Employer branding extends beyond profiles, reviews, social campaigns, and EVPs. It’s the day-to-day support and cultural tone that set employers apart, especially during significant world and life events. In challenging times, employers often have two choices: They can show up for their employees as part of a united team — or they can stay heads-down and carry on as usual. (Spoiler alert: one of these choices is likely to backfire.)
We sat down with Taylor Meadows, Glassdoor’s Head Strategist of Employer Brand, to get his take on how employers can show up for their employees during good times and bad, cementing their commitment to a great employee experience even when it goes unpromoted. A witness to this year’s devastating wildfires as a resident of Los Angeles, Taylor shared his renewed perspective on creating an employer branding strategy that leads with heart.
Q: How can employers show up for employees going through a hard time?
A: Work and life are intersecting now more than ever before. That’s why it’s important to remember that we’re all people before we’re employees. When we’re shaken by world events or economic uncertainty, our fears bleed into the workplace. While our employers can’t control those things, they can certainly influence how we weather them — especially since we spend almost 90,000 hours of our waking lives at work.
Sometimes we need to remove our ‘work hats’ and just be available to talk openly and honestly about a situation.
In times like these, there are three big things employees need from their employers:
- Understanding and flexibility: When someone needs time away, sudden or planned, give them the space to do so without fear of repercussions. The more flexibility someone is offered, the more they will want to show up, produce great work, and maintain loyalty to their employer. Leaders: you’ll need this grace at some point too. It all comes around.
- Compassionate responses: Sometimes we need to remove our “work hats” and just be available to talk openly and honestly about a situation. When humanity is part of the workplace culture and responses feel genuine, that’s when we’re most apt to recommend our employers to others. This can be as simple as an email or ping to say, “I’m here, I’m available to support, and we have your back.”
- Holistic support: We all need assistance at times; best-in-class employers invest in programs or resources that promote employee wellbeing, relief, or growth. Offering thoughtful perks like rest and recharge days, resource group support hours, or crisis-relief funding doesn’t just show care, it showcases an ongoing commitment to employee engagement and health.
Q: What should employers consider when they have to share difficult news?
A: It may sound cliché, but transparency and empathy always win. Difficult news is never easy to receive, but tone and inflection matter, especially when it comes to leadership communication. I can recall a time when a previous employer had to enforce a layoff. Not only did they fully communicate why the decision was made, but they also took ownership of it. Then, they went above and beyond to care for those impacted and shared details with everyone — including those of us who remained. This allowed us to see, with full transparency, what happened and how the company was supporting our departing colleagues and friends.
Remember: employer brands are shaped after employment too.
Q: What struck you most about the way employers responded to the crisis in Los Angeles?
A: January in LA was a very rough and frightening time for many people. Many of us had to evacuate, and the bigger picture of what mattered was catapulted into focus. But I’ll say this — the way that so many employers stepped up was incredible. Not only did I see employers offer relocation resources, donation matching, or unquestioned time away, but they checked in on their people and reminded them that their safety came first. My senior leaders went as far as to say, “Work is secondary. You matter most, and the company is here to support you with whatever you need.” I felt gratitude and a sense of security, which are priceless.
Taylor Meadows brings a decade of tech experience to the table having served in recruitment consulting roles at Apple, LinkedIn, Indeed and now Glassdoor. With a fervent passion for helping people find meaningful work, he spends his time shaping and delivering strategies that modernize the employer branding landscape - you can find him speaking at major events like SHRM, World Employer Branding Day and Indeed FutureWorks.