Results from the project
I just work here! Employees as co-creators of the employer brand
Employee perceptions of employers’ creativity and innovation: Implications for employer attractiveness and branding in tourism and hospitality
Co-created employer brands: the interplay of strategy and identity
BFUF rapport #16 Attraktiva arbetsgivare – Employer branding i besöksnäringen
Luleå business region näringslivsfrukost
Handelsrådets dag 2020
En perfekt plats
Attraktiva arbetsgivare – Employer branding i handels- och besöksnäring, slutrapport
BFUF Play
Attraktiva arbetsgivare
Med ett starkt varumärke är det lättare att hitta och behålla rätt kompetens. Hur kan arbetsgivare i besöksnäringen bli mer…
Maria Ek Styvén, associate professor, Luleå University of Technology
Staff will be attracted using employer branding
The retail and tourism industries are growing rapidly and have substantial labour requirements. If companies are to be able to compete for labour now and in the future, they need to be perceived as attractive employers. They can achieve this using employer branding.
“We will be investigating how employers within the retail and tourism industries can attract, retain and create positive feelings among their employees by working with employer branding”, says Maria Ek Styvén.
Employer branding is concerned with how a company is perceived by potential, current and former employees. By focussing on this, a company can build its identity as an employer towards its employees. The aim is to create a profile for the company in relation to its competitors. A distinctive company becomes more attractive.
The research group will be studying perceptions, experiences and attitudes to employers from the perspectives of both potential and current employees. The aim is to explain how this impacts on their loyalty. They will also see how the meeting with the customer itself is affected by employees’ attitudes and feelings towards their employer.
“Employees have a decisive role in terms of how a company’s brand is perceived because they are representing the company each time they interact with a customer. This is particularly important in service sector companies”, argues Maria.
Support for future recruitment
There are few studies within the field of employer branding that are focused on specific industries. This is an important gap in our knowledge that needs to be filled.
“This projects will be providing important knowledge about how we can increase the attractiveness of the retail and tourism industries in the labour market, something which is currently lacking”, says Maria.
The researchers will use a combination of different methods such as interviews, observations and surveys. The goal is to collect responses from just over 1 000 people. The results of this research will provide support to these industries work to become more attractive employers.
Aim
The aim of the project is to investigate how employers within the retail and tourism industries can attract, retain and create positive feelings among their employees by working with employer branding.
Collaborators
Maria Ek Styvén, associate professor, Luleå University of Technology
Åsa Wallström, professor, Luleå University of Technology
Anna Näppä, PhD student, Luleå University of Technology
Jenny Hellman, CEO, Visit Luleå
Partners
Adecco, Visit Luleå AB, Icehotel, Kust Hotell & Spa, Nöjesgruppen, Äventyrsbutiken Hägglunds and Ica Supermarket
Project facts
Project
Attractive employers: Employer branding in the retail and tourism industries
Research organization
Luleå University of Technology
Project Manager
Maria Ek Styvén
Members
Åsa Wallström, Anna Näppä, Jenny Hellman
Period
2017 – 2019
Amount
SEK 1,780,000