21 October 2008
The job cuts just keep on getting deeper. Pessimism is the order of the day in Australia with predictions that the ailing economy will see 200,000 jobs disappear in the next 12 months.
Optus is ready to shed 200 jobs, Westpac 450 and Optus 115, on top of recent cuts from Ford, Fairfax Media, Starbucks and Boeing. Even education is not immune, with Victoria University slashing 270 staff and La Trobe University 230. Predictions from National Australia Bank are that unemployment could jump from 4.3% to 6% by the end of 2009, economic growth will fall to 1.25% by the middle of 2009 and interest rates will dip to around 4.5%. Not a pretty picture. Seems like quite a few Australians won’t be enjoying a happy Christmas this year.
Recruiters will have a hard job placing retrenched workers in new jobs. Only the very best are likely to get back into employment before the New Year – a situation aggravated by the many ex-pats, particularly those from the financial services industries, returning to Oz as a result of the even worse downturn in overseas countries such as the US and UK.
This is an alarm bell for all companies who value their most talented people to ensure that they have in place a strong and active employer brand, are reinforcing their commitment to employees and have great faith in the company’s strengths and opportunities for the future. In times of economic distress your top employees are the essential fabric holding the company together that must be protected at all costs in order for it to weather the storm and be in a position to make a quick recovery once conditions improve.
Although every company has an employer brand, whether they like it or not, many are ill conceived and fail to leverage accepted principles that can provide resilience in bad times and a competitive edge in good times. Challenging times like these will separate those companies with well maintained employer brands from those who are suffering with low employee morale, disengaged employees walking out the door to a more certain future, diminishing reputations, low productivity, negative perceptions of the employment proposition and loss of competitive spirit. Once conditions start to improve, a company in this position will experience extended recovery time to regain lost ground – which will prove time consuming, difficult and expensive, with high recruitment and training costs.
It makes sense for companies to review the competency of their employer brand now – is it really engaging with employees, do they recognise the company’s values and vision, is the employment promise being communicated effectively both internally and externally, are they truly inspired by the company leader, can they see a long term, secure and productive future ahead of them?
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
Monday, October 20, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Engaging your brand internally
When the time comes to reinvigorate or reinvent your company brand ensure that you align the experience employees have of the brand with the promise made to them.
How can you ensure that your brand gains traction with all of your employees – from the boardroom to the production lines – and that it becomes part and parcel of the company’s culture?
Remember that every company is unique and requires a tailored branding solution. Every workforce is different and requires tailored communications to help them grasp the importnace and relevance of the brand to the job they do and future business success.
You need help – don’t do it alone
The task of creating and managing a company brand involves a lot more than collaborating with those good people in marketing. It must be driven from the top. Make sure you include the people from HR and those satellite businesses that no-one ever seems to talk to.
Don’t be afraid of change
Dust off your vision and mission statements and check them for relevance – did they die a death some time ago while no-one was looking? Are internal beliefs consistent with the brand promise or is there a disconnect that needs fixing?
Will they get the message?
Your internal audiences need to be segmented in the same way you would segment external ones. Tailor communications to the specific needs of each segment. The messages you direct to employees in the factory will not be the same as those that go to senior managers or your sales team.
Don’t blow the budget
If you are creating a new brand or breathing new life into an old one, it is very easy to blow all the budget on external-facing applications and marketing. Plan well ahead to allocate sufficient funds for internal applications and communications. Remember the ‘inside out rule’– if it doesn’t work on the inside first, there isn’t much chance of it working on the outside.
Don’t get carried away with the creative
Ensure that the brand ‘essence’ is worked out well in advance of the creative team warming up their Macintoshes. Work out the essential aspects that underpin your brand – values, mission, vision, benefits etc and how they differentiate it. Work out a strategy for its success. Identify the gaps between the present brand and the aspired brand and how to fix them. Be very, very confident that what you offer is grounded in truth. Employees have the knack of recognising brands that are all ‘front’ where experience of the brand is a far cry from the ‘promise’.
