”En liten kommun med en liten kommuns utmaningar” – en kvalitativ studie om employerbranding i offentlig sektor

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to enhance understanding of how a medium-sized municipality works with employer brand-activities with a focus on identifying the process's success-factors and challenges. To answer the purpose of the study, a qualitative methodology was applied where six semi-structured interviews and five observations were conducted. The study used a hermeneutic approach and an abductive reasoning. Previous scientific research indicates a variety of specific theoretical themes when conducting a strategy regarding the employer brand that affect how the organization is perceived by existing and potential employees, for example strategy, employer value proposition and communication. The result of the study shows that the concept of the employer brand is perceived correspondingly by the respondents. Part of the strategic work is to create an awareness of the importance of the employer brand, which is consistent with the employees within the organization. The results also show that Avesta kommun works strategically to ensure that the employer brand permeates the entire organization and is a continuous process. A success-factor is that Avesta kommun offers security in employment to existing and potential employees as a value factor in its employer value proposition. Previous scientific research on what existing and potential employees appraise in an employer shows that salary is a value factor that is important. However, this is not something that respondents in this study consider to be a significant value factor in Avesta kommuns employer value proposition. The results also show that Avesta kommun considers it important that its employer value proposition is credible and reliable when it is communicated to existing and potential employees. Communication is described as challenging as there are many functions within the organization that prefer different types of communication channels. Some functions do not have access to the organization's intranet during the working hours and some believe that there is not enough time. Therefore, digital surveys and workshops are used with the aim of creating awareness and participation about the employer brand for employees within the organization.