Innovation in talent management practices: creating an innovative employer branding strategy to attract generation Z

Purpose This research paper focuses on the arriving new generation, "Gen Z," and how an organization can target this new talent through innovation in its employer branding. This paper aims to enhance the readers' understanding of how generation Z is different from the previous generations and their unique preferences. This study also attempts to probe and help readers understand innovative practices in employer branding and what tools can be used under this umbrella to influence and attract the increasing workforce of generation Z to the labor market. Design/methodology/approach There were 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews taken from human resources (HR) heads of various organizations, a few mid-managers, consultants and HR experts based in India. Each interview was transcribed, and a technique of inductive content analysis was used. Broad themes and several new items emerged that looked at innovation in employer branding. Findings It was found through this study that Gen Z has high career aspirations, working styles, attributes, education preferences and has an innovative mindset. This demands a flexibility of being independent and confident. They prefer diversity not just through race and gender but also through identity and orientation. Most important, money is not the only priority for them when it comes to their career development. They also want themselves to be associates with a workplace exhibiting community support. They are driven by an innovative mindset where they resort to creative means to achieve their goals. Research limitations/implications The research paper is exploratory. The model and hypotheses the author arrives at must be verified empirically by collecting primary data through validated instruments by the relevant stakeholders in the organization, specifically the stakeholders specializing in the domain of talent acquisition and talent management, to add additional weight and meaning to the literature. Practical implications As the members of Gen Z are about to step into the labor market, the proposed finding in this research paper would help current industrial practitioners rethink how they will design their policies to entice and integrate Gen Z into the workplace. Originality/value Realizing that companies' experience with millennials' entry into the workforce might not have prepared them to win with Gen Z, the author has examined what makes Gen Z different from earlier cohorts on how do they approach the workplace. Understanding the unique behavioral differences, the author has proposed organizations' practices to appeal to them to work with them. Adding to the existing literature on "Generation Z" and "Employer Branding," the author has linked both in the paper with a qualitative study and proposed a model to build Generation Z's employer brand.