“We just don’t think employer branding will work for us right now!”

Despite there always being sceptics out there pathologically committed to an alternative viewpoint, employer branding makes a lot of sense for companies right now. The continuing downturn means that many of them will not be actively seeking new employees to facilitate growth strategies and replace non performers or mobile high performers for another 12 months. The recruitment frenzy of 2008 is now but a distant memory.

... in our day-to-day interactions we’re identifying so many companies who are doing so little to address the need to communicate with, engage and retain their best people.

The ‘new order’ of 2009 is characterised by clamp downs on hiring and new focus on finding ways to keep valuable people in their seats. For some companies this may mean a handful of people, for other companies the entire workforce – depending on the nature and size of the business, products/services delivered etc. Considering the severity of the downturn and the corresponding delicate financial position of many businesses, I find it surprising that, while the majority of companies are responsive to my company’s offer of assistance, in our day-to-day interactions we’re identifying so many who are doing so little to address the need to communicate with, engage and retain their best people. I’m sure my company is not the exception to this in the world of consultancy, so what can be causing it? Here are a few reasons/excuses that I have been made aware of:

> A basic lack of awareness of employer branding, its benefits and value
> Scepticism of what it can achieve
> Company clamp down on all spending so no available funds to initiate work in this area
> Previous bad experience with recruitment/advertising consultants
> Belief that the company is too small for employer branding activities
> Recovery efforts totally focused on product sales, not employees
> Activities thwarted by narrow vision HR Manager
> CEO has internalised all employee-focus activities and closed the door
> Company in dire financial straits and beyond help
> Too much reliance on incumbent recruitment agency to “get us out of this mess”
> “We’ve already got a recruitment website thank you”

When it comes to survival and the opportunity to get ahead once markets recover, guess where these guys are going to end up? Recessions can be ruthless when it comes to selecting those companies who just aren’t physically or mentally capable of surviving. For many, investment in tried and tested employer branding initiatives is probably the only lifeline that can stop them from going under, but it takes an enlightened CEO to recognise this. Some dwell in the dark, some see the light.

For a consultancy like ours, this reluctance or inability to seek help is very frustrating, when so many companies have sufficient knowledge and insight to converse intelligently on the subject, have a good understanding of what they need and recognise the urgency with which they need to make a decision and commission help. This doesn’t stop us from wanting to help. So we’ve decided to create an ‘Employer Branding for Beginners’ workshop to test the market. I will report back in a later post with the results of this initiative.

Perhaps we overestimate the ability of companies to grasp the benefits, or is it just a built-in reluctance to ask for help? Let’s find out.

Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and co-founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg

Employer Branding: Your guiding light in stormy conditions (continued)

Get back to basics and get them right
It may be difficult for organisations to shift their focus from the effects of storm battered markets but the situation will end sooner or later, just like it always has done. The big question on everyone’s minds is when will it improve?

When distressed market conditions dictate that recruitment activities are temporarily shelved, the more astute companies crank up their engagement and retention machines. They will recognise that core employer branding principles are now more valuable and necessary than ever before. The ability to attract correct-fit talent, satisfy them that the organisation has solid prospects and engage them with experiences that inspire them to produce their best work and motivate them to stay has become a determining factor in an organisation’s ability to achieve and sustain success.

Judging from past experience, once the media decides that the worst is over, that we can breathe again and start the rebuilding process, we will witness a race to regain lost ground and re-engage with the jobs market. Those employers that have done their homework and honed their employment offer will be the ones attracting the cream of new talent and forging ahead with a committed and resilient workforce.

So where do you start? This is the time to stop worrying and to start planning. It’s time to get back to basics, strengthen your employer brand and ensure your own employees and key external audiences are exposed to it and recognise its value. Make sure it is differentiated once and for all from those of your competitors. Put your efforts into gaining an in-depth understanding of your employer brand and what it is capable of achieving.

