In a talent market defined by rapid change and increasingly judicious jobseekers, the annual Employer Branding Summit 2025 - hosted by Great Place to Work® Ireland at Windmill QTR in Dublin - reaffirmed why a compelling employer brand is so vital.
From immersive sessions on storytelling and brand advocacy to deep dives into early talent engagement and global employer value propositions, the event’s speakers offered practical stories, lived experience, and thoughtful insights into what today’s workforce truly values. If you’d like to receive an invitation to the next Employer Branding Summit, let us know here.
One of the strongest themes of the day centred on the importance of employee advocacy and how it is shaped by the reality of day-to-day culture. In the opening session with Great Place to Work's Business Development Strategist, Fania Stoney, Magda Egan, Head of HR & People at FBD Hotels & Resorts, emphasised that customer experience is directly linked to the internal experience of employees. Investment in ‘back of house’ teams - the people invisible to customers but essential to operations - have transformed outcomes in the organisation. What differentiates companies today is not simply what they promise externally but the environment they create internally. When people feel supported, trained, and genuinely appreciated, their confidence and energy flow naturally into every customer interaction.
John Loftus, Communication & Employee Engagement Manager, expanded on this by stressing that an employer brand cannot sit solely in a strategy document. It must be lived through authentic leadership behaviour, starting with the fundamental act of listening. Employee commitment only emerges when people believe their voices matter. Situating listening at the centre of people strategy ensures that employees feel respected and valued as individuals. When people experience that level of consideration, advocacy grows organically - not through messaging campaigns, but through genuine cultural alignment.
Retention Rooted in Trust, Transparency, and Development
Retaining talent depends heavily on investing in development and building a culture of trust. Retention, as Robert Mac Giolla Phadraig, Founder & CEO of SkillStack, noted, is no longer driven by surface-level perks; it is rooted in meaningful growth and clear pathways. When employees have visibility into their future and feel assured that the organisation is invested in their long-term development, they are far more likely to stay committed.
He and Anne-Marie Annes, Director of Succession Planning at ServiceNow, highlighted authenticity as a critical element of retention. People want to work for organisations that not only articulate their values but demonstrate them on a continual basis. Trust grows when communication is open, expectations are clear, and managers are equipped to support people in the moments that matter. In an environment where the workforce is more diverse, multigenerational, and globally connected than ever before, leaders need to recognise that employees’ needs widely vary, but their desire for clarity and development is universal.
From Global Strategy to Local Impact
During a panel discussion hosted by Great Place to Work CEO, Jim Flynn, Lynda Quinn, Head of Human Resources at Tourism Ireland, reinforced the message that employer brand is not something that can be created through marketing alone - it must be earned. People, purpose, pride, and passion all play a role. While product or reputation may attract talent initially, long-term commitment is driven by passion for the work and the surrounding culture.
A strong employer brand must be reflected in the day-to-day employee experience to be credible and effective. A brand built purely for external appeal quickly unravels when new hires realise the reality of day-to-day life does not match what was promised during recruitment. When a disconnect occurs, employees may leave early in their tenure - a risk that carries significant cost not only financially, but also in terms of trust and organisational reputation.
Instead, the focus should be on building a strong foundation from within. Providing genuine opportunities for learning, growth, and collaboration allows employees to feel supported and engaged. When people are given space to develop and contribute meaningfully, they become the strongest advocates for the organisation’s brand.
Authenticity sits at the heart of effective organisations. Leaders must walk the walk, not just talk about values, and prioritise listening to their teams, as the employer brand is shaped from within. Employees will quickly highlight what is working and what is not, and when an organisation fails to live its values, people will leave. Ultimately, a compelling employer brand is built through lived experience - when purpose is clear, values are consistently demonstrated, and people feel pride and passion in their work, organisations can share their story externally with confidence, knowing it is authentic, credible, and earned.