Hit them at all touchpoints
The days of introducing new brand initiatives through the quarterly staff newsletter and hoping for the best are far gone (or are they?). Employees demand and deserve much more. They need to experience the brand dynamically and emotionally in a way that will excite them, inspire them and persuade them that they are part of a great team and a great company that has vision for the future and faith in itself, its products and its employees. The brand and its values need to permeate their environment and the day-to-day workings of the organisation, so they understand it and become part of it.
Their involvement will move you forward
Employee uptake of a new brand requires a considered approach. When planning a new brand or changes to an existing one, involve your employees and inform them what it is, what it means to the company and the important role they play in its success. Gain their input at an early stage so they start to take ownership. Once this happens real and relevant behaviours will emerge consistent with your objectives for the brand.
Measure performance
Changes to a brand or the creation of a new one can be time consuming and expensive exercises. You need to measure their performance before and after, to determine whether you are getting a return on your investment and whether your strategy for the brand moving forward is sound. Because no two brands or cultures are the same, determine the best means of measurement for your particular situation. Are employees engaged by the brand? Do they believe in it? Do they understand its purpose? Can they communicate its value and benefits to customers?
If you’ve successfully followed a comprehensive plan such as our EmployerBrandGuidanceSystem, within six to 12 months you should witness higher scores from employee satisfaction surveys, experience reduced attrition and attract ‘better fit’ job candidates. Your employees will love you for it.
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
How can you ensure that your brand gains traction with all of your employees – from the boardroom to the production lines – and that it becomes part and parcel of the company’s culture?
Remember that every company is unique and requires a tailored branding solution. Every workforce is different and requires tailored communications to help them grasp the importnace and relevance of the brand to the job they do and future business success.
You need help – don’t do it alone
The task of creating and managing a company brand involves a lot more than collaborating with those good people in marketing. It must be driven from the top. Make sure you include the people from HR and those satellite businesses that no-one ever seems to talk to.
Don’t be afraid of change
Dust off your vision and mission statements and check them for relevance – did they die a death some time ago while no-one was looking? Are internal beliefs consistent with the brand promise or is there a disconnect that needs fixing?
Will they get the message?
Your internal audiences need to be segmented in the same way you would segment external ones. Tailor communications to the specific needs of each segment. The messages you direct to employees in the factory will not be the same as those that go to senior managers or your sales team.
Don’t blow the budget
If you are creating a new brand or breathing new life into an old one, it is very easy to blow all the budget on external-facing applications and marketing. Plan well ahead to allocate sufficient funds for internal applications and communications. Remember the ‘inside out rule’– if it doesn’t work on the inside first, there isn’t much chance of it working on the outside.
Don’t get carried away with the creative
Ensure that the brand ‘essence’ is worked out well in advance of the creative team warming up their Macintoshes. Work out the essential aspects that underpin your brand – values, mission, vision, benefits etc and how they differentiate it. Work out a strategy for its success. Identify the gaps between the present brand and the aspired brand and how to fix them. Be very, very confident that what you offer is grounded in truth. Employees have the knack of recognising brands that are all ‘front’ where experience of the brand is a far cry from the ‘promise’.
Hit them at all touchpoints
The days of introducing new brand initiatives through the quarterly staff newsletter and hoping for the best are far gone (or are they?). Employees demand and deserve much more. They need to experience the brand dynamically and emotionally in a way that will excite them, inspire them and persuade them that they are part of a great team and a great company that has vision for the future and faith in itself, its products and its employees. The brand and its values need to permeate their environment and the day-to-day workings of the organisation, so they understand it and become part of it.
Their involvement will move you forward
Employee uptake of a new brand requires a considered approach. When planning a new brand or changes to an existing one, involve your employees and inform them what it is, what it means to the company and the important role they play in its success. Gain their input at an early stage so they start to take ownership. Once this happens real and relevant behaviours will emerge consistent with your objectives for the brand.