1/. Employee Value Proposition
If you don’t have a well defined Employee Value Proposition (EVP) in place you are severely disadvantaged. An EVP sits at the heart of your employer brand. It is what your employment ‘experience’ delivers on functional and emotional levels – the essence of what makes you different and attractive as an employer. At Heywood Innovation the EVP model we embrace as part of our EmployerBrandGuidanceSystem comprises the EVP as the ‘beam’ supported by 12 ‘pillars’ as shown in the illustration.  

These pillars represent the essentials that must be addressed in your employment offer.

2/. Communicate with your employees
Be honest. Tell them the truth. Don’t gloss over the reality of the situation and don’t pretend the company is immune to the changing market conditions, because they just won’t believe you. Be open and transparent. Reassure them. Explain simply and clearly the steps you are taking to address the changes. Tell your employees how much you value them and the important role they play in the organisation’s future. This should come from the organisation’s leader and be reinforced by group leaders all the way through the organisation.

3/. Take engagement with employees to the next level
What steps did you take to engage and motivate your staff before the market downturn? If they were proving less than effective, then I recommend you quickly review the reasons why and make improvements, because the coming months will prove a considerable test. Do you know to what extent employees are engaged and motivated? If not, it makes sense to find out now and plan accordingly.

4/. Don’t stop marketing
If you stop marketing your employment offer into the jobs market, future job candidates and your own employees may fear the worst and conclude that all is not well. If your competitors have stopped marketing their presence in the jobs market, take advantage of this and gain the upper hand by being top of mind when conditions improve.

5/. Reduce your recruitment and training costs
As organisations count the cost of staying in business and trying to make headway, positioned near the top of the list is the significant investment paid to recruiters to source new talent and the associated internal costs of inducting and training these people. These processes will be increasingly scrutinised.

My predictions for 2009 are that:

> more recruitment activities will be brought in-house
> induction processes will be reviewed and more closely aligned with employer brands that are well defined
> a new generation of intranet will appear that is more interactive with employees and is seen as a communications tool rather than an information repository
> internal communications will become more frequent and constantly reinforce the organisation’s values, vision and commitment to its employees
> 2009 will be the year when the value of employer branding rises considerably and claims a greater share of an organisation’s annual budget

Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and co-founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg

10 essential considerations for your employer brand

1    Employer emphasis has shifted significantly from recruitment to engagement and retention. Employers now realise more than ever that employees are the life blood of their organisation and can make the difference between success and failure.
2     The ongoing strength of an organisation’s brand relies heavily on its ability to maintain communication with employees and address concerns regarding their employer’s ability to withstand the downturn and protect job security.
3    Companies are looking for ways to reduce recruitment costs. Reducing costs however, is not about less communication and less marketing. It is about looking at ways to be more efficient and perform more recruitment tasks in-house.  
4    The downturn will differentiate those organisations that adopt a defensive stance from those that embrace the opportunity to engage with their employees and strengthen resistance to adverse market forces.
5    A new style of company leader will emerge who is people-focused and can inspire employees to make deeper commitments to their employer. These newly engaged and motivated companies will be the leaders in 2009 and beyond.
6    Employer branding will be recognised as a critical complement to a company’s corporate brand. An increasing proportion of advertising and marketing budgets will be channelled into employee focused activities.
7    Companies who define and strengthen their employment proposition, and the promise they make to their employees, will be favourably positioned ahead of competitors when markets recover.
8    Recruitment companies will increasingly realise the value of employer branding to themselves and to their clients. They will stimulate closer relationships with practitioners of employer branding, particularly those with end-to-end service offerings.
9    Employees will expect their employer to be open, truthful and consistent in what they say and what they do. Alignment is very important – the recruitment promise with the employment experience, and the corporate brand with the employer brand.
10    Organisations will increasingly realise that people are the essential fabric of their business and critical to future business success. Consequently they will commission on an ongoing basis deep research on how candidate and employees perceive the employment experience, with a view to monitoring the results and realigning where necessary to optimise those perceptions.

Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and co-founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg

Focus on growth

Despite the doom and gloom pervading the markets there are still plenty of companies focused on growth. The smarter ones realise that this can only be achieved with top talent on board - working in harmony and suitably inspired by the organisation they are employed by.

