Innovate to be a distinguished employer brand – HR

With a long-term perspective, PRIO focuses on strengthening the foundations of an employer brand strategy and attracting the best talent, ensuring an inclusive environment and continuous development.

By resorting to long-term strategic investment in its employer branding strategy, PRIO is committed to “continuing innovation to ensure it remains an outstanding employer.” Joanna Coto, the company's human resources director, adds that the company intends to transform itself “into a workplace where the best talent wants to be a part of it and wants to continue its development.”

The employer branding strategy, implemented by PRIO, is supported by an “authentic and compelling employer identity” that captures the essence of our most talented professionals. “We are brave, we are lovers of simplicity and innovation, we are sustainable, we are PRIO,” highlights the person in charge.

Talent shortage
In terms of how an employer brand strategy can impact the talent shortage, PRIO finds it essential to identify and reinforce the most distinctive aspects of a brand. “We have an informal, open and inclusive culture, where everyone has opportunities for professional development, a collaborative work environment, and we work to add more competitive advantages for everyone,” explains the professional.

For the HR leader, all employees are brand ambassadors. “Satisfied employees are our biggest and best brand advocates. Therefore, we invest in content marketing strategies, an active social media presence and online reputation management to ensure that our employer brand is visible and attractive to professionals who are active in the job market.

In this sense, “strategic partnerships have been developed with educational institutions, professional associations and other organizations to attract qualified talent.” An example of this is the partnership with the University of Aveiro, where PRIO was able to create “a valuable connection with the academic community” and, in this way, “access emerging talent”.

Despite the talent shortage, the manager realizes that “candidate experience also plays a critical role in attracting and retaining talent.” Overall, PRIO's HR director believes that “an employer branding strategy is an essential tool to address the talent shortage,” because it allows the company to stand out as “an outstanding employer and attract more qualified professionals who are aligned with our culture and culture.” Valuable”.

By continually communicating a company's values, mission and vision, PRIO sees that “employees' identity and sense of belonging are strengthened, increasing levels of satisfaction and commitment.” In addition, the company's employer branding strategy also focuses on highlighting the growth and development opportunities available to employees. “We offer personal training and development programmes, mentoring programmes, internal mobility and role changes, demonstrating our commitment to investing in the professional and personal growth of our employees,” says the professional.

Keeping in mind that “transparent communication is the foundation of everything”, the company recently integrated the area of ​​culture and internal communication into the HR department, as a way to reinforce the importance of open communication channels, and gives regular meetings and sessions feedback. The goal of this approach, he stresses, is “to ensure that stakeholders feel heard, informed and valued.”

Communication and talent
When asked how workers are involved in creating an employer brand strategy, Joanna Cotto said it is “aligned with all the ideas shared and also aligned with the role that employees play as employer brand ambassadors.”

“Our greatest advantage at this level, today, is investing in internal training as we recognize the importance of training employees to be effective ambassadors for our employer brand. “We provide democratic access to training and resources to help employees understand and continually connect with the values, culture and benefits of working at PRIO.”

For the person in charge, employee participation in recruitment processes is an effective way to demonstrate organizational culture and company values ​​to candidates. “We encourage employees to participate in selection interviews where they can share their personal experiences and perspectives on life at the company,” he highlights.

In terms of communication, PRIO maintains open communication channels to receive feedback from employees on its employer branding strategy. “We maintain open communication channels to receive ongoing feedback from employees. “We conduct exit interviews to evaluate the effectiveness of our initiatives and identify areas for improvement,” says the HR director. He adds, “By involving employees in our strategy, we ensure authenticity, credibility, and alignment with our culture and way of being.”

Regarding the channels used to disseminate the employer branding strategy, the responsible person reveals that in terms of internal communications, PRIO uses the intranet, company emails and regular meetings with all teams. “These channels ensure that all team members are up to date on our values, organizational culture and employer branding initiatives,” he asserts. In addition, internal events and workshops dedicated to discussion and education on the strategy in question are also promoted.

From an external communications perspective, the company is, more regularly, enhancing the online presence of PRIO and its employees, whether through the company website, social networks or recruitment platforms. “We highlight our culture, values ​​and career opportunities for future talent. “We publish relevant content, such as videos and employee testimonials, making PRIO an exceptional place to work.” Externally, the company actively participates in recruitment events and career fairs at universities, with the aim of connecting with future talent, and personally presenting the employer branding strategy.

The future of diversity
On the topic of inclusion, Joanna Coto begins by saying that it is an attractive topic for any company and PRIO is no exception. “We care about ensuring that all job opportunities are available to candidates from diverse backgrounds, experiences and skills. We regularly review our recruitment processes to ensure we eliminate any bias, even if it is unconscious. Therefore, we have adopted comprehensive language when publishing our available job descriptions.

On the topic of inclusion, PRIO is planning some initiatives, such as, for example, workshops, webinars or information sessions – which will include the participation of all employees and all leaders. The person in charge ensures that these initiatives will focus on topics such as “unconscious bias, cultural diversity, and gender identity,” in order to ensure that all “employees are trained to create a welcoming and respectful work environment.”

For the future, PRIO intends to “continue innovating and improving its employer branding practices to ensure it remains an employer of choice.” To this end, he said he will continue to invest in technology and innovation. “We recognize the importance of being at the forefront of technology trends and innovations to attract the best talent. We will continue to expand our strategic partnerships with academic institutions, foundations, professional associations and other relevant organizations to attract qualified talent.”

Only in this way, the person in charge asserts, will it be possible to “strengthen the organizational culture, invest in a way that is inclusive, provide competitive benefits and incentives and foster a collaborative and positive work environment” – where all employees can feel valued. Motivation and contribution to the company's success. In short, «PRIO's future plans will always be linked to the desire to strengthen the employer brand, to attract the best talent on the market driven by innovation, collaboration and a commitment to excellence in people management», concludes the HR Director.

This article It is part of the Employer Branding special notebook published in the April edition (No. 160) of HR.