Measure performance
Changes to a brand or the creation of a new one can be time consuming and expensive exercises. You need to measure their performance before and after, to determine whether you are getting a return on your investment and whether your strategy for the brand moving forward is sound. Because no two brands or cultures are the same, determine the best means of measurement for your particular situation. Are employees engaged by the brand? Do they believe in it? Do they understand its purpose? Can they communicate its value and benefits to customers?
If you’ve successfully followed a comprehensive plan such as our EmployerBrandGuidanceSystem, within six to 12 months you should witness higher scores from employee satisfaction surveys, experience reduced attrition and attract ‘better fit’ job candidates. Your employees will love you for it.
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
Friday, October 3, 2008
Bankers run for cover
30 September 2008 – Asian and European stock markets tumbled in early trading today after the US House of Representatives failed to adopt a US$700 billion Wall Street bailout measure. Australian shares closed down 4.3 per cent, their lowest close in nearly three years. Financial services companies in particular are destined to experience the worst job and bonus conditions in nearly a decade.
The employment situation is being heralded as the worst since the internet stocks collapse in 2000. The doom merchants are predicting that we are in for a ‘Black October’ and that the situation is likely to get worse in the run up to Christmas. Oh goody.
What can we expect to see happen?
> senior executives will be ‘outplaced’
> performance bonuses from the leading investment banks will diminish, as they fail to reach targets
> performance bonuses will no longer be guaranteed
> more and more layoffs will be necessary, as witnessed by hundreds leaving financial services operations at ANZ, Austock, Wilson HTM and Tolhurst and investment banking operations at B&B, Merrill Lynch, UBS and Lehman Brothers who are all looking like shadows of their former selves
> the long awaited merger between Westpac and St George may result in closer scrutiny of duplications and costs and see more bankers forced onto the market
> trimming of traditional back office cost centres such as IT and human resources has extended to bankers and ‘deal makers’
> the first employees to be laid off will be the most expendable – those with perceived inadequacies, in the least essential positions, the misfits and low performers
> recruitment firms will have to try very hard to place these people in new positions
> pressure will be placed thoughout organisations to cut costs and hold off on new projects
> some companies will slash marketing budgets but some will get nervous and increase spending to protect market position
> employees will work harder to prove their worth and stay employed
> companies will stop recruiting new staff until the dust settles
How does all this affect employer branding? When the dust does finally settle and the machine cranks up again and job candidates smell fresh hope in the air, more so than in nearly a decade will a bulletproof employer brand be necessary to convince these people that yours is a strong, stable and worthwhile organisation with excellent job security.
More so than ever before will you need to reinforce to staff the fundamental employer qualities that have seen the company through these bad times and brought it through intact with renewed ambition to help employees and itself grow and flourish.
Employer branding consultants have a lot to look forward to. But how long will they have to wait? That is the $700 billion question on many people’s minds.
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
The employment situation is being heralded as the worst since the internet stocks collapse in 2000. The doom merchants are predicting that we are in for a ‘Black October’ and that the situation is likely to get worse in the run up to Christmas. Oh goody.
What can we expect to see happen?
> senior executives will be ‘outplaced’
> performance bonuses from the leading investment banks will diminish, as they fail to reach targets
> performance bonuses will no longer be guaranteed
> more and more layoffs will be necessary, as witnessed by hundreds leaving financial services operations at ANZ, Austock, Wilson HTM and Tolhurst and investment banking operations at B&B, Merrill Lynch, UBS and Lehman Brothers who are all looking like shadows of their former selves
> the long awaited merger between Westpac and St George may result in closer scrutiny of duplications and costs and see more bankers forced onto the market
> trimming of traditional back office cost centres such as IT and human resources has extended to bankers and ‘deal makers’
> the first employees to be laid off will be the most expendable – those with perceived inadequacies, in the least essential positions, the misfits and low performers
> recruitment firms will have to try very hard to place these people in new positions
> pressure will be placed thoughout organisations to cut costs and hold off on new projects
> some companies will slash marketing budgets but some will get nervous and increase spending to protect market position
> employees will work harder to prove their worth and stay employed
> companies will stop recruiting new staff until the dust settles
How does all this affect employer branding? When the dust does finally settle and the machine cranks up again and job candidates smell fresh hope in the air, more so than in nearly a decade will a bulletproof employer brand be necessary to convince these people that yours is a strong, stable and worthwhile organisation with excellent job security.
