Our insight reveals that in the current marketplace, employer brands that connect emotionally, through meaning and purpose, are attracting candidates who will become the most productive, engaged and loyal employees, which in turn, allows companies to achieve greater business results.

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Connecting Purpose-Driven Messaging
to Your Employer Brand
Gaining a competitive advantage through purpose

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2
As a provider of recruitment marketing services and expertise
for almost 40 years, we know that employer brands connect
in different ways to their audiences. In our experience, the
most effective employer brands not only capture the attention
of individuals on an intellectual or factual level, but on an
emotional level as well.
Our insight reveals that in the current marketplace, employer
brands that connect emotionally, through meaning and purpose,
are attracting candidates who will become the most productive,
engaged and loyal employees which, in turn, allows companies
to achieve greater business results.
This paper provides evidence for the growing importance of
infusing your employer brand with purpose-driven messaging.
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6
9
13
16
Inside.
The Context. Why purpose-driven brand messaging is
particularly important now.
Why It’s Powerful. How and why individuals are motivated
to seek career meaning.
The Talent Case. What defines purpose-driven workers and
why they are so valuable.
The Business Case. The measurable results and competitive
advantages that employers can achieve.
What You Can Do. Takeaways and action points to
implement your purpose-driven employer brand.

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What Is a Purpose-Driven Company?
Throughout this position paper, we reference the purpose-driven
company. But, what is a purpose-driven company?
We think it’s when a company’s purpose is a core driver of strategy
and decision-making. The purpose-driven company rallies its
people around a purpose or mission. The purpose-driven company
stands for something.
In the past, we might have thought of the purpose-driven company
as being tied to a humanitarian purpose like “being green” or
corporate sustainability. Today, we think the meaning of that
purpose, at least within the context of recruitment, employer brand
and internal communications messaging, has evolved.
Thus, we think more broadly about what constitutes purpose-driven
messaging. We think of companies like EY. The global professional
services firm has undergone a purpose-led transformation
culminating in a new organizational, and employer branding,
platform: “build a better working world.” EY applies its purpose
to engage their people to achieve higher levels of business
performance for their clients and themselves. The employer
branding implications and opportunities, as showcased by EY’s
transformation, are dramatic. In EY’s case, we clearly see that
connecting purpose to employer brand makes the employer brand
stronger.
Hopefully, this conversation on purpose will challenge, inspire and
prompt you to think about your organization’s purpose and its
connection to your people and your employer brand, wherever you
may be in your purpose-journey.

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The Context.
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The availability of qualified candidates in all labor sectors is
growing more competitive. Employers are seeking more focused
and effective methods to increase their talent success. One
current approach, connecting candidates and employees to career
meaning, is demonstrating its power to:
• Attract top-performing job candidates and build employee
engagement with greater efficiency;
• Endear high-value talent audiences more strongly to
organizations;
• Increase employee retention and decrease hiring costs; and
• Improve overall business profitability.
The strategy
is to enable job
candidates and
current employees
to connect to career
meaning through
your employer brand.

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Why It’s Powerful.

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It is universal: people are always searching for deeper meaning,
for a closer sense of “fit” in all aspects of their life. This is especially
true when it comes to careers.
Research shows that Millennials (today’s most active
hiring audience) are drawn to companies that match
their own values, whether this match is found in
the products a company produces, the customer
it touches, the culture it espouses, the societal
commitment to ‘give something back,’ or any
combination of these. Baby Boomers and Gen Yers are
also valuing meaningful career connectedness. As they
age they are changing their priorities and being drawn
more strongly to purpose-focused employers.
In short, it is more important than ever for employers to speak
to purpose-seeking individuals in their recruiting and
engagement practices.
A full 75% of respondents believe their work should have a
greater meaning than just bringing home the bacon.
Monster, 2016
High-performing employees want to work for a company that
has an identity of sound values, a well-articulated brand, and a
reputation for making a difference in customers’ lives.
Gallup
A recent Gallup
poll found that 83% of
workers said it is “very
important” for them to
believe their life and
work is meaningful
and has a purpose.
Gallup

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Quick Look
• All generations of the workforce are looking to connect in a
deeper, more meaningful way with their employers.
• Candidates’ need for purpose-driven connection to companies is
a trend that will grow and continue.
• Individuals will connect when there is alignment between their
own values and a company’s values.
• This puts pressure on a company to define and articulate its
culture, mission and values through its employer brand.
• Those organizations who do align purpose-driven messaging and
their employer brand will stand out in a crowded consumer-driven
communications marketplace.
“Work is about
a search for daily
meaning as well
as daily bread.”
Studs Terkel

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The Talent Case.

