If an employer brand is not aligned with the reality of an organisation’s internal culture, it can come as a rude shock to new recruits. Nina Goswami explores. This article is from Communicate magazine's third quarter issue.

Gymnast Simone Biles was the queen of the Paris Olympics. You can imagine having the endorsement of one of the world’s greatest athletes would mean a lot to any brand.  Three years ago, Biles, now 27, moved her allegiance to Gap’s Athleta brand, reportedly posting on Instagram: "[…] it was super important for me to align myself with a partner who supports me […] and the change I want to create."

The implicit message was that the previous global sportswear company had failed to understand and grasp Biles’ needs and her broader social purpose. Biles’ extraordinary skills are unique but the misalignment between 'employer' and 'employee' are certainly not. When expectations fail to be met, there is an increasing possibility that employees will turn to another organisation that aligns better with their values.

An employer’s brand campaign is often the first contact that future employees have with a business. More candidates expect that brand to align with the reality of a business, particularly Gen Z and Alpha. According to Mitel, Gen Z will outnumber Boomers in the workforce by the end of 2024. A year later, there will be two billion Alphas. These two generations have a value-driven work style and are highly aware of the environment and social justice. They are more likely to take control of their careers and switch companies accordingly.

So, while stating an organisation’s values through employee branding is important, what is crucial is that the message matches the experience once the employee is in the organisation? Research from the Harvard Business Review suggests new hires’ psychological safety erodes quickly on joining an organisation and can take years to return to the same level – if the employee even stays.

In their studies, MIT professors John Van Maanen and Ed Schein described these experiences as "reality shocks", essentially when newcomers confront the reality of their new workplace and contrasts it with their expectations. How an organisation is branded can lessen that "shock" factor, resulting in better employee loyalty and higher retention of talent. This lesson emerged from research based on ten stock-exchange listed Moroccan companies where the authors concluded: "[…] organisational loyalty is influenced by the employer brand. The latter is a powerful loyalty tool that allows the company to retain talent."

Clifford Chance understood the importance of the "image" created by employers in the mind of potential employees even before I joined the global law firm in 2022. It launched the ‘Real Contract’ as part of its ‘Early Talent’ recruitment campaign, asking lawyers to write advice to their younger selves and thereby creating a shared understanding of the challenges in the high-performance world of corporate law.

Employees who have that clear understanding of what is expected before they join start on the best possible footing. The culture "shock" factor is reduced, providing time to tackle other factors ranging from day-to-day team dynamics to the actual work itself.

The fundamental point is to ensure that recruitment campaigns provide candidates with an authentic view of an organisation, its values and its culture. When creating that campaign have you consulted within the business to ensure its messages match reality? Can you evidence the business’ culture with honest testimony from current employees? Can your organisation deliver on the promises made in the campaign?

Answer "yes" to these questions and it will reduce the reality shocks and ultimately allow you to keep far more of those who you have worked so hard to recruit.

Nina Goswami is head of inclusion UK at Clifford Chance