The 2025 Playbook for Employer Branding

Business of Fashion

19-05-2025

Today, job candidates assess the suitability and opportunities of a prospective workplace as much as employers assess these candidates for their capabilities and potential in a role.
Employees are also increasingly looking to align their personal values with their employers'. For instance, a Deloitte survey from last year found that 77 percent of Gen-Z believe it's important to work for organisations that share their values. It is no longer the case that young generations form an opinion of a company based just on its products or services. Instead, ethical practices, commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and social impact are also taken into account.
What's more, salary is still top of mind for younger generations entering the workforce in a turbulent macroeconomic climate. However, a separate Deloitte study shows that, given the choice of accepting a better-paying but boring job versus one that was more interesting but doesn't pay as well, Gen-Z was fairly evenly split over the choice.
'The new generation, Gen-Z, really feel empowered to make a choice about where they work, even if consumer sentiment is down, even if inflation is record high,' said The Business of Fashion's (BoF) senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young in a LinkedIn Live with BoF's commercial features editorial director, Sophie Soar, on The 2025 Playbook for Employer Branding.
Businesses must grapple with changing employee expectations including work-life balance, flexible hours, and perks and benefits. Health and wellness, for instance, has become a key element in corporate benefit packages at a range of companies from luxury giants like LVMH, midsize fashion brands like Theory and beauty companies like Glossier.
A 'one-size-fits-all' approach to workplace perks and benefits, learning and development opportunities, and career progressions, no longer works. Global offices must consider regional nuances across different workplace locations, as well as the multiple generations in their workforce.
Below, BoF condenses key insights from the LinkedIn Live, The 2025 Playbook for Employer Branding. Embody and Demonstrate the Company Values
Butler-Young and Soar discussed the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) rollbacks in the US, and the potential political divisions among the workforce of today. They noted how it is important for employers to communicate and remain consistent around the workplace values that they stand behind.
However, there has been a notable step back from outright communication — even before President Trump issued executive orders in January that took aim at DEI policies. In February 2024, brands' and retailers' communications and activities relating to Black History Month in the US appeared to stall alongside momentum on diversity efforts across the board. Brands began steering clear of political claims ahead of, and now following, a divisive election year.
Employers must consider if they need to demonstrate and communicate more clearly what it is that they're doing. — Sophie Soar, commercial features editorial director at BoF.
That said, Butler-Young also noted a move amid businesses looking to demonstrate their values and initiatives through actions, rather than words alone. 'You should do it more than you say it, but I don't think you shouldn't say it at all,' she said.
'You don't have to speak up about everything, but have some things that you can truly stand behind as an organisation. Being clear on what that thing is, that you're good at it and knowing that your employees care about it.'
Some brands and businesses take demonstrative actions seriously — Patagonia's founder Yvon Chouinard gave away the entirety of his company's shares and restructured Patagonia's ownership to reinvest Patagonia's profits towards combating climate change.
Others demonstrate commitments to their values through other, less radical actions, such as publishing work towards environmental and social governance targets, or updating their hiring strategies for more inclusive practices.
That said, employers should not assume that potential — or even current — employees know about their company's values and the initiatives or activations around these.
'You should definitely live the reality first and then demonstrate it,' said Soar. 'Employers must consider if they need to demonstrate and communicate more clearly what it is that they're doing, because there are a lot of assumptions that people know what an employer is doing or offering its community of employees or consumers.'
Some brands and businesses are already sharing narratives around their employer branding — providing a peek inside their offices, or spotlighting employees and their talents — through their social media output.
'We're seeing all sorts of brands across TikTok and Instagram putting forward snapshots of an office and employees in the office,' said Soar. 'Whether you are aware of the fact that you're doing this or not, that is an aspect of employer branding.' Approach Return-to-Office Policies Strategically
Business leaders are experimenting with return-to-office strategies, with many workplaces and employees adjusting to work-from-home turned hybrid working practices during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
While some workplaces are remaining flexible or fully remote, others are setting stricter parameters around office attendance — with some companies mandating the full five-day working week back in the office.
