Is your employer brand holding your business back?
Employer brand used to be seen as “nice to have” – a logo, a few careers-page slogans and the odd social post. Today, it’s a genuine performance lever. When your employer brand is weak, you see it in:
Poor-quality candidates applying for key roles
Vacancies that stay open for too long
Rising recruitment costs and agency spend
High employee turnover
Negative reviews on platforms like Glassdoor
Left unchecked, that combination hits revenue, customer experience and team morale.
A strong employer brand does the opposite – it makes people want to join, stay and advocate for you.
What do we mean by “employer brand”?
Your employer brand is how it feels to work for you – and how that’s perceived by:
Candidates
Current employees
Alumni
The wider market
It’s shaped by your culture, leadership, values, development opportunities, flexibility, reward and – crucially – how consistently you live those things.
Research shows its impact is anything but soft: organisations that actively invest in employer branding can halve their cost-per-hire, attract significantly more qualified candidates and cut staff turnover by around a quarter.
The real cost of a weak employer brand
A weak employer brand isn’t just an image problem; it’s a cost problem.
Here’s what typically happens when your reputation as an employer slips:
Fewer, weaker applicants - Candidates research you before they apply. Around 7 in 10 say they’d reject an offer from a company with a poor reputation, even if they were unemployed.
That means smaller, weaker shortlists and more time wasted sifting.Higher recruitment spend - When your brand doesn’t attract talent organically, you rely more heavily on agencies and paid media. Studies consistently show that poor employer brands push up cost-per-hire by 10% or more.
Higher turnover and vacancy gaps - Employees are quicker to leave when the reality of working for you doesn’t match expectations. Strong employer brands, by contrast, can reduce turnover by roughly 28% – a significant saving when replacing a single employee can cost a large share of their annual salary.
Reputational damage - Negative experiences, from poor interviews to chaotic onboarding, often end up on review sites and social media. That affects not only your ability to hire, but also how customers and partners see you.
Over time, these hidden costs add up – making talent harder and more expensive to secure.
The business case for a strong employer brand
Get employer branding right, and you create a self-reinforcing cycle of better hiring and stronger retention.
A strong employer brand typically leads to:
More and better applicants - Companies that actively build their employer brand see far more qualified candidates, and candidates are much more likely to apply where the brand is visible, authentic and well managed.
Lower cost and faster time-to-hire - When people already know, like and trust your brand, they’re more likely to respond, engage and accept offers quickly. That reduces dependency on agencies and shortens time-to-hire, which in turn lowers vacancy costs.
Better retention and engagement — An honest, compelling employer value proposition (EVP) attracts people who fit your culture and want what you offer – which translates to higher engagement, better performance and lower churn.
A stronger overall reputation - How you treat candidates and employees feeds directly into how customers and the wider public see you. Good employer brands often see a halo effect on consumer trust and loyalty.
In short: investing in your employer brand isn’t just an HR initiative; it’s a strategic business decision.
How to strengthen your employer brand
Building a strong employer brand doesn’t mean glossy videos alone. It means aligning what you say with what people actually experience.
Here are four practical steps:
1. Diagnose where you are now
Use data you already have:
Glassdoor and Google reviews
Candidate and new starter feedback
Engagement and exit survey results
Turnover and time-to-hire data
This gives you a clear picture of what’s helping – and what’s quietly harming – your brand.
2. Define your EVP (Employee Value Proposition)
Clarify what you genuinely offer people in return for their skills and effort:
Career growth and learning
Purpose and impact
Culture and leadership style
Flexibility and wellbeing
Pay and benefits
Your EVP should be specific, honest and tested with real employees – not just a marketing slogan.
3. Tidy up the candidate journey
Your recruitment process is where most people experience your employer brand first-hand. Focus on:
Clear, realistic job adverts
Timely, respectful communication
Structured, fair interviews
Transparent feedback and next steps
Candidates see this as a preview of life inside your business, so every touchpoint either supports or undermines your brand.
4. Activate your people as advocates
People trust employees more than corporate messages. Give your teams stories, content and support so they can share why they choose to work for you – on social media, at events and in everyday conversations.
Why work with Vermelo on employer branding?
Vermelo sit at the intersection of talent strategy and day-to-day recruitment delivery, they’re well-placed to:
Connect employer brand strategy directly to hiring outcomes
Translate insight from candidate markets into practical brand improvements
Build campaigns and journeys that feel joined-up from first contact to day one
So you don’t just look good on paper – you deliver an experience that matches.
Download the Why You Need a Strong Employer Brand Fact Sheet
Download the “Why you need a strong Employer Brand” Fact Sheet to give stakeholders a concise, shareable overview of:
The hidden costs of a weak employer brand
How reputation affects candidate quality, time-to-hire and turnover
The measurable benefits of investing in employer branding
How Vermelo can help you strengthen your brand and hiring outcomes
Ready to scale smarter?
If your fintech or insurtech business is gearing up for its next stage of growth, we can help you hire the right people, faster and more flexibly.
Book a 15‑minute discovery call or contact Santa Benga - santa.benga@VermeloRPO.com | 07304 094171