More so than ever before will you need to reinforce to staff the fundamental employer qualities that have seen the company through these bad times and brought it through intact with renewed ambition to help employees and itself grow and flourish.
Employer branding consultants have a lot to look forward to. But how long will they have to wait? That is the $700 billion question on many people’s minds.
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
Thursday, September 25, 2008
When the going gets tough...
The media are convinced about it and the Liberal Party is too. Australia is experiencing a downturn. Interest rates are up, house sales are stagnant, petrol prices are high, retailers are taking out second mortgages, tunnel operators are going broke, tourists are staying away in droves, Macquarie Bank and B&B aren’t as vocal as they used to be and even Harvey Norman’s getting worried. So, as we cringe when the ‘empty’ light on the petrol gauge suddenly illuminates, scrutinise the small car ads, scowl at the price of vegetables for the family dinner and plan a nice holiday in a caravan park close to home... let’s look at what’s happening in the world of employment.
A skills shortage still remains. If you can operate a bulldozer in a quarry or help engineer a new mineshaft, you’ve got it made. For the rest of the country though, the good times are rapidly disappearing about as fast as our ability to beat the All Blacks on their home turf. When things get tough with the economy, companies batten down the hatches, relieve themselves of poor performers and misfits, and job ads start to disappear.
Employers’ focus is now on keeping their top employees engaged and happy. Replacing good employees who leave is going to become much harder. This is where employer branding comes to the fore.
When things start getting tough in the jobs market, employees tend to stay put. Moving becomes more of a risk. The trend will be for employers to take stock of who in the company is performing and who isn’t. Guess what’s going to happen to those who aren’t performing? They’re the ones who are going to be out there looking for new jobs. And if you’re not careful, you’ll be the employer who they finish up with! One thing is certain, the good employees will still be asking for more money. And they’re going to be more confident that they will be harder to replace in the current climate.
So where does that leave you as a responsible and concerned employer? The strength of your employer brand is going to be under greater scrutiny. More than ever will you need to demonstrate that you are differentiated by having a strong employment proposition based around a solid reputation, values, vision and messages that you are communicating effectively both internally and to the marketplace.
Those companies with strong employer brands will gain significant advantage by being able to keep in place high performing talent. How strong is yours? In these changing times, it is now critical to invest in your company’s future by protecting your most important asset – your employees.
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
A skills shortage still remains. If you can operate a bulldozer in a quarry or help engineer a new mineshaft, you’ve got it made. For the rest of the country though, the good times are rapidly disappearing about as fast as our ability to beat the All Blacks on their home turf. When things get tough with the economy, companies batten down the hatches, relieve themselves of poor performers and misfits, and job ads start to disappear.
Employers’ focus is now on keeping their top employees engaged and happy. Replacing good employees who leave is going to become much harder. This is where employer branding comes to the fore.
When things start getting tough in the jobs market, employees tend to stay put. Moving becomes more of a risk. The trend will be for employers to take stock of who in the company is performing and who isn’t. Guess what’s going to happen to those who aren’t performing? They’re the ones who are going to be out there looking for new jobs. And if you’re not careful, you’ll be the employer who they finish up with! One thing is certain, the good employees will still be asking for more money. And they’re going to be more confident that they will be harder to replace in the current climate.
So where does that leave you as a responsible and concerned employer? The strength of your employer brand is going to be under greater scrutiny. More than ever will you need to demonstrate that you are differentiated by having a strong employment proposition based around a solid reputation, values, vision and messages that you are communicating effectively both internally and to the marketplace.