To achieve this requires that you brand your organisation as a truly sensational place to work and then prove it. When companies are under stress top talent turns its eye to new opportunities - namely those companies who can shrug off the effects of the recession and leverage their people’s skills to get ahead of competitors and gain market share.

Taking on top talent when markets are distressed can have an extraordinary effect on an organisation. It can rejuvenate and provide inspiration and new impetus to move forward.

What steps does an organisation need to take during a recession to prove it is an exceptional employer?

> consider a four day working week to reduce operational costs and reduce the potential of redundancies - the work/life balance may be greatly appreciated
> remember that top talent is attracted to organisations who deliver a combination of security, sustainability, vision and innovation
> define and promote the benefits of your Employee Value Proposition at every opportunity - remember that your employer brand has to work harder now than ever before and must be fully optimised
> maintain or even increase exposure of the benefits of working in your organisation - it is essential not to let your awareness fall away, either internally or externally
> review your online employer branding/recruitment presence - is it portraying you accurately and effectively as an attractive employment proposition?
> keep an eye on what competitors are doing - don’t let them get ahead of you while you are distracted
> review and upgrade where necessary your preventative health programs
> consider letting employees work from home to minimise travel expenses
> now is a good time to review your induction materials for consistency with the main employment proposition you are promoting to the market
> meet with your recruiter to review your recruitment strategy in line with the changed markets and your changing requirements
> take the opportunity to find out how well the recruiter understands your employer brand
> look for every opportunity to communicate employment benefits to employees and keep them updated on how the organisation is managing the economic downturn
> review your intranet - is it giving employees the information and insight they need to fulfill their role?
> focus on promoting to employees the organisation’s stability, security, innovation and growth opportunities
> above all else be true to your brand promise - who you are, what you are, what you are capable of and what you can offer, and then go after those people who will be most attracted to it and will dovetail into the organisation

Now is a good time to foster relationships with graduates - get your name in front of them and identify the most talented individuals.

The need for a skilled workforce will only increase when we climb out of the recession. There is much discussion on the facts that here in Australia in the next few years there will be an increase in the demand for skilled workers compounded by the retiring generation of baby boomers.

There is nothing like a good round of cost cutting and retrenchments to kill trust and loyalty from employees and prompt them to look for other opportunities. And it is a hard job to rebuild that trust and loyalty.

Remember that the cure for diminishing employee engagement starts with more and better communication. 

Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and co-founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg

Employer Branding: Your guiding light in stormy conditions

The sub prime collapse that is affecting global economies is rewriting the rules by which organisations recruit, retain and retrench their workforces. The scale of recent company collapses and widespread retrenchments has not been witnessed since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The confident high employment figures that we enjoyed up until the latter part of 2008 have been comprehensively shattered by market pessimism, profit slumps, investor panic and employers forced to batten down the hatches until the financial storm subsides. Reports from Australia are suggesting that employer confidence is at an all time low. Many organisations hit hard by the economic crisis now realise more than ever before that people are critical to their success and their ability to survive severe market trauma.



For many, a strong employer brand is their lifejacket keeping them afloat in a sea of red ink. It represents a valuable asset holding together the fabric of their business, underpinned by loyal and committed employees who firmly believe in the organisation, its values, the way it respects its employees and its confidence in riding out the storm. They believe in its ability to learn from the experience and leverage this for future success.

So what happens to employees and employers in these tough times?

Employees
> For those organisations who need to retrench a small number of their employees, the least useful workers are the first to be shown the door
> Where the organisation is experiencing considerable stress, even the good employees are being shown the door, which is of significant interest to recruiters
> Employees that have watched their company’s share price plummet and the retrenchment process spring into action will become wary of their present and future employers
> Employees who are concerned about their job security are keeping their heads down and getting on with their work, possibly becoming even more productive
> Employees who normally keep their eye out for new opportunities in the job market will be less inclined to do so until the market recovers
> Word of mouth is very powerful – disenchanted employees, particularly any who feel they have been unfairly selected for retrenchment, can cause significant harm to an employer’s reputation
> Emotional brand attributes will mean more to job candidates now than functional ones – a salary advantage is less important than respect and understanding from a stable organisation with a strong vision
> Recruitment agencies will be receptive to positive word of mouth from ex-employees and job candidates who have recently experienced an organisation that is doing the right thing by its employees