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What Makes Being Purpose-Driven So Valuable?
Purpose-driven workers naturally feel a deeper connection with the
organization they choose. They feel a stronger sense of belonging
and kinship. This sense of purpose can be seen in the workplace
in numerous ways. Recent research has found that purpose-driven
employees scored higher than non purpose-driven employees on
every measure studied.
• 50% are likely to be in leadership positions
• 47% are likely to be active advocates for their company
• They are more likely to stay at their company longer (39%
said 3+ years vs. 35% for non purpose-driven respondents)
• They are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs (73% vs.
64% for non purpose-driven professionals)
Workforce Purpose Index, 2015

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Finding Purpose-Driven Individuals.
The search for meaningful careers is not only found domestically, it
is a global phenomenon. Therefore, companies who value and seek
purpose-driven job candidates and employees have an international
landscape at their disposal.
• 40% of the surveyed U.S. workforce was identified as purpose-
driven or seeking. (That was more than the global average
of 37%.)
• Europe also fosters a solid population of purpose-oriented
candidates (Sweden: 53% identified as purpose-driven. Germany
and the Netherlands, 50%. Belgium, 49%. Poland, 48%.)
Source: Workforce Purpose Index, 2015
Purpose-driven employees bring many positive influences to the
workplace. In addition to being highly productive, they serve as
internal and external change-makers that enhance workplace culture
and customer perceptions.
22% of all
employees would
consider leaving their
employer because
they no longer believe
in the company’s
mission and values.
Source: iCIMS, 2016

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Quick Look
• Purpose-driven individuals make up a large part of the workplace
population and are found both domestically and internationally.
• Purpose-driven employees are usually leaders, are active
company advocates, stay longer at their company, and are more
satisfied with their careers.
In addition to employment advantages, purpose-driven individuals
contribute more to the bottom-line success of their employers, making
a strong business case for their hiring and development.
A company’s culture
values ranked 1st
for attracting purpose-
driven candidates.
Mission and vision
ranked next, followed
by a company’s products
and services.
Source: Workforce Purpose Index, 2015

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The Business Case.

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The most successful companies place a premium on
their talent: hiring the right people, developing them, giving them
a voice, expanding their roles, rewarding them and retaining them.
This talent focus pays dividends, especially when it is applied to the
purpose-driven individual.
The Purpose-Driven Employee; Greater Loyalty,
Lower Labor Costs.
As stated earlier, the purpose-driven employee typically stays
longer at a company because they are more fully engaged in
their work, they believe strongly in the company’s mission and
values, and because they feel a sense of “home.” This increased
loyalty leads to lower voluntary turnover, which can manifest itself
in various ways across an employer’s organization. These include
lower labor costs for new hiring, training and ongoing retention.
In 2013, a little over
2 million Americans
a month voluntarily
quit their jobs. That
number topped 3
million in the last
month of 2015.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016

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Voluntary turnover is a real and persistent issue for many
companies. It can erode an organization’s culture, its daily
operations and fiscal outlook. Replacement costs can rise.
Institutional memory is lost. Knowledge is not passed down and
productivity suffers.
Companies that successfully communicate and attract purpose-
driven employees tend to have less voluntary turnover, which
contributes to better bottom-line results.
Studies estimate that
the average cost of
turnover is 90% to 200%
of the exiting employee’s
base salary, and 12% of
an average company’s
operating budget.
Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers
Saratoga Institute, 2006

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The Purpose-Driven Worker and an Organization’s
Overall Profit Picture.
Our analysis of industry research shows that when a company’s mission
or purpose makes employees feel their job is meaningful, they are
more likely to be engaged, and ultimately perform at higher levels.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that businesses ranked near the top for
employee engagement achieved 5% to 15% higher profitability than
the norm.
A study by Ernst Young Bacon Institute and Harvard University
showed that companies whose culture and operations were led by
purpose are more likely to be profitable:
• 58% of companies with a clearly defined and understood purpose
experienced growth of 10% or more. Only 42% of companies not
prioritizing purpose experienced a similar growth rate.
• This study also found that 42% of non-purpose led companies
showed a drop in revenue while 85% of purpose-led companies
showed positive growth.
Given the constructive impact that purpose-driven workers bring to
companies, our recommendation is clear: Employers should make
a concerted effort to connect purpose-driven individuals to their
employer brand.

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Quick Look
Purpose-driven workers positively impact a company’s bottom line:
• The company experiences less turnover as purpose-driven
employees want to stay and contribute. Less turnover reduces
recruitment expenditures in not having to hire and retrain talent.
• The company will reap the benefit of lower expenditures on new
hiring because of the attraction that purpose-driven employer
brands create as well as increased employee referrals.
• The company will increase employee engagement which in turn
increases productivity and results in stronger profit performance.
Now that we’ve shown how valuable the purpose-driven personality
is, the next step is to implement strategies and steps to find and
nurture these candidates.

