{"id":8431,"date":"2025-02-19T16:11:45","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T14:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/actongroup.com\/hrd-vs-dircom-who-should-really-drive-employer-brand\/"},"modified":"2025-09-09T12:15:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T10:15:07","slug":"hrd-vs-cco-who-should-really-drive-employer-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/actongroup.com\/en\/hrd-vs-cco-who-should-really-drive-employer-brand\/","title":{"rendered":"HRD vs. CCO: who should really drive Employer Brand?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
In a fast-changing job market, Employer Branding has become an essential strategic lever for attracting and retaining talent. However, one question remains: who should drive employer brand?

Should it be managed by the Human Resources Department (HRD), which is supposed to have a better grasp of how to respond to employee expectations, or by the Communications Department (CCO), which is an expert in image and dissemination?

This debate, sometimes a source of tension internally, actually undermines the effectiveness of attractiveness strategies. A collaborative approach obviously seems to be the solution, but how can it be put into practice?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

THE HRD: PROTECTING AUTHENTICITY AND CHAMPIONING THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HR department plays a key role in building a credible and sustainable Employer Brand. As the guarantor of the company's internal realities and employee expectations, it is at the forefront of identifying the values and culture to be promoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is through day-to-day contact with employees that the HR department detects distinctive cultural elements. Whether it's managerial practices, professional development opportunities or the working atmosphere. This detailed understanding of needs and expectations helps to avoid communication that is disconnected from internal realities. The stakes are all the higher given that, as noted in a LinkedIn study (2023), 75% of candidates seek information on corporate culture before applying for a job<\/strong>[1]<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What's more, the HR department is best placed to define an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) in line with HR strategy. This proposition must reflect not only what the company offers its employees today, but also its vision for the medium and long term. Here again, the stakes are high, since according to an analysis by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG<\/a>), companies with a clearly defined and differentiating EVP see their talent attraction rate increase by 40%<\/strong>[2]<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the HR department must ensure consistency between the promises made externally and the experience lived internally by employees. This requires constant evaluation and adjustment of HR practices. If only to ensure that promises correspond to reality on the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To carry out these missions successfully, the HR Director must master the challenges of Employer Branding, know how to translate sometimes complex HR concepts into hard-hitting messages, and adopt a posture open to dialogue and co-construction with the Communications team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

CCO: A GREAT LENDER IN STORYTELLING, DISSEMINATION AND BRAND AWARENESS...<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For its part, the Communications Department contributes its expertise in narrative construction and message dissemination. It plays a decisive role in developing a coherent employer communications strategy, ensuring alignment between the employer's image and the company's overall image. The Communications team ensures consistency of message, tone and visual identity across all touchpoints, whether customer or talent oriented. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Communications team also masters the design of engaging content, adapted to different channels. All while taking into account the specificities of each platform (LinkedIn, Instagram, career site, etc.). It knows how to maximize the impact of HR messages with different talent targets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Communications orchestrates the dissemination and amplification of the Employer Brand in the external media, while monitoring the company's e-reputation as an employer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

HR COLLABORATION AND GENUINE COMMITMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fulfill these missions, the Communications team must not only understand HR issues, but also know how to adapt its tone to speak authentically and engagingly to candidates. Close collaboration with the HR department is essential, in particular by submitting content to the latter for approval, even if this may sometimes run counter to certain creative biases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fruitful collaboration is all the more important given that, according to Glassdoor, 79% of candidates consult online reviews before applying for a job<\/strong>[3]<\/a>, while companies that regularly publishemployee testimonials and video content on their values<\/strong> see their candidate engagement increase by 60%[4]<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>, with a premium on \"real talk\" and authenticity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

HRD vs. CCO: THE ESSENTIAL ALLIANCE FOR AN EFFICIENT AND PERFORMING EMPLOYER BRAND!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For an effective synergy between HR and Communications to take root, it is often necessary to change practices and mentalities. The first step is to create a shared vision<\/strong>, by organizing co-construction workshops to jointly define the objectives of the Employer Brand. This shared vision can be formalized in a framework document, and performance indicators combining HR metrics (recruitment quality, retention rate) and Communication metrics (brand awareness, engagement on networks) need to be put in place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, clear governance is essential<\/strong>. The creation of a joint steering committee, bringing together members of both teams on a regular basis, makes it possible to define the roles and responsibilities of each person at each stage of the process. Agile validation processes must be put in place to avoid inefficient back-and-forth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mutual acculturation is also a key lever for strengthening collaboration. Sharing sessions between teams enable HR to present key HR issues, while Communications can share best practices in content creation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encouraging experimentation<\/strong> through pilot projects enables new approaches to be tested. And this, without fear of failure, with shared learning to continually improve the strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

RECONCILING <\/strong>HRD & CCO: THE \"TO DO\" IN A NUTSHELL...<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than fighting over the governance of the Employer Brand, HRD and CCO need to join forces...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n