Impact of Employer Branding on Employee Engagement: Mediating Role of Talent Management Practices

Abstract

Human capital is recognised as a salient factor determining organisational success in the information-driven era. It was echoed in many strategic management studies that human talent is a primary strategic source for a sustainable competitive edge. Thus, many organisations are crafting their brand—employer branding. Nonetheless, this may not last if the employee is not engaged in the work. Engaged employees contribute to long-term success and the firm to thrive. Given this managerial interest, this study investigates the mediating role of talent management practices in the relationship between employer branding and employee engagement. The data were collected from conveniently chosen 112 employees working in 16 private sector organisations in the Northern region, Sri Lanka. The hypotheses were tested with the aid of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) using Hayes’ PROCESS Macro—the process Macro Regression method. The results revealed the significant positive effects of employer branding on talent management and talent management on employee engagement. Notably, the study confirmed a complementary mediation that the effect of employer branding on employee engagement was partially mediated by talent management. The study has contributed to the frontiers of human resources management literature. The study has also provided many practical implications to augment employee engagement in organisations.