We all know not to discriminate and not to tolerate harassment. We know to have the appropriate rationale and documentation when making a termination decision. We know not to retaliate against an employee who has exercised his or her rights in terms of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, workers’ compensation, whistleblowing, etc. But what if you get sued anyway? What if, despite doing seemingly everything by the books, a lawsuit still gets filed? Despite the best of intentions, lawsuits still get filed against employers for things like wrongful termination, harassment, age discrimination, gender discrimination, race discrimination, breach of contract, or retaliation. Employers often think there’s no way that will happen to them, but it can happen anywhere and catch you off guard. It can happen even if the organization sincerely didn’t breach any laws—a claim could still be filed, and the organization will need to defend itself to prove it had the proper practices. What Can Employers Do to Mitigate the Risk? While there are a whole host of actions an organization needs to take after a lawsuit gets filed, did you know there’s also a form of insurance that can help the employer offset the costs of such a claim? The insurance is called employment practices liability insurance (EPL or EPLI). For organizations with this type of insurance, should a claim be filed, the insurance kicks in and covers the costs of defending the organization, as well as the damages, should any be awarded, up to whatever the policy maximum allows. Should a claim happen, the time and money to mount a defense can really add up. There are the obvious costs, like attorneys’ fees and court costs, and there are also all of the miscellaneous costs that quickly add up, like the costs involved in finding all of the documentation required for the defense and the time it takes to handle these tasks and conduct the investigation. Source: HR Daily Advisor

Employer branding may be all the HR rage these days, but there’s another important—and overlooked—type of branding that should be on your radar: Employee branding.

Where business branding refers to the perception others have of your company, employee branding is how your very own employees (current and potential) perceive your brand as a place of employment. And while, you can create a business brand pretty easily, or at least your brand identity – creating an employee brand is not so easy. 

Rather than focusing on your outward brand imagery, voice and personality, your employee brand solely has to do with the experience employees have in your place of work. 

Getting your employees on board with your brand values is a crucial part of cultivating your overall brand image, because your employees function as your brand ambassadors. Whether you want them to or not, they’ll talk about your company, conveying messages to others that portray your business in an either positive or negative light. 

If you want to have a say in what this conversation looks like, then it’s a good time to start investing in your employee brand. 

WHY INVESTING IN EMPLOYEES IS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR COMPANY

In addition to the above, here are a few key ways in which having a strong employee brand will benefit your business:  

1. YOU’LL STAND OUT FROM COMPETITORS.

Chances are, there’s a company out there that’s bigger than yours and does something similar. Because of their size and reach, they’re probably not focused on employee branding, as they’re already well-known and will get applicants regardless. 

Don’t let this get you down, though; this is a great opportunity for you to help your company stand out. Where you may not have years and years of industry experience to show, you can create an incredible work environment for the people who work for you—ultimately helping to build trust with the next round of applicants. 

2. YOU’LL IMPROVE YOUR RECRUITMENT CYCLE.

A good reputation as an employer makes all the difference in whether or not you’ll attract and retain top talent. You can bet good money that strong candidates will research your company online, and they’re more likely to continue the process with you if they read positive things about your company from current and past employees (like on Glassdoor, LinkedIn, etc.). These candidates usually have their pick of the litter, so it’s important to make it known that your company culture is one that favors its employees. 

Once you have a good company image among employees, your turnover rate will be on the decline. And guess what? A lower turnover rate only helps to feed a stronger employee brand! Companies with better yearly turnover rates are much more appealing to prospective candidates, because they understand that current employees are happy enough that they don’t want to leave. 

3. HIRING COSTS LESS.

Recruiting can get pricey—especially if you have multiple roles to fill. However, when your employee brand is strong, it’s going to take less time and effort to attract top-notch employees. 

That’s because they’re going to come to you. If your company has a reputation of being a great place to work, you’ll already have people consistently checking your career listings and applying as soon as they see an opening—meaning you won’t have to depend on as many job search sites and recruiters to do the work for you...

Source: Blog – Hppy