It seems that despite much publicised recessionary trends we still have too many jobs that can’t be filled. Or is it that too many employment brands aren’t functioning the way they should? Or are people just too interested in excessive amounts of leisure time?
According to a recent Manpower survey Australia in particular is experiencing difficulties getting bums on seats with 52% experiencing difficulty finding staff. Mind you it’s even worse elsewhere - take Singapore for example with 57%, Hong Kong with 61%, Japan 63% and Romania 73%. Anyone want a job in Romania? On a worldwide basis 31% of employers have this challenge.
As you would anticipate, there is a reverse trend in the Americas, where most of the present economic problems are rooted. Here employer numbers having trouble finding employees have more than halved compared with last year.
In biggest demand are skilled manual trades, sales reps, technicians, engineers, management/executives, labourers, administrative assistants, drivers, accounting and finance staff and IT staff. But surely there should be an even bigger demand for employment branding consultants to help sort out this mess! You have our phone number right?
Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and joint founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.
Hey guess what, the latest statistics out there in employer branding land suggest that 25 percent of new recruits decide how long they will stay by the end of the first week in their new job. It goes further to suggest that over 50 percent make that decision by the end of the first month. I guess first impressions count after all.
HR managers had better be very afraid.
Early leavers bolting for the door cite the following reasons…
1. Lack off cultural fit with the existing team Did they not get to meet with the team before saying ‘yes’? 2. Misunderstandings as to what their role involved Was it in writing, was it discussed at length and did they get the chance to discuss the role with fellow workers? 3. Being left unsupervised and unsupported too early Did they have a supervisor and a buddy system? 4. They were not inducted properly nor given the support at the start I’ll say that again… Did they have a supervisor and a buddy system? 5. They really were not interested in the first place The interviewer should be trained to spot this in the application submission and detect any hesitation at the interview 6. They fear not being successful in the role Perhaps they need more encouragement to get them through the first few weeks and to address any questions and concerns they may have
Employers need to know their own limitations and those of job candidates. A recruitment agency must take on the huge responsibility of identifying both and plan accordingly.
Post placement surveys of each new employee are essential to identify mismatches and misunderstandings so that appropriate action can be taken to rectify the situation. This can be tricky as some candidates have the ability to mask their true feelings down to a fine art, particularly if they have not as yet developed a sufficiently high level of trust in their new employer.
It is generally accepted that there are five key questions to be asked when selecting new employees:
1. Do they understand the organisation’s brand? Can they identify positive aspects of the organisation’s brand? Can they identify how the organisation is differentiated from others? Do they understand what are the organisation’s values, vision and positioning in the market?
2. Are their behaviours appropriate? Is the employee stable? Do their recognised habits fit with this role? Do they understand the company culture and know how to fit in?
3. How motivated are they? Do they want to go the extra mile? Do they have business acumen? Do they want to get involved? Do they have the organisation’s success at heart?
4. How innovative are they? Can they identify challenges and issues, think through them and find a solution?
5. Knowledge Can they actually do the job? Do they understand what it entails? Do they have the education and training that enables them to perform the tasks required of them?
6. Comfortable in teams Do they want to help people? Do they have the people skills to work together as a team and leverage other people’s ideas and involvement?
Tick these boxes and you’re likely to land a long term employee. If they leave early I guess you’d better engage a review of your employer brand. Or perhaps it’s the office wallpaper?
People often assume that ‘branding’ is the sole domain of the marketing department in their organisation. In my experience it takes organisations a long time to recognise that brand promises must be delivered by all the people in the organisation, at all levels, all of the time. Customers are quick to spot the inconsistencies in brand delivery when they happen and can be very unforgiving.
Business articles on branding inevitably discuss the broader aspects of organisational, corporate, or employer branding. Organisations are waking up to the concept that having strong brands requires ongoing focus on the roles played by people, service delivery, process efficiencies, environments and consistency of experience delivered to customers by each one. Each relies on the other, with people being the overriding factor that determines overall success.
The employer brand must build positive perceptions externally as well as internally, particularly in the way an organisation promotes itself in the recruitment market place. Job applicants need to experience the company brand from everyone they meet, everything they read and everything they see – from viewing the first recruitment ad, through the interview process and at the point of induction.
It is important for an organisation to test how successful their employer brand is with new recruits, at each touch point that influences the candidate’s perception of the employer brand. This should be extended to identify employee, customer and stakeholder perceptions of the brand and the degree of consistency between them.
The customer experience of the brand should be paramount. Your people need to deliver on the brand promise and consistently develop better experiences for the customer that engage with them and win their hearts. At all customer touch points employees must display appropriate behaviours built on self-esteem, confidence and pride in the organisation.
Employees fully engaged by the brand are a key factor in differentiating businesses from competitors.
Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and joint founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.
Almost 20% of the hits on my branding & communication company's website are from organisations seeking information on employer branding!
Is this 1/.symptomatic of there being no suitable job candidates out there or 2/.are companies afraid that they are just not perceived as great employment opportunities?