To explore how authentic employer value propositions strengthen attraction and retention 👇
Building Talent Value Propositions That Truly Work
The session with Stephen Quinn, Founder & CEO of Atomic, and Stuart Hazell, Global Director of Talent Brand & Recruitment Marketing at Workday, focused on the evolution of the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and the growing need for more targeted Talent Value Propositions (TVPs). While a core EVP remains essential in defining culture and purpose, the discussion highlighted that it often falls short when trying to resonate with diverse talent groups across an organisation.
Using research and employee listening tools, Workday explored deeper segmentation to better understand the motivations and needs of different professional groups, including Sales, Engineering, CX & Consulting, and Early Careers. The insights revealed distinct priorities - from engineers seeking collaboration and trust, to sales professionals driven by product pride, consulting talent motivated by transformation and flexibility, and early careers candidates looking for meaningful work and development from day one.
Bringing these insights to life required close collaboration between Atomic, employer brand, and corporate marketing during Workday’s wider rebrand. Tailored visual and verbal identities were developed for each talent group, ensuring the messaging felt authentic and relevant while remaining aligned to the overarching brand.
Effective TVPs must be embedded across the organisation, not simply created. Equipping recruiters and hiring managers with accessible tools and clear messaging helps break down silos and enables personalised engagement at scale. When EVP strategy is grounded in research, lived experience, and meaningful segmentation, it becomes a powerful driver of both talent attraction and long-term impact.
Creating a Storytelling Culture That Connects People
One of the most engaging sessions of the day came from Sharon Mannion and Colm O'Regan of Dublin Story Slam team, who demonstrated the power of storytelling within workplace culture. Storytelling is one of the oldest and most effective ways to build connection between people who might otherwise feel distant. Authentic stories from leaders can foster vulnerability, trust, and shared understanding within teams and across organizations.
The most impactful stories are often not sweeping life narratives, but small, real moments that reveal something meaningful about a person. Simple storytelling exercises can show how easily sharing personal experiences unlocks emotion and fosters connection.
Storytelling builds culture not because it is performative, but because it allows people to see each other as human beings. It’s an insight to the otherwise perfect stranger before them. When employees feel seen and heard, they become natural ambassadors for their organisation, sharing stories that carry far more influence than corporate messaging ever could.
What Early Talent Really Wants from Employers
The early-talent panel, hosted by Colin Hughes, Head of Graduate Business School, brought together recent graduates from TUDublin to discuss the perspectives and experiences of those just beginning their careers. Their insights offered an unfiltered view into the expectations of the newest generation entering the workforce and their perception was both refreshing and instructive. One of the strongest messages was the importance of salary transparency. The graduates stated plainly that if a salary is not listed, they simply do not apply. They are uncomfortable entering negotiations blind and expect organisations to lead with transparency.
They also emphasised the value of in-person experiences, highlighting that culture is something you feel, not something you read online. Interviews conducted solely online can feel artificial and disconnected, whereas visits to offices provide a clearer sense of whether a work environment is a good fit. Similarly, career fairs demonstrate the impact of the human element: students tend to remember companies with representatives who are warm, knowledgeable, and approachable, while interactions with indifferent or stoic staff are quickly forgotten.
A key insight from early-career professionals is the importance of authenticity. This generation values employers who are transparent about both the strengths and challenges of a role, managers who communicate clearly, and organizations that prioritise real human interaction over automated systems. Even as recruitment increasingly incorporates AI-driven workflows, the human element remains essential.
To explore how culture and authenticity shape long-term retention and attraction:
Building an Employer Brand From the Inside Out: The Hilti Case Study
During a panel hosted by Cathal Divilly, Business Partner at Great Place to Work, Hilti Ireland presented a detailed case study on the AURORA project, a large-scale internal listening initiative aimed at enhancing and strengthening the employee experience. Esther Postigo, HR Director of Hilti and Dennis Markey, Hilti’s Marketing Director, explained that while Hilti had a strong global strategy, they recognised the need for a more locally customised approach to meet the evolving expectations of their Irish workforce.
