Employer branding and organizational attractiveness : current employees’ perspective

Abstract

Purpose: Drawing on marketing and recruitment theory, we examined the relationships between employer branding and employer attractiveness as seen by currently employed employees. The evidence was sought of which employer branding practices (external or internal) may have the strongest impact on the employer's image perceived by employees. Design/Methodology/Approach: Based on an outline of current conceptualizations of employer branding, the paper discusses the potential of external employer branding activities and internal branding processes in the context of the impact on the employer attractiveness perceived by employees. This paper selects 520 employers from local services firms in Poland. The hypotheses are tested using SEM-AMOS. Findings: Data from 520 employees representing the service companies provided some evidence that more intense external employer branding activities and more intense internal employer branding practices directly affected employer attractiveness, considered in terms of expected benefits. Research limitations/implications: To concentrate on the research objective, the authors only consider the same characteristics in each workers' job environment, neglecting differences in employment conditions, living environment, etc. Practical implications: Our study reveals that internal and external employer branding activities could change employees' perception of an organization's attractiveness. Originality/value: We seek to contribute to the employer branding literature by investigating specific external and internal factors that affect employer image and employer attractiveness. The results support the notion that external employer branding and internal branding practices directly affect employer attractiveness.