Employer of choice: does gender matter?

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to set out to add to extant knowledge by delineating the content of employer of choice (EOC) regardless of sector and shedding light on the role of gender in the EOC profile. Becoming an employer of choice (EOC) is a strategy that can help organizations manage current and prospective employee expectations of their employment relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Responses were gathered from 896 working adults. The questionnaire was developed by the researchers to reflect the employment experience. Parallel analysis and factor analysis were used to analyze the content of the EOC, and t-tests compares EOC factors between male and female individuals.

Findings

The results verify the multi-dimensionality of EOC and enrich its content. The most important facets of EOC for employees are the quality of workplace relationships, work prerequisites and satisfying work setting as the most important. With regards to how male and female employees perceive the EOC, both differences and similarities were found.

Research limitations/implications

Key limitations pertain to its cross-sectional design, the fact that gender is examined in isolation of other forms of identity that may interact with gender, and the fact that all respondents were Greek and white-collar.

Practical implications

The findings can support HR and marketing managers in their effort to attract talented individuals and retain and activate talented employees.

Originality/value

Existing evidence identifies the profile of EOCs within specific sectors, while we construct an EOC profile that crosses sector boundaries. Moreover, it is the first time that research into EOC takes gender into consideration in a structured way to offer a clearer understanding of what is valued by individuals.

Citation

Bellou, V., Rigopoulou, I. and Kehagias, J. (2015), "Employer of choice: does gender matter?", Gender in Management, Vol. 30 No. 8, pp. 613-634. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-01-2015-0004