Internal communication satisfaction and employee engagement as determinants of the employer brand

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to contribute to the understanding of internal communication and its connections to engagement and employer brands. The authors wanted to test the relationship between the three variables and explore if employees' perception of employer brands is affected by internal communication satisfaction and engagement. Creating a desirable employer brand can have significant benefits for organizations, such as higher employee satisfaction, employee engagement and retention. It is crucial to have a clear grasp of how the determinants of these relationships affect each other.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 1,805 employees participated in a large communication survey that measured internal communication satisfaction, employee engagement and perception of employer brand (operationalized as employer attractiveness). To test the relationship between variables, the authors used multiple regression analysis.

Findings

The results show internal communication satisfaction and employee engagement as significant predictors of employer brand. All of the internal communication satisfaction dimensions and two out of three employee engagement dimensions have been identified as determinants of at least two employer attractiveness dimensions.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations include using a cross-sectional dataset, which reduces the possibility of determining causality, using self-reports and a common source bias.

Originality/value

The authors added to the body of knowledge by analyzing the effects of workplace attitudes on attitudes toward the organization. The authors found that both internal communication satisfaction and employee engagement significantly shape the perception of employer brands.

Citation

Špoljarić, A. and Tkalac Verčič, A. (2022), "Internal communication satisfaction and employee engagement as determinants of the employer brand", Journal of Communication Management, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 130-148. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-01-2021-0011