Employer of Choice
Tim Baker (2014) defined an employer of choice as “a flexible customer focused, performance oriented organisations, one that is more maneuverable and engages the hearts and mind of their people.” He further stated that an employer of choice learns, develop and improve by constantly encouraging employees to be creative and imaginative so that they can react to challenges willingly and constantly (Tim Baker, 2014).
In achieving the employer of choice organisations can adopt the five characteristics by Hewitt Associates by:
1. Inspired leadership. Top Organisations should have leadership teams who are committed to their companies and their employees. In achieving this, management and line managers should be involved in developing top talents and communicate with employees where the organisation is headed. Managers should be accessible so that employees can be encouraged to give their suggestions and feedback www.ceplb03.hewitt.com
2. Unique company culture: organisations with a unique company culture will recruit the top talents candidates who have the ability, drive and mind set needed to help the organisation achieve success. The best devote time and effort to articulate their culture and values to employees. These organisations have a longer on boarding process to help new hires assimilate to the organisation culture. This encourages low employee turnover. Employers are more likely than the Rest to celebrate successes and to recognize employee contributions. They bring people together through celebrations of achieving project milestones, meeting or exceeding targets, and anniversaries.

3. Focusing on growing talent: Best employers provide opportunities for employees to develop and grow professionally and personally through training and development. Best employers allow their employees to manage their career and help them with achieving goals by mentoring. Employees are put on assignments or job rotation programs for developmental purposes and more likely to implement one-on-one mentoring
4. Strong sense of accountability: employees have a clear understanding of what is expected of them because leaders communicate with them frequently about business direction and organisation goals. Best employers conduct performance management, which helps solidify the alignment between employees and performance expectations.
5. Aligned HR practices and excellent execution: best employers make sure that their HR practices and programs are relevant to the business and valuable to employees. They identify and promote high value programs that will drive employee engagement and business success. Best employers demonstrate an ability to execute programs effectively through careful planning and communication. Best employers offer a work life balance.
Advantages of Employer of choice
It encourages differentiation. It attracts the top talents Candidates actively seek job opportunities and hold a favourable view of the organisation as compared to its competitors (www.hewitt.com)
It reduces cost of advertisements because the organisation’s profile is already raised. When a branding exercise works perfectly, an organisation does not need to re advertise because they can pull candidate from the unsuccessful candidates in the previous recruitment (Taylor 2010)
It reduces retention rates because the perceptions of current employees are different. The employer is seen in a positive and favourable (www.gatelyconsulting.com)

Maintaining the corporate culture is relatively easy, as all employees and the public "assist in maintaining it". (www.gatelyconsulting.com)
Disadvantages of Employer of Choice
Pay levels will increase which will lead to a high cost of maintaining a world-class work force thereby increasing the cost of production.
It becomes difficult for the organisation to change its corporate culture and many operational changes because of its strength in the labour market.
The EOC status helps an organisation growth