In an increasingly competitive talent environment, we collaborated with Energia Group to develop a compelling employer brand built from authentic and real employee experiences. As brand partners of Energia since 2018, we explore the value of an employer brand in retaining and attracting talent. 

The past two years have brought unprecedented change to businesses across every sector and every region. Almost overnight, the Covid-19 pandemic recalibrated the ways we live our lives and operate our businesses, accelerating many of the trends we were seeing before the pandemic, including those related to the future of work.

A New World for Talent 
The pandemic brought many changes to our work lives, accelerating the move for greater work flexibility, and for many, re-prioritising work priorities, to focus not just on how we work, but who we work for and the meaning behind the work that we do. With the tide of the Great Resignation ever-rising, it’s clear that it’s up to companies to proactively respond, with a move towards the Great Attraction and Retention. 

The Importance of an Employer Brand in a Competitive Talent Environment 
Retaining and acquiring the best talent in a competitive market is no easy feat; however, it is crucial in generating sustainable long-term business performance, with evidence suggesting that superior talent can be up to eight more times productive (McKinsey, 2017).

Creating a strong employer brand is a critical step for both retaining and attracting the best talent, and what’s more, in the competitive talent landscape where so much is unknown, it is in organisations’ full control. Employer Brand comprises of more than just one element, perk or initiative. It encompasses three main components each of which require a dedicated approach: first, the reputation of a company in the eyes of the market and to employees; second, the employer value proposition (EVP) which articulates the employer-employee relationship; and finally, the employee experience, which comprises of the lived experience of those working in the company.^[1] Creating a successful employer brand entails developing and implementing a strategy comprising all three components while ensuring an aligned approach overall. 

Investing in your employer brand makes organisations more appealing to potential and existing employees, as well as the general market. Organisations with strong employer brands are three times more likely to say their brand engages and retains current employees, nearly three times more likely to say their brand reflects their organisation’s vision and mission, and considerably more likely to use employee KPIs and Net Promoter Scores to measure and evaluate their employer brand ^[2]. With employee turnover as high as 50% during the first 18 months of employment^[3], and costing up to 1/3 of that employee’s salary^[4] to replace, maximising the employees experience and investing in your employer brand makes business sense.

Our Brand Partnership with Energia
As brand partners to Energia since 2018, we collaborate on brand strategy, brand identity and communications projects. In 2021, Energia Group appointed us to embark on the EVP journey with them; to develop a compelling employer brand strategy, verbal and visual identities, and key communications celebrating their people and mission ‘To provide customers with innovative, technology led solutions that help make their lives easier while contributing strongly to decarbonisation and the protection of the environment.”

Working with the Employer Brand dream team- Marketing and HR, we developed the platform “Energy Moves Us” – a powerful call to arms founded on the idea that positive energy moves businesses, society and the planet forward.

There is also the duality of the word ‘moves’, it speaks to passion and what moves people. This became the catalyst to celebrate the stories of passionate employees across EV, solar, wind, hydrogen, bioenergy and smart that are so moved by the possibility of positive energy that they chose to make it their career. 

A hero manifesto film was developed to showcase the passionate, ambitious people working across Energia Group, the challenges they are solving everyday and the necessary steps they are taking towards a more sustainable future. 

A series of short videos were developed which demonstrate the impacts of individuals across the business from Data Scientists to Off Shore Engineers, Customer Services to Business Analysts. A wide selection of social first vignettes were then produced and used to promote Energia Group’s range of exceptional job opportunities. 

By empowering employees to use their voices and tell their stories, Energia Group is continuing to shape their employer brand in real-time and in a way that truly resonates with top talent.

The job market experienced a resurgence in 2021 with the introduction and offerings of new hybrid working models. This posed a challenge and opportunity to the Energia Group all at the same time. We realised we needed to bring our employer brand to life and showcase how great it is to be a part of Energia Group. RichardsDee exceeded our brief and the concept presented has given the Energia Group an exciting brand platform to really stand out in the competitive job market, across Social, Video and in Out of Home. We look forward to seeing the campaign grow in 2022.

Maria McCabe, Digital Product Manager, Energia Group

Energy Moves Us is a celebration of the stories of passionate employees across the Group from EV, solar, wind, hydrogen, bioenergy and smart – people that are so moved by the possibility of positive energy that they chose to make it their career. By building a holistic Employer Brand Strategy and content with a strong call to action, not only can existing and future talent understand the unique opportunities Energia Group provides, but from a business perspective, clear metrics are defined so the programme success can be tracked at all stages.

Celine Dee, Strategy Director

1. Adams, 2022. https://hbr.org/2022/02/make-your-employer-brand-stand-out-in-the-talent-marketplace.
2. HR Research Institute, (2021). The State of Employer Branding and Recruitment Advertising. Research Report. Available online: https://www.hr.com/en/resources/free_research_white_papers/the-state-of-employer-branding-and-recruitment-adv_kpz3xzhf.html
3. Gallup, 2021. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/235121/why-onboarding-experience-key-retention.aspx
4. ^[2] Terra, 2020. https://www.terrastaffinggroup.com/resources/blog/cost-of-employee-turnover/