If you start enforcing certain structures, there will be a massive knock-on impact on recruitment and retention. — Sheena Butler-Young, senior correspondent at BoF.
This kind of practice is beneficial in encouraging greater collaboration and building a sense of camaraderie and community among colleagues.
'No one can dispute how important it is to collaborate in-person, to be around people, to not be holed up in your apartment or your house every day for your own mental health needs,' said Butler-Young. 'The risk is that we go too far back into traditional norms or being rigid around that.'
Employers need to be realistic about what is expected about a return to the office — and must take into account the personal needs of each employee and varying methods of working. For instance, some individuals that live further away from the office, who were hired on the basis of remote working policies, might feel ostracised by new policies. Some juniors, however, may struggle to learn remotely when onboarded over asynchronous communication platforms like Slack and Zoom calls.
'Previously, when we were hiring in a much more work-from-home environment, it meant that you could hire people who weren't living within the immediate region where your office is based. It allowed [us] to open up the talent pool,' said Soar.
'But if you start enforcing certain structures, and these [employees] do not live close to the office, for example, they're not going to have the same opportunities available to them [and] there will be a massive knock-on impact on recruitment and retention,' she added.
A return to office in 2025 is not necessarily a negative thing. It instills a sense of routine and structure for employees, and provides them opportunities for face-to-face interactions with members of the senior management and leadership team.
Butler-Young and Soar discussed the idea that, if workplaces are mandating five days a week or set days back in the office, employers should consider certain levels of flexibility. For instance, there must be an understanding that an employee may have to leave at 4pm to go and pick up their children from school — but can continue working later to finish if necessary.
'An employer that doesn't have common sense rules around workplace flexibility is not where I want to be,' added Butler-Young. Align Company Perks and Services to All Generations and Regions
Companies that expand beyond one area or region must take into account the social and cultural norms of every location. After all, what juniors in New York might value versus executives in Shanghai, for example, will likely differ.
Butler-Young spoke to the importance of having brand codes that are firm and immovable but adapted regionally, taking into consideration the nuances of local codes within a functional multi-national workplace.
'If you're a US-based company and you're expanding to Europe or China, and you assume that your current values will immediately resonate with your new region, you will go wrong,' said Butler-Young. 'Instead, you must hire the right mix of local talents and add that local flair to understand the core values of the region and adapt your company's policies accordingly.'
For the first time in employment history, there are now up to five generations of talent in the same workplace — and employers can stand to benefit from tapping into the unique offerings and skills of each age group.
Younger employers can learn from more experienced workers, and for older generations to pick up emerging skills and technologies. However, it is imperative that employers don't assume anything about one age group, like assuming that all members of Gen-Z are automatically technologically fluent, or that older generations aspire to manage and run large teams.
'The opportunity comes from actually tapping into the unique offerings of each group,' said Butler-Young. 'It's really about paying attention to individual contribution, not assuming anything about one generation, and having everyone work together to collaborate.'
'An emphasis on mentoring in both directions is important — and so is actually formalising it, and not just hoping it'll happen on its own,' she added.
Implementing a cross-functional approach throughout the business and giving employees the opportunity to display their different perspectives can lead to a more functional workplace.
However, the business must account for providing support, perks and services that address the needs of all generations.
Butler-Young and Soar discussed, for instance, how Gen-Z are in fact driving forward new trends like sober socialising and wellness-oriented community building. These are typically more inclusive activities for those who do not drink, and help promote healthier lifestyles. Soar also notes how this generation takes their mental health seriously.
Butler-Young suggested that workplaces should take into account other, previously sidelined health challenges that can impact employees at all stages of their life.
'What about someone that is maybe a woman that's over the age of 50 in your workplace? Do you have a mechanism that takes into account her life stage? [...] Some companies are offering these menopause awareness roundtables and forums,' Butler-Young added as an example.
'Remember as an organisation that [...] this is a whole person that's coming to work for you. And if they are not well, you're not going to get productivity out of them.'
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Disclaimer: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.