Once upon a time all it took to attract top talent within the Irish market was money. Show the job market an employer who was willing to pay above industry standards and watch as workers flocked to earn more, paying no mind to company culture or at what cost the salary was received.
But things have changed, and as the Irish job market stabilises, trends are showing that attracting top talent in the middle of a skills shortage requires more than money. Flexible working, clear career progression, pension contributions, ethical leadership and positive company culture have all been listed as factors employees now consider before signing with a new employer.
In fact, Great Place to Work statistics show that accredited Irish companies who offer meaningful employee development, show strong ethical leadership, and can prove employee validation throughout the business outperform others in terms of application and retention rates, proving that a strong and positive employer brand is a huge advantage when it comes to attracting talent. Which begs the question – how do companies create, and more importantly, sustain a positive employer brand?
For Aura Holohan, a business recognised by Great Place to Work, which runs a number of health and leisure centres across the country, its employer brand is more than a mission statement on a website, it’s a set of values carried across the company, modelled by leadership and embraced by the employees who were involved in its creation.
“We align our behaviours with our values,” explains Narcisa Popovici, group HR director at Aura Holohan. “We believe that empowering our leaders to visibly model these behaviours supports the employer brand in becoming the lived experience. Our CEO, Gar Holohan, holds an impressive 90 per cent approval rating on Glassdoor, reflecting the trust and confidence of our team. He regularly reminds people that ‘values matter most when they don’t suit you’.” Named as one of the Top 20 Places to Work in 2025, Aura Holohan proudly promotes a range of initiatives for both its employees and the communities in which it is based, which further push the company to ‘walk the walk’ for employee wellbeing and company culture, ensuring the employer brand remains both positive and authentic.
These initiatives include a number of social outreach programmes which see the company support local campaigns and businesses as a means to reach and recruit local talent. This is in addition to the creation of its Digital Champions Team – a group of employees who create content for the group’s social media channels showcasing their lived experiences and giving potential employees an insight into life at Aura Holohan.
“Our key USP is that Aura is a dynamic, fun, engaging place to work where everyone is valued and included and people have the opportunity to learn and grow,” explains Popovici. “So, these campaigns and initiatives, which are focused on storytelling, videos and authentic employee voices, are there to promote Aura’s external reputation, helping us to attract top talent.”
For pharmaceutical giant AbbVie, peer-to-peer talent recruitment, strong intern programmes and a consistent development path for employees are key to maintaining its employer brand as a Great Place to Work.
Recently named as a Great Place to Work in Ireland for the 12th consecutive year, the company was also named as a Great Place to Work for Women and was ranked among the 2025 Best Workplaces in Europe.
So, it comes as no surprise that it prides itself on its employee referral system – an in-house learning programme which enables employees to consistently upskill while helping the company attract leading talent from both home and abroad.
“AbbVie Ireland’s Talent Scout employee referral programme helps the company attract high-quality talent who often have greater insight into our culture, as they are connected to existing employees,” explains Gary O’Mahoney, Ireland HR director, AbbVie. “The initiative – which has been running for several years – encourages employees to serve as brand ambassadors, sharing their positive experiences and supporting recruitment efforts.
“I believe the programme is successful because it leverages employee networks to attract candidates who are more likely to align with AbbVie’s principles and culture, resulting in higher engagement and stronger retention.”
Given the breadth of talent that AbbVie needs across all sectors, the company also works hard to sustain its employer brand while tailoring for different segments, such as scientists, digital talent and early-career professionals. O’Mahoney feels the success of this approach can be attributed to the consistency of the company’s values.
“Across segments, we are guided by our employee value proposition, which articulates what it’s like to work at AbbVie,” he explains. “This helps us prioritise what’s most important to attract and grow talent. At the heart of our employee value proposition is the concept of ‘Together, we break through’, which articulates our belief that the paths we take to achieve our breakthroughs matter. Within this, we have essential statements, based on research, that serve as building blocks to guide our employer brand activations. We focus on the specific building blocks that will resonate most with a particular talent segment using market insights, while staying true to our core message.
“For example, in one segment, our career development opportunities may be the primary draw; for another, it could be our commitment to innovation, research opportunities, or making a meaningful impact on patient lives. What remains true across all segments is that candidates appreciate knowing their potential employer is recognised as a Great Place to Work, with a strong culture, a commitment to career development, and highly competitive salary and benefits.”
Career development is something that Popovici has also seen to improve talent acquisition and retention at Aura Holohan, citing its Training Academy as an initiative that not only encourages excellence but also positively improves company culture.
“The Aura Training Academy represents our long-term investment in people, performance, and leadership. It reinforces who we are as an organisation: forward-thinking, responsible, and committed to setting the benchmark for excellence in the leisure industry. Through the Academy, we don’t just meet standards – we set them. And beyond our own workforce, the Aura Training Academy plays a wider role in advancing the leisure sector. By offering training externally and developing future tutors and assessors, we actively contribute to raising standards across the industry – positioning Aura not as a follower of best practice, but as a driver of it.” Being positioned as a leader with continuous opportunity for development is something that AbbVie is also proud to do, with O’Mahoney explaining that due to its global footprint, the company needs more than salary to attract the best of worldwide talent: “AbbVie differentiates itself in a number of distinct areas beyond just salary and benefits.
“We focus on three components that employees most appreciate about working at AbbVie: innovative work that offers us the chance to make a real difference in people’s lives, growth opportunities that push ourselves to grow and try new skills, and a supportive environment that fosters curiosity and collaboration. Our employees benefit from extensive opportunities for professional growth and development, such as robust learning programmes, global mobility, and leadership development pathways.” Both show that a strong employer brand aimed at attracting talent is about more than mission statements – it’s about leading by example and turning that mission statement into a day-to-day culture.
