CorpComms Magazine

(1) IT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

Make sure your business still sees employer branding as important, even though the context has changed. Employer branding became an established concept during the war for talent of the 1990s. Now the economic landscape and labour market has changed. Employer branding today isn't just about damage limitation and protecting your reputation in the labour market. It's also about engaging those people in your organisation at the moment, and nurturing your talent for the future. Maintaining momentum with initiatives that shape the way both employees and the outside world view the business and its values is essential to make sure it is in shape when the upturn arrives.

(2) SELL THE BENEFITS

Make sure employer branding isn't seen as a fad but as a business imperative. Have a clear business case for employer branding. Measure the impact, and don't forget the value of qualitative feedback that reflects the mood of the organisation as well as quantitative measures. Use the language that works for your business - you don't have to call it branding. In a downturn you may find it valuable to talk about protecting your corporate reputation. An important indicator of McDonald's progress on employer branding comes via its 'Your Viewpoint' employee survey and its survey of franchise operators. The most recent survey of franchise operators saw over 90 per cent agreement with the statement: McDonald's is implementing the right initiatives to improve its image as an employer.

(3) INTEGRATE EMPLOYER BRANDING INITIATIVES WITH BUSINESS PLANNING AND STRATEGY

Ensure your employer branding initiatives don't exist as projects in isolation from the rest of the business planning and strategy. In order to help avoid budgets being cut and projects shelved, make sure there are clear linkage between what you can deliver and the needs of the business. At McDonald's, research with Lancaster University shows that restaurants with the highest 'My Viewpoint' commitment scores serve more customers and make more sales.

(4) SHARE AND LEARN FROM COLLEAGUES FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS

Make connections with colleagues from different disciplines and share insights and techniques. HR could benefit from understanding more about how internal communications segment their audiences, and could consider how this might translate into an approach, for example, to talent management. HR professionals could share insights from employee survey data and research they have gathered about how the organisation is viewed in the labour market by would-be recruits.

As Alan Davies, employer brand and attraction specialist at energy company E.ON, says: 'By working together you not only have a stronger and more coherent message, but also avoid re-inventing the wheel.'

(5) MEET THE 'ON-A-SHOESTRING' CHALLENGE

Consider the whole employee 'deal' and what you want to deliver. This is about commitment rather than high cost. Simple, low-cost initiatives can make a difference if you pitch them to appeal to your people and culture. At patisserie Paul UK, employees with one year's service are given a figurine of a baker - and when it's a member of the shop team's birthday, they celebrate with cakes from the counter.

Don't miss opportunities to promote what you already offer in the organisation - many employees simply don't realise the extent or value of the benefits to which they are entitled. And harness the creativity and ideas of your people to create the employment experience you want.

(6) ENGAGE YOUR PEOPLE

CIPD research shows that engaged employees perform better than others, are more likely to recommend their organisation to others, take less sick leave and are less likely to quit. They're also more satisfied with their jobs. With many people feeling insecure at work, employee retention is less of an issue than it has been. Make sure your people are not just present but are engaged to deliver what your business really needs so it is ready for the upturn. And remember, when the economy recovers, your employees will vote with their feet if they're unhappy with the way they were treated in difficult times. Make sure life in your organisation lives up to the brand aspirations. Don't overlook the importance of good everyday management and effective leadership. Make sure you recruit and promote managers on the basis of people skills, as well as their technical ability.

(7) GET THE COMMUNICATIONS RIGHT

Give as much care and attention to your internal communications as you do to your external press releases. Managing communications carefully when redundancies may be taking place is particularly important. You need to communicate more in difficult times. It's not just messages from senior managers that are important - the quality of day-to-day communication between front-line managers and employees is vital. There has been a shift from the mindset 'communications do the communicating' to 'you are a manager and need to take responsibility' for communicating with and engaging your people.

(8) LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO USE TECHNOLOGY

Think about the opportunities and challenges raised by Web 2.0. On the one hand, you may be conscious of the damage to your brand disgruntled employees might cause via the Internet. On the other hand, some employers are benefitting from using tools such as blogs and discussion forums inside their organisations to discuss contentious and important issues for the business.

(9) THINK ABOUT FUTURE SKILLS NEEDS

Look after your reputation in the recruitment market and nurture your top talent. You need to make sure that the candidate experience, and the employee experience you give, are positive - when the good times return there will be more choice available for talented people. If your industry's reputation is suffering in the current climate, you need to work hard to ensure that you'll be able to attract the graduates of the future. Skills shortages will still exist and we have an ageing population, so you'll need to make sure you can retain or attract the people you need.

(10) GET YOUR CULTURE RIGHT FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS

Consider how the current economic situation can drive culture change and new ways of working. There is a real opportunity to lay the foundations your organisation needs in order to effectively deliver the business strategy, and not just survive but thrive in the future.  

share me: del.icio.us | digg | reddit | Tweet