Employers
> HR directors’ focus has switched from recruitment to retention as employees begin to question management’s ability to secure a confident future
> Uncertainty has led to increases in outplacements where companies lack the confidence to commit to permanent staff until a stable market returns
> If your company is one of the few that is still actively hiring, it doesn’t take much intelligence to deduce that many of the recently retrenched employees in the job market are probably the least employable
> Many employers will also recognise that some excellent people, particularly those in financial services, have been released into the market as a result of severe purges and this is the time to attract them when they are eager to be re-employed and have few if any offers
> Companies that are in financial distress will be desperate to hold on to their best people, who may fear that their job security is threatened and be tempted to jump ship
> The more intelligent and aware companies will believe that this is a huge opportunity to now strengthen their employer brand and communicate it effectively to make up for lost time and get one step ahead of competitors when the markets start to recover later in the year
> HR managers will field many more sales calls from recruitment agencies

Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and co-founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg

Recruitment ad bloopers

Many organisations produce content for their own recruitment ads – some are good at it, but many fail to press the hot buttons. There are golden rules to writing effective copy which many people are blissfully unaware of. One serious problem with inexperienced ‘copy writers’ is that they fail to recognise that some of the copy they write can be offensive and breach anti-discrimination laws.

A survey by Kelly Services provided insight to how serious this can be. When asked to consider a job ad which had a choice of copy content, 105 of the 220 respondents failed to identify material that is considered offensive. 22% of the 105 were human resources professionals. Some of the more obvious terms bound to offend were ‘office junior’, ‘saleswoman’ and ‘six years’ experience’.

Apart from the risk of using inappropriate and offensive language in ads, we are constantly amazed at the dreary and uninspiring copy that features in many recruitment ads. They fail in some very obvious areas:

> not aligned with their target audience
> use mundane and uninspired language
> don’t compel the reader to respond
> hierarchy of information is ill considered
> poorly describe the position, its importance and its potential
> leave out key details on what is required of the applicant
> copy and design don’t complement each other
> are inconsistent with the ‘tone of voice’ adopted by the organisation’s brand

How confident are you when faced with the task of writing compelling and inoffensive ad copy? Placing ads is an expensive exercise. If the ad is to attract a key player in your organisation for a salary of say $100,000 or $200,000, you want to make sure that it is going to get a good result that doesn’t attract complaints. Perhaps the copy writing is best left to the professionals?

Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and co-founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg

Struck dumb and receding

A survey by Weber Shandwick of US employers has revealed some alarming facts about the way employers are responding to the pressures of the economic downturn. The bosses have been found to be somewhat tight lipped about communicating some of the facts to their trusted employees. They have been found wanting when being up front and honest about the likely impact of the global upheaval and US recession on their companies and employees. And this despite the fact that...
> 26% of workers expect their company will have to retrench people
> 62% believe their company will have trouble meeting goals
> 71% say bosses should be communicating more
> 54% of workers have not heard from company leaders at all regarding the impact of the crisis
.. despite 74% having heard colleagues discussing the issue

Stormy waters have been known to drive captains of industry to batten down the hatches until calm waters return, avoiding confrontation and seeking solace in dark corners. Some storms even cause them to jump ship in true Marie Celeste fashion.

Where is the employer brand champion when you need one?

As the spearhead of a company’s brand, upholder of values and beacon for the company’s vision and direction, the company’s leader must inspire employees to make outstanding efforts when times are good and also be the bearer of bad news when external forces conspire to undo all the good work. That person must be truthful, honest and realistic on how the company and its employees will be affected. The leader must also stir them, inspire them and win their respect. Compelling communication is the order of the day. The company’s potential and resilience must be placed forefront in their minds. They must believe in the future and that their company has the strength and resources to ride the storm and power ahead suitably revitalised once skies clear.  

Challenging times have an uncanny knack of exposing company flaws and deficiencies, or revealing truly great companies with unbreakable purpose and direction. Which one is yours?

Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and co-founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg