Employer attractiveness in the Chemical Industry: Investigating the impact of product novelty, product relevance, and work meaningfulness

While research on employer attractiveness has traditionally focused on external employer branding, less is known about what attracts employees to stay. This study examines how product-related factors—specifically perceived novelty and societal relevance—relate to internal employer attractiveness, and whether these relationships are mediated by meaningful work. We develop and test a mediation model using two-wave survey data from 138 employees of a global chemical company. Results show that perceived product novelty has a significant positive relationship with employer attractiveness, partially mediated by meaningful work. Perceived product relevance, however, does not show a direct relationship, but an indirect one via meaningful work. These results highlight that perceived product characteristics - beyond traditional HR instruments - can contribute to how employees evaluate their employer. The study extends the internal employer branding literature by integrating product-driven perceptions and meaningfulness into the understanding of organizational attractiveness.