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What You Can Do.

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Communicate Your Values and Mission Through
All Employment Touchpoints.
After they have defined and articulated their company’s values,
mission and workplace culture, high performing companies use
those messages of purpose and career meaning throughout the
employment lifecycle. We advise you not to “silo” your messaging
only to the candidate attraction phase, but to apply it through all
stages of the employment-engagement lifecycle.
• Think like a brand manager. Use advertising principles and
practices – including employer branded copywriting and
creative imagery – to project an engaging narrative.
• Also apply your purpose-based communications after
recruitment to your:
- on-boarding communications
- retention programs
- mentoring and team-building programs
- leadership communications
- learning and development initiatives
- ongoing newsletters and other HR communications
Defining your
validated value
messaging and
infusing it into your
employer brand
creates better
brand alignment
— which leads to
better candidate fit
and more engaged
employees.

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Use Validated Messaging When Building Your
Purpose-Focused Employer Brand.
One of our most important recommendations involves the use of
validated messages in your purpose-driven employer branding.
What you espouse in your brand must be more than lip service. It
must be real and provable. Validated messaging builds stronger
institutional trust; demonstrating that you can and will deliver on
your employment promises. Some samples of validated messaging
include:
• Authentic stories from your employees, leadership and customers
and as told by them.
• Employee or company experiences with new product
developments and launches, successful “team wins,”personal
achievements as well as giving back moments like community
development and charity involvement.
• Factual findings from questionnaires, employee interviews,
customer surveys and the like.
Remember, when communicating purpose-driven messaging,
authenticity counts.
Authenticity
is the new
paradigm.

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Hone Your Purpose-Based Communication Style.
It’s particularly important, when transitioning to purpose-based
messaging, to work on and hone the right communication style.
Among the ways to do this, we recommend:
• Becoming an active listener and being open to the principles
of “all-way” communication.
• Using “Having employees for life” messaging that can be
found in the promise and attributes of your employer brand.
• Featuring “A day in the life” storytelling from employees.
• Positioning your company and its opportunities as a new
adventure … as a new path that can impact both personal life
and career.

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Emulate Cultures That Are Like The Best Companies
to Work For®
.
Define your company’s purpose and connect people to it. Leaders
and managers should clearly define the overarching purpose of
their company in the world, and just as importantly, connect it to
every employee.
Trust and empower employees to do their jobs.
More and more CEOs of highly evolved workplaces are
incorporating openness, transparency and employee empowerment
into their employment cultures.
Make your workplace a community.
The 2016 rankings of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®
showed that nearly 9 in 10 employees report “there is a family or
team feeling here.”
Foster a workplace that focuses on talent well-being.
The Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®
has been surveying
and ranking workplaces of all sizes around the globe for 30 years.
Findings reveal that all great workplaces have elements in common.
They are a place where employees:
• Trust the people they work for
• Have pride in the work they do
• Enjoy the people they work with
Recognize employee contributions.
Whether it’s a birthday, a personal note of thanks, a shout-out at
a staff meeting or an anniversary celebration, the recognition and
appreciation of employees is important to the understanding that
they make a difference to the company.

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Wrapping It Up.
There are compelling talent, work culture and financial reasons for
building a connection between purpose-driven messages and your
employer brand. People – your current and future employees – are
eager to connect to deeper meaning in their work. The good news
is that when employees do connect with a purpose, it pays off.
Learn More.
The David Group is HR’s ad agency. We are experts in recruitment,
retention and workforce communications focused on helping
employers find, attract, engage and retain talent. Our promise:
an unrelenting focus on improving talent acquisition, talent
communications and candidate quality.
Contact
N. Robert Johnson
Practice Leader | Workforce Communications
800.686.1818, extension 4486 | 216.685.4486 (direct)
nrjohnson@davidgroup.com
In business, as
in life, all that
matters is that
you do something
positive.
- Sir Richard Branson

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Sources
2016 Global Report, LinkedIn and Imperative, 2016
2015 Workforce Purpose Index, Imperative, 2015
American Time Use Study, United States Bureau of Labor, 2015
Driving the Bottom Line, Pricewaterhousecoopers Saratoga Institute, 2006
Majority of U.S. Employees Not Engaged Despite Gains, Gallup, 2014
EY
EY Bacon Institute and Harvard University
Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®
Gallup
iCIMS
Sir Richard Branson
Studs Terkel
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics