April 27 2005 - 80% of Australian businesses believe they are seen
as great employers offering positive and rewarding workplace environments. But 63% of
job seekers say that employers are ‘not delivering’ on expectations.
Staff are likely to leave in droves from employers who do not deliver on
original employment promises, according to a recent Hudson Report. The Hudson national survey of over
8,000 Australian employers, found a significant disconnect between how Australian businesses think they are viewed
as a workplace, by current and prospective employees, and reality. Hudson conclude that this
could be costing Australian businesses millions in staff turnover at a time when they
cannot afford to lose people.
The report found that 80% of Australian managers believe that their
company’s workplace reputation is clearly understood, proactively managed and aligned
with what employees expect of them. But only half of these employers actually have a system in place to measure this so-called
‘great’ reputation! Moreover, a Hudson survey of more than 2,500 job seekers
has revealed that 63% of them believe their current employer is not delivering the
employment experience that was promised to them.
Matt Dale, Hudson’s National Practice Manager for Talent Management, said,
"These results sound a clear warning to Australian businesses who believe they are getting
it right and living up to their employees’ expectations.
"In many cases, companies are operating under a misguided impression and believe their
workers are happy in the workplace, when the truth is that they’re not. Their employment
promise may be working extremely well in luring employees into the company, but fails
miserably when it comes to retaining them in the long-term.
"Disillusioned employees will simply leave if they feel the organisation has not delivered
on the employment experience that was originally promised to them. In a market where
skills shortages are rife and candidates are in the driving seat, employers simply cannot
afford to let this happen," he added.
Matt Dale also commented that unfortunately, many businesses invest
heavily in communicating an employment brand promise but fail to align this with actual
employment experience.
"In many cases, a company’s employment brand may work extremely well in
attracting employees, but fails miserably when it comes to retaining them in the long-term,"
Mr Dale said.
"In order to get an employment brand right, it means understanding what
current and prospective employees want and defining a clear and compelling value
proposition.
"Most critically, all of the organisation’s current human resources
programmes, policies and practices must be aligned with the brand so that it has substance
and integrity with employees across the whole organisation," he concluded.
Hudson recommend the following for businesses wishing ti develop their employer branding:
* Focus the employment brand on retention not just attraction
* Systematically measure workplace reputation
* Develop a clear and sustainable brand promise and align it with the
employment experience
* Leverage the power of the company’s existing market brand
* Ensure close interaction between the HR function and the company’s Marketing team
The full report is available on the Hudson website at
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