Companies vie all year to be named to the Great Companies To Work For lists, and for good reason, historical stock market data indicates that there could be a talent premium or alpha to be captured - the best companies to work for typically outperform the greater S&P 500 index.

But is this all there is to the story? Do great companies outperform because they are great places to work, or do the best talent make the difference? And the best talent, inherently, goes to where their talent is appreciated most.

To learn more about Daggerfinn's employer branding and growth strategies practice, visit us at https://daggerfinn.com.

Shelves at retail stores are bare again, and probably barer than they were at the start of the pandemic when there was a rush to buy everything in anticipation of the unknown. Surprisingly, more than 2 years into the pandemic, we are still seeing supply chain issues that show no signs of resolving.

As a result, consumers are having to switch brands in order to make sure they can still get what they want to get. But is that the only reason why consumers are switching brands?

To learn more about Daggerfinn's employer branding and growth strategies practice, visit us at https://daggerfinn.com.

According to a recent CNBC article, 20% of respondents would take a 10% pay cut to work for themselves or have better hours. 56% of respondents would trade higher pay for a company with more stability.

These two statistics catalyzed a few thoughts on the state of the labor markets and long-term thinking about careers that we explore in this episode.

To learn more about Daggerfinn's employer branding and growth strategies practice, visit us at https://daggerfinn.com.

Workers between the ages of 16 and 24 have seen their wages increase 10.6% when comparing January of 2022 against January of 2021. The average wage gain across all workers is 4% over the same time period. So why are younger workers raking in such a large wage gain?

There are a few reasons: 1) an aggregate response from the workforce to bring younger workers back, 2) increases from a lower base, and 3) inflationary effects.

To learn more about Daggerfinn's employer branding and growth strategies practice, visit us at https://daggerfinn.com.

Stolichnaya, the popular vodka brand, has decided to rebrand as Stoli. This comes off the back of immense public pressure on Russian brands as a result of the Ukrainian invasion that started just a few weeks ago. In the media, we've seen videos and images of boycotts of Russian products - with scenes of bars in New York City, for example, pouring Stoli down the drain as a show of solidarity with Ukraine.

It's difficult to manage a brand in the best of times - and near impossible during difficult periods, especially those imposed by global tensions. So what should brands do? Is rebranding as Stoli the right play?

To learn more about Daggerfinn's employer branding and growth strategies practice, visit us at https://daggerfinn.com.

Data gathered from a recent study we conducted for a client on the jobs market highlighted that worker optimism regarding the state of employment is extremely high - not many people were worried about losing their jobs in 2022.

With looming interest rate hikes, the cost of capital inevitably rising, geo-political tensions, and much uncertainty, this optimism could be short-lived, especially if the labor markets tighten up significantly over the next 12 months.

To learn more about Daggerfinn's employer branding and growth strategies practice, visit us at https://daggerfinn.com.

A recent survey that we conducted across a diverse set of workers in the US highlighted that there has been a shift in worker mentality around preferences. Where at the start of the pandemic workers wanted more protections around remote work, today the preferences are leaning towards compensation. Looking very specifically at knowledge workers, who on average have higher base compensation than the median US worker, this trend of preference shifting is apparent too. Workers care more about flexible hours than remote work.

To learn more about Daggerfinn's employer branding and growth strategies practice, visit us at https://daggerfinn.com.

Ryan Miller, Career Services Executive at Employment BOOST (https://employmentboost.com), joins us for a conversation on the value of employee support during and after layoffs, how outplacement services fit into a severance agreement, and how outplacement services could have helped with the Better.com round of layoffs a few weeks ago.

To learn more about Daggerfinn's employer branding and growth strategies practice, visit us at https://daggerfinn.com.

New York City, a top 20 global economy by GDP when comparing cities and countries, is about to introduce a mandate that makes employers present salary information on job descriptions. Is this a good idea?

The verdict is varied depending on which side of the equation you ask. On the one hand, candidates will appreciate the transparency. On the other hand, employers will have to deal with different aspects of employer branding and organizational infrastructure and planning they may not have had to deal with before.

Only time will tell.

To learn more about Daggerfinn's employer branding and growth strategies practice, visit us at https://daggerfinn.com.

Hiring in 2022 as it relates to candidates' preferences for benefits and flexibility could look different to the last two years, according to new survey data we collected for a client. What this means for organizations facing a labor shortage is very interesting.

How should you navigate the job market in 2022? The options could be to lean into compensation, growth and/or industry perception.

To learn more about Daggerfinn's employer branding and growth strategies practice, visit us at https://daggerfinn.com.