, they take valuable information from their audience and send a message to any prospective talent that your voice matters at HubSpot.

Diversity and Inclusion

If a company hasn’t started a program to further its efforts to be diverse and inclusive, they’re already falling behind. 2020 was a year full of discussions about race, equality, transparency, and equal opportunities. No industry was left untouched by this movement. Depending on a company’s location, some may be slowing about implementing this brand, but most have begun to weave it into their culture.

It’s estimated that companies who begin to focus on diversity and inclusion in the workplace will experience expansive growth because of the new ideas and perspectives it invites. We’ve seen an increase in companies using social media to display diversity in the workplace and show their support of employees from all walks of life.

If you’re looking to improve levels of diversity and inclusion in your workplace, perhaps you could benefit from implementing an org chart. It will provide you with a clear road map to see which teams and departments lack diversity.

To learn more about how an org chart will help you build a better company culture, see here:

How an Org Chart Helps You Build a Better Company Culture

Social Responsibility

This past year saw dozens of companies speaking up to take a stand on several social issues. Now, they’ll have to take responsibility for these stances moving forward. Employees will be waiting to see how their organization shows that they take social responsibility and their promises.

New hires will likely ask direct questions in their interviews about how the company is currently taking social responsibility and how it has affected their current organizational makeup. In addition, they’ll inquire as to what new changes were made and where they fit into these changes as new hires.

To find out how your org chart can help you attract talented employees, see here:

How to Attract Talented Employees

People will be looking for concrete evidence that their organization is making fundamental changes that directly affect people. Any less than this, and you could see employees losing faith in their company.

Work Experience & Flexibility

If the past year has proved anything, people can be just as productive at home as they were at the office. Moving into 2021, we saw a shift from office-centric to remote-centric work environments. Current remote workers hope to continue working remotely for the foreseeable future, and companies such as Twitter have made this possible for their employees.

Although it seems that many people will eventually return to the office, the idea of a traditional office setting is long gone. While some people thrive in office, likely, others will only want to come in for meetings or special events. Employers may offer larger PTO packages or give employees more flexible options in their schedules to meet this need.

Companies that provide their employees with increased flexibility will have higher employee morale and be the first pick of new talent.

If you’re looking to increase the number of remote workers in your organization, check out our guide on hiring and onboarding a remote team:

How to Hire and Onboard a Remote Team

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