Is 1/. or 2/. correct? They both are.
No.1 is definitely the case in an Australian market which presently favours employees as a result of increasing skill shortages. It's a highly competitive market out there, there just aren't the same numbers of candidates looking for those vacancies. The economy has been strong for a long time, unemployment rates are low, we've had it pretty good. Whether or not 2008 is going to be the year of the big recession and big change is still being debated and perhaps may never happen. So what can you do about it?
You focus on No.2
The priority task for HR managers is to attract and retain talent by gaining a better understanding of employment branding and the benefits it provides.
"If the people on the inside don°t understand and respect your brand it's highly likely those on the outside don't.
To become an employer of choice employers need to define, nurture and manage the image and reputation their organisation wishes to grow in the minds of employees. Employer (a.k.a. employment) brands must engage with employees, inspire positive perceptions and communicate all the great things about the employment experience.
All too frequently new employees' job experiences fail to live up to recruitment promises, prompting disappointment and diminishing respect for the organisation's brand. In order to retain and motivate staff, organisations need to regularly reinforce and consistently deliver the offer that was made at the point of recruitment.
It is heartbreaking and increasingly expensive to have a valued employee, one who you considered crucial to your future success, leave and accept a position with a competitor. No employment experience is perfect. There will always be reasons why employees become dissatisfied and look elsewhere for new job opportunities. Most can be overcome and tend to be the result of little or no assistance in helping employees understand the organisation's brand and what it should mean to them, not coping with organisational change and confusion resulting from poor or non-existent communication.
In our experience key requirements of employment branding that have arisen in recent years are:
1/. satisfying employees' work experiences 2/. positioning the brand in the minds of employees and nurturing a positive perception 3/. regular communication to inform and motivate them and inspire respect for company culture, vision, procedures, policies, fellow employees and the executive team 4/. continuing education to help them work better and achieve more 5/. recognising and celebrating achievements and milestones
Listed below are situations that are likely to prompt organisations to consider their employment brand and related communications. Do you recognise any of them?
> launch of a new corporate brand > merger or acquisition of new organisation > change in organisation's culture or vision, perhaps inspired by new CEO > company restructuring > launch of new workplace initiatives > changes in internal procedures or processes > employee awards scheme > employee social and environmental initiatives > launch of new products > brand repositioning to fend off competitors or tackle new markets > brand extensions add new complexity > appointment of new CEO or management team > workforce retrenchments and reallocation of resources > brand needs realigning with core values > brand perception gap between managers and workforce > business units have differing perceptions and motivations > new employee induction materials > training materials > graduate recruitment > documentation of organisation's procedures and policies > regular communications to inform and motivate employees > intranet not available or not working > launch of new products or interest in new area of business > HR is overstretched and needs external help
As you can see from the above, your employer brand can be challenged on many fronts.
To overcome these challenges, stakeholders need to be able to:
> identify and focus on key issues affecting the success of the organisation's employment brand > recognise the gap between current and desired perceptions of the employment brand and how it measures up to those of competitor brands > seek professional help to generate ideas and solutions.
To provide clarity on what is working and what is not, I recommend you make the following a priority. Audit your branded applications and communications collateral. Determine whether they are building a positive perception of your organisation, its positioning, its products and its employees. Gather information from current and prospective employees and measure their perceptions and motivations. Determine where the gaps are and what needs realigning. With this insight you will be well on your way to understanding what needs fixing. How you fix it is the big challenge.
In my experience managers tasked with this employer brand review are 'too close to the coalface' to make an unbiased and objective appraisal of the situation. An experienced external consultant is often the answer.
The employment marketplace today favours the workers. In other words there are more positions than candidates, with the result that employers are struggling to create and retain the teams they crave for. Often out of desperation it is all too easy to install the wrong person with catastrophic results.
Candidates, especially professionals, increasingly pose a new question of their potential employers … WIFM?
So what do candidates want? – increasingly, financial return is not the leading priority. You need to offer much more than this.
“I want advancement, mentoring and inspirational leadership”. “I want interesting work, flexibility and a respectful and relaxed atmosphere”. “I prefer to work in a results-driven environment”. “I need to work in an organisation whose morals and ethics match mine”. “I want variety and challenges”. “I need to know that my efforts are valued and stand for something”. “Where will I be in 1, 3, 5 years … will I stay that long?”
Candidates insist on the truth. An employer’s eloquent and persuasive description of their company and employment opportunity must match the experience of the candidate when they start work. An employment experience is viewed as a transaction – productivity and knowledge traded for a promise.
If the position does not live up to their expectations from day one, if promises are not kept, should anticipated objectives not be achieved, then the deal is off. There is little remorse or loyalty, because there are presently many options available. In short, employers are in danger of wasting a lot of time and money in the process of recruiting, hiring and training good people, only to see them walk out the door.
If the keystone to any successful business or enterprise is its people and their combined input, productivity and knowledge, then few things can be more destructive than ‘poor fit’ employees – individuals whose core values, visions, standards and objectives (either personal or professional) do not match those of the business and its leaders.
