Downsizing and employer branding in Spain: is there a relationship between both human resource practices?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51302/rtss.2018.1490Keywords:
downsizing, employer branding, employee retention, candidates’ attraction, Merco Talent rankingAbstract
Over the last two decades, two practices related to Human Resource Management have grown in popularity both academically and professionally: downsizing and employer branding. This study is a preliminary attempt to explore, from a descriptive point of view, whether there is a relationship between both practices, which exhibit a priori diametrically opposed effects on a firm’s employees. Specifically, the aim of the present study is two-fold: On the one hand, to examine how a significant and intentional reduction in the workforce may influence employer branding; while the other way around, an attempt is made to discover whether employer branding practices help to mitigate the negative effects of post-downsizing in the workplace, as well as improve the quality of future recruitment processes. The research setting consists of a small sample of large companies listed in the Merco Talent ranking in Spain over the period 2007-2017. We also rely on information that appears in annual financial reports and annual corporate social responsibility (or sustainability) reports and the press on both phenomena. The results obtained in our study following a preliminary descriptive analysis seem to provide some support for the notion that both practices are closely interrelated. Several conclusions and implications that might be of interest for human resource managers are inferred from our study.
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