Uncovering the Hidden Employer Brand – an interpretative case study of a consultancy firm
Abstract: University: Lund University School of Economics and Management Course: BUSN49 - Degree Project Master Level in Managing People, Knowledge & Change, Spring Semester 2016 Authors: Melissa Bolks & Clara Ferrer López Supervisor: Charlotta Levay Thesis purpose: The purpose is to understand how the employer brand is perceived using a multi-dimensional approach and how these perceptions affect employee loyalty. Methodology: The thesis uses an interpretative, abductive and qualitative research method. The empirical data is based on a case study of Expertise and involves nine semi-structured interviews and a document analysis of social media, Global Annual Report 2015 and website. Findings: The perceptions of the employees and ex-employees about the employer brand of Expertise matches with the explicit employer brand. This explicit employer brand is constructed around five central metaphors: Expertise as a family, Expertise as a teacher, Expertise as a trampoline, Expertise as a gate and Expertise as a provider of purpose. Despite that the employees and ex-employees buy into this explicit employer brand, we found a hidden employer brand characterized by the following tensions: freedom vs. control, collaboration vs. competition, company identification vs. alternative sources of identification and good work-life balance vs. workload. Furthermore, the employer brand at Expertise is not used to retain talent but to achieve a highly motivated workforce and lasting loyalty to the employer brand even when the employee has left the company physically.
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