What has this to do with branding?
What is worse for your business – an empty chair or a chair with the wrong person sitting in it? Creating an effective employer brand, marketing it and believing in it can help minimise or remove both from your list of worries.
A canny employer has to think beyond the traditional job advertisement which details a salary, hours and job description or even relying on a recruitment consultant to solve your problems.
A well considered and executed employment brand will attract the right type of candidate rather than a volume response. It will help market and promote your organisation and add value to your marketing and promotional spend and activity.
Tell the truth. Work out what is truly positive and unique about your employment offer. What do you offer other than a wage and a desk? When they get home, how do you think your employees feel and talk about their day at work? How do they express your brand to family, colleagues, friends and peers?
For many organisations employment branding is a brave step. It requires of them to look within, analyse the truth of who and what they are, listen to the positives and negatives and build a promise around the deliverables. Don’t however promise the earth if you can only deliver the sky. People will leave – it will cost you time and money and your business will suffer.
Does it work? Yes it does! I am creative director here at Heywood Innovation. I contacted Heywood Innovation after viewing its website. From the simple, clear and concise way the organisation portrayed its objectives, methodologies and aspirations relating to Brand Design I knew that a strong synergy existed. While no position existed at the time, the strength of alignment between the organisation and the individual dictated that one be created… and here I am.
Employment branding works – it is effective, efficient and productive.
Find out more by contacting Heywood Innovation. Alternatively you could spend barrels more money running yet more ads or giving your recruiter yet another brief.
Employees are probably the most important factor when building a company brand. Why? I’ll explain. They influence the way customers perceive your brand and their desire to invest in it and be satisfied by it. They are at the front line of customer interaction with your brand and directly influence its performance. They must understand the brand and be motivated by it.
Fulfillment A company’s inability to identify and fulfil customer expectations can destroy the potential of its brand. Every interaction between customer and employee determines the future relationship between that customer and your company. Failure to deliver the promise that your brand makes to the world can undermine customer loyalty and point them in the direction of your competitors. Put simply, it’s all about the ‘feel good factor’. Their ability to relate to the brand – what it has to offer and how value is delivered.
Many companies find it hard to realise that all the customer is interested in is getting a result. This requires constant focus on the customer experience through the entire sales process. This is often referred to as ‘end-to-end customer management’.
This focus on customer needs demands fast and efficient service, convenience, access to sales-related information, cross-fertilisation of purchasing opportunities and having solutions to all their problems.
Delivery of your ‘brand promise’ requires its manifestation at every point of customer contact from stationery, advertising, packaging, physical environments and your website, to such things as how your phones are answered and the clothes your salesforce wear.
Employees are critical in creating and reinforcing a successful customer experience and thereby building respect and loyalty to your brand. The outcome is positive ‘word of mouth’ communication about your brand.
How do your employees stack up? Ask these questions... Are your employees motivated to embrace the ‘brand promise’? Do they have an understanding of how to enhance the customer experience? Are they committed achievers who can articulate the brand with passion and conviction?
How often are employees challenged internally to express their understanding of the brand? Apart from their understanding of the sales process and transactions, have you asked them recently to describe what your brand is all about to ascertain whether they are ready to interface with your customers? What incentives do you have in place to excite them and motivate them? Do they understand the consequences of not living the brand?
Here are 10 tips on 'planting the brand' in the minds of your customers
1. Training Empower employees with a deep understanding of the brand and also product and service knowledge and ensure they can deliver it. Make them understand the key role they play in building a positive perception of the brand in the minds of customers.
2. Systems Have systems in place whereby employees can process customer requests in a timely and efficient manner.
3. Empowerment Encourage employees to exercise their own judgment when interacting with customers.
4. Information Most interactions with customers are very short, requiring customer and/or product information to be at employees’ fingertips.
5. Dealing with complaints Where a genuine mistake occurs, have a system in place whereby the employee can quickly repair any damage to the customer’s perception of the product/service and ensure the mistake does not repeat itself.
6. Rewarding sales and service Set performance goals not only for sales but also for solving problems and delighting a customer. Applaud great service and 'going the extra mile'.
7. Communications Maintain regular communications between customer and company, and also within the company to keep everyone focused and ‘on the boil’. Internal marketing of the brand is as important as that which is directed to customers. It must be equally persuasive.
8. Responding to change Employees can react adversely to change - ensure they are informed of what change is happening, why it has happened, what role they play, and what are its benefits.
9. First impressions New employees must not only be instructed in workplace procedures but be inspired and motivated by the company brand, its values, culture, achievements and the dedication behind it that is securing its success.
10. Service first and last Ensure your employees understand that service is a major success factor for every consumer-facing brand.
What value employees? When it comes to employees, companies tend to view them: - as expenses to be minimised - as assets that can build brand value
For many companies it requires a fundamental shift in attitude to achieve the latter. These ‘brand ambassadors’ are a high value consideration in brand building. Those companies which fail to recognise this value run the risk of weakening the brand offer, alienating customers and missing out on an opportunity to grow their business.
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