Employees want to be well-compensated, but Glassdoor research shows that workers across the globe are most motivated by culture and values, leadership, and growth opportunities. The key to having a strong employer brand - even more than salary and bonuses - is to nail employee experience.

If you scan through Glassdoor's Best Places to Work list, you'll notice the top 50 aren't just tech companies with generous Silicon Valley salaries and perks. At consulting behemoth Bain & Co (#1), employees praise the  company's efforts to foster talent, saying "Bain truly values its people and invests heavily in their development ." In-N-Out Burger (#6) staffers call out the emphasis on teamwork and camaraderie, while the team at Fidelity Investments(#10) says that managers understand and honor work-life balance.

When it comes to creating an effective employer brand, start with our checklist. It stems from our research on what employees want, the most important areas for communication, and how to get employees excited about your company.

Pay attention to what employees want

There are five drivers that impact the likelihood of an employee recommending a company to a friend or peer:

• Company communication with the public
• Management
• Employee engagement
• Senior leadership
• Clear, transparent communication to employees

Instead of relying on annual company surveys to gauge your company's performance in these areas, keep the conversation going year-round with Glassdoor Company Bowls™.

Whether you're making changes to company policies or launching new HR initiatives, Company Bowls offer a real-time feedback loop where leaders can post questions and employees can share honest insights anonymously - just one more way to build your employer brand.

Once you've got the information you need, follow the lead of top-rated companies: Report the results and explain the actions that you're taking to address concerns.

Communicate what matters most

Eighty percent of employers say they listen to employee feedback and either always or sometimes take action, but employees consistently report that they're in the dark on important company initiatives. The lesson here is many employers are failing to communicate how and why they make policy changes.

Here are key areas where employees say employers are missing the mark:

• Sharing DEI goals and progress on meeting them
• Closing the loop on employee feedback
• Encouraging employees to take time off
• Sharing salary information for all levels with employees

Whether it's related to one of these areas or a different issue entirely, effective internal communication should provide employees with clarity as to why a company has adopted a policy. Company Bowls can help you gauge how well you're doing: Try surveying your employees on the policies that are most important to your company's culture. If the majority of your team members can't explain the "why" behind a position, your communication may need work.

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