The AURORA project empowered employees to shape this evolution directly. Through workshops across the organisation, employees were encouraged to research best practices, bring ideas, and challenge existing norms. Ninety-one ideas were submitted, eventually forming four major workstreams focused on benefits, work-life balance, compensation, and social connection.
The results were transformative. Hilti introduced a new benefits platform with exceptionally high engagement, implemented enhanced flexibility measures, redesigned their bonus system, and increased salaries through external benchmarking. More importantly, they communicated these changes with full transparency, ensuring employees understood not only what was changing, but why. The business impact was undeniable: retention rose to 95%, saving over €500,000 in turnover costs, and Hilti Ireland achieved the highest engagement score in Europe. Their next chapter now focuses on building even deeper clarity around performance which is another area employees consistently request.
To learn more about practical strategies for transforming employee experience
Culture, Connection, and Hyper-Growth: Lessons from Tines
Gráinne Earley, Director of Employee Experience at FUEL, and Maria Dillon, Head of People at Tines, sat down to discuss employee experience strategy - exploring how meaningful day-to-day employee experiences are intentionally built in rapidly changing and high-growth environments. Growing from 30 to over 370 employees across eight global locations, Tines needed to maintain culture while scaling at extraordinary speed. Their approach centres on trust, humility, and intentional moments of connection. The founders’ down-to-earth leadership style sets the tone for the entire organisation - promoting humility, accessibility, and respect.
High-performing teams operating in environments of rapid change and abundant opportunities can be at risk of burnout. Support structures and cultural practices that prioritise balance while maintaining innovation help address this challenge. Annual all-hands events can be deliberately designed to strengthen cross-team relationships, foster shared understanding, and acknowledge collective achievements.
Peer-to-peer recognition can be a powerful element of organizational culture. For example, a dedicated platform for employees to celebrate one another can generate thousands of acknowledgements in a single year, showing that recognition does not need to be formal to be meaningful. This highlights a central principle for fast-growing organizations: trust is a critical asset, and it must be nurtured continuously.
For more practical strategies on nurturing trust, recognition, and a resilient workplace culture:
The LEGO Employer Brand Journey: A Global Model of Excellence
The final case study of the day came Kwame Asare, Global Employer Brand & Talent Attraction Manager at The LEGO Group, and Charlotte Peacock, Client Partner at SMRS, who shared an in-depth look at LEGO’s employer brand evolution. LEGO’s six-step methodology - Talk, Dig, Develop, Express, Activate, Measure - demonstrates how rigorous and research-driven a global employer brand must be to stay authentic across markets.
A highlight of LEGO’s strategy is their distinctive visual identity known as the Halo Ring. The Halo Ring is a concept they created where employees are surrounded by LEGO elements representing their personal story, values, and role. This approach not only reinforces brand recognition but celebrates individuality in a playful, creative way.
To attract diverse talent at scale, it helps to combine creative storytelling with strategic measurement. Localized campaigns, multimedia content, and collaborations with trusted voices can increase candidate awareness and engagement. Tracking which channels and messages resonate most allows organizations to make more informed recruitment decisions. Employer branding is most effective when it balances authenticity with data-driven insights.
Employer branding isn’t something organisations can simply design and promote, it must be earned. As reinforced at EBS 2025, it starts from within, shaped by everyday actions, behaviours, and values that build real trust.
That’s where Great Place to Work comes in. By joining the Great Place to Work Programme and achieving recognition, you are not only showcasing to the world you are a great employer, but you also get a globally recognised external validation of it. Once you are accredited, you can include your Certification™ logo on your website, careers page, role listing, social media accounts and much more - all excellent ways to increase the credibility of your brand and help you stand out from the rest.
Beyond Certification, our Employer Branding services help you amplify your Great Place to Work® recognition and turn it into real impact. Leveraging Certification signals your commitment to your people and your investment in a culture rooted in trust, pride, fairness, and respect.
For more info on getting Certified, check out our webinar 👇
About Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. We help organisations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. We recognise Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies and the Best Workplaces™ in more than 60 countries.