CorpComms Magazine

'We take the view that there is not much difference between a colleague and a customer,' stated Paul Middleton, managing director of internal communications agency Yellow Communications and host of the latest CorpComms roundtable discussion. 'In terms of how you think about your business, your propositions and your brand, we believe you should treat colleagues, employees, your partners and stakeholders in the same way as customers.

'That means needs-based analysis, segmentation work and proper channel planning in terms of tools and messages. It means managing brand equity among colleagues in the same way you manage brand equity among customers, and therefore understanding how that equity can help you to sustain a profitable business in the long term. And it means allocating a proper resource to make sure you are taking the issue seriously.'

Philip Kingsland, director of marketing and communications at Nominet UK, agreed. 'The key to remember is that they are actually slightly different,' he added. 'In the same way that you segment and treat different brackets of customer base differently, you also need to consider colleagues as a different audience and consider their particular needs.'

'If you don't treat colleagues like customers, how can you really breed any true commitment?' asked Tom Dennehy, internal communications business partner at Royal & SunAlliance. 'How can they feel committed if they don't feel valued?'

Return on investment in people

Delegates at the roundtable admitted that, in the past, efforts to engage with colleagues had been downgraded because board executives did not perceive any financial return from such efforts. This is changing, however.

'My CEO understands engaged employees will stay with a company longer and work harder,' explained Kirrie Kendall, head of employee communications at Barratt Developments. 'There is a certain amount of communication you must do to achieve that.'

The cost of recruiting employees in this competitive market, where talented staff are heavily sought after, has played a role in focusing executives' attention on the need for better employee engagement. 'The cost of recruitment is hugely expensive, but the contract a company enters into with a colleague is an interesting one,' noted Middleton. 'You say, Here's a load of money every month, and we're going to performance rate you. But you'll never get genuine passion and effort unless that person wants to be there and really wants to make a difference.'

Middleton feels that driving a loyal, bonded customer base and a loyal, bonded employee base is the Holy Grail. 'One buys and continues to buy from you,' he said. 'One gives and creates value in a different way. Both are profit centres.'

Middleton also believes brands work in people's hearts. 'People join organisations and are excited about working for the organisation for the same reason customers get excited about buying its products,' he pointed out. 'People give of themselves for great brands.'

Lack of past investment in internal comms means that, at many firms, brands have been developed in relation to customers only. Companies have been worrying about what brands mean for customers and how to drive that connection, rather than focusing on what brands mean for staff.

'Engaging employees is both rational and emotional,' said Nigel Edwards, head of internal communications at Pfizer. 'It is easier to create emotional appeal, but it's not enough just to have passion. If you don't understand what you are doing and how it fits with the company, it is a waste of energy.'

Kingsland believes the answer is to tailor brand messages to an internal audience. 'They are a bunch of people who have different needs and wants from an organisation,' he said. 'Yes, they want their pay packet but they also want to feel inspired to work for you. And that's what we all want. Tailoring messages doesn't mean changing brand values. It means explaining them and making them more real for the company.'

Pride in your work

The killer question in any employee survey is, according to Kendall: 'Do you feel proud to work for this organisation? The answer to that can tell you so many things about how people feel about the organisation.'

Susie Bruck, human resources director at uSwitch.com, had another killer question: 'Would you recommend working here to a friend or colleague? It is all very well to say, Get people engaged, but it is a real challenge.'

Yvonne O'Hara, head of corporate channels at the Department for Work and Pensions, said: 'It is important to realise that lots of organisations have a very sexy brand, but bodies like us have a very diluted brand. Staff members have a strong association with their own affiliated brand, but the departmental brand is something very far away.'

Middleton conceded that giving people genuine ownership of a brand with disparate brands sitting beneath it is a tough challenge. 'It is important to almost ignore brands as products and instead look at what the core common denominators applicable through the business should be,' suggested Edwards. 'Also, try to look at business priorities and behaviours that will drive the business and focus on that. It is very different from a branded product, but it is the whole experience of being an employer.'

Knight Frank, the estate agency chain, has a strong brand and loyal workforce but, according to Faye Callaghan, internal communications manager, nobody quite knows why. The company is currently undergoing a major research programme to crystallise brand values so that it can effectively communicate, particularly with new staff, and say: 'This is what Knight Frank stands for.' 'It is an intangible,' asserted Callaghan. 'Nobody knows what it is, so it can't be an influence for our customers or our staff.'

'Even if it is intangible, if it is there and it exists and is lived and breathed by the people of your organisation, that is very powerful in my opinion,' said Kingsland. 'Even if you can't write down the value in two words, if you have that within your organisation you are a step ahead of many others with a set of values written up on their CEO's wall.'

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