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#ILoveMyJob: Drivers of online employer brand advocacy at a nultinational IT-company
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School of Business |
Master's thesis
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en
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94
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Abstract
Objective of the study
The objective of the study was to evaluate what drives employer brand advocacy online at the case company, a Nordic-based multinational IT-company. Operating in an industry where the competition for attracting and retaining top talent is fierce, the case company seeks to make use of its employees to spread the word of the company as a preferable place of work. The study sought answers to the main research question: What drives employer brand advocacy online at a multinational IT company? and three subsequent sub questions: (1) What themes relating to the employer brand of the employer are employees at the case company willing to advocate for? (2) Which factors act as limiting aspects for employer brand advocacy online? and (3) Which motivators support employer brand advocacy at the case company?
Methodology and theoretical framework
The study was conducted as a single case study, combining data from semi-structured interviews and online material gathered from employees’ Twitter feeds. Five employees in the case company’s B2B unit were interviewed, with online material gathered from four employees. The theoretical framework includes three levels: (1) thematical topic of advocacy content, (2) limiting factors for advocacy online, and (3) motivational factors behind advocacy.
Findings and conclusions
The study resulted in three main findings: (1) employees are most inclined to advocate for interest aspects of the employer brands, and unwilling to advocate for economic aspects, (2) choice of channel is the main factor limiting advocacy, with Twitter and LinkedIn identified as the most suitable channels for employer brand advocacy content, with Facebook deemed unsuitable for the purpose, and (3) advocacy being motivated mainly by two factors: altruism and ability to show expertise. These findings suggest that employer brand advocacy in the context of the case company can be used to communicate about the employer brand, with focus on interest topics. Furthermore, advocacy can be facilitated by focusing on channels that support advocacy, and encouraging employees to advocate by appealing to their willingness to help the employer or their desire to build their personal brand as experts within the industry.