Employer branding in power industry

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine what kind of motives and practices company has for employer branding in power industry. The objective is to find out the benefits of employer branding and how it is targeted towards potential and current employees. In addition, the aim is to examine whether companies see employer branding as a process and what kind of processes they have for employer branding.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical perspective of this study is based on literature review, which provides a better understanding of employer branding. The empirical part is a qualitative case study of two large, international companies in the field of power industry. The data was gathered with interviews.

Findings

The main motives for employer branding are better employer image, more efficient recruitment and improved job satisfaction. Employer branding efforts are focused according to target group. Recruitment and educational co‐operation are the main objects of employer branding towards potential employees, whereas training and development are an essential part of employer branding towards current employees. This article also discovers that there is some kind of process aspect in the background of employer branding.

Practical implications

Companies invest in employer branding in order to get good applicants, retain employees and create the image of a great employer. Power industry is an internationally remarkable field of business. Energy and the solutions of power technology are always needed and there exist a major need for new experts in power industry. As limitations, this study includes only two power industry companies and the data is qualitative. Therefore, the results cannot be generalized in larger scale.

Originality/value

The competition of talented workforce will increase because of the decrease in working‐age population. Employer branding will become more prominent in the future when companies strive to gain competitive advantage.

Citation

Heilmann, P., Saarenketo, S. and Liikkanen, K. (2013), "Employer branding in power industry", International Journal of Energy Sector Management, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 283-302. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJESM-03-2012-0003