Those companies with strong employer brands will gain significant advantage by being able to keep in place high performing talent. How strong is yours? In these changing times, it is now critical to invest in your company’s future by protecting your most important asset – your employees.
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Which Employer Branding Consultant?
Employer branding – is it a lot of hot air? What happened to the creative content?
If you need help with employer branding challenges there are three options available.
1/. The recruiter/employer branding consultant
This category of consultant has arisen from the need for recruiters to:
a/. look for an additional revenue stream,
b/. get better results from their recruiting efforts, and
c/. help clients enhance their employment proposition.
By leveraging existing relationships with clients on a recruiter level, their main focus is to help clients develop an EVP (Employee Value Proposition). In my experience, these can be developed quite proficiently, usually involving workshops with employees from various levels within the organisation. The consultant then analyses the results and creates the EVP, which is handed over in report form. End of story.
What confounds me about this approach is that it makes little sense if the report provides no guidance on how the brand can be expressed creatively with messaging and imagery. Yes, the client can hand the report over to their incumbent designer, but not many designers have a competent understanding of employer branding. If they have not been part of the process from the beginning they are at a distinct disadvantage and it tends to show in the results.
Conclusion: they only go so far.
2/. The employer branding consultant
There are consultants out there who are good at the all-encompassing one-day employer branding marathon presentation. They tend to focus on the speaking circuit and writing books on the subject and spend little time practising what they preach.
The better known ones take great pains to inform you that the ‘song and dance routine’ is being replicated at many exciting overseas venues and that they are an award-winning king/queen of the rostrum. These presentations or workshops can be useful if you are looking for a comprehensive information dump on best practice procedures and thinking on an intellectual level.
Their Achilles heel is that they inevitably have no expertise to advise and implement solutions on the necessary creative aspects of employer branding and communication.
Conclusion: they only go so far.
3/. Heywood Innovation
We adopt a holistic approach to building employer brands. We are fortunate in having comprehensive skillsets within our team that cover research, workshops, EVP creation, strategic and creative brand development, communications and brand management. We are confident that our 9-stage EmployerBrandGuidanceSystem has no equal as an end-to-end solution. Our facilitated TeamPlanSystem workshops are dynamic and fast-paced. They are the definitive process for gaining buy-in, generating ideas and perspective, and motivating attendees to focus on issues and opportunities.
Successful employer branding is about the harsh reality of attracting, engaging and retaining top talent with an attractive employment proposition. To achieve this demands more than lashings of theory or an EVP report landing on your desk.
Conclusion: you need expert ‘end-to-end’ help.
If your employer brand needs some work, contact Tony Heywood at Heywood Innovation.
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
If you need help with employer branding challenges there are three options available.
1/. The recruiter/employer branding consultant
This category of consultant has arisen from the need for recruiters to:
a/. look for an additional revenue stream,
b/. get better results from their recruiting efforts, and
c/. help clients enhance their employment proposition.
By leveraging existing relationships with clients on a recruiter level, their main focus is to help clients develop an EVP (Employee Value Proposition). In my experience, these can be developed quite proficiently, usually involving workshops with employees from various levels within the organisation. The consultant then analyses the results and creates the EVP, which is handed over in report form. End of story.
What confounds me about this approach is that it makes little sense if the report provides no guidance on how the brand can be expressed creatively with messaging and imagery. Yes, the client can hand the report over to their incumbent designer, but not many designers have a competent understanding of employer branding. If they have not been part of the process from the beginning they are at a distinct disadvantage and it tends to show in the results.
Conclusion: they only go so far.
2/. The employer branding consultant
There are consultants out there who are good at the all-encompassing one-day employer branding marathon presentation. They tend to focus on the speaking circuit and writing books on the subject and spend little time practising what they preach.
The better known ones take great pains to inform you that the ‘song and dance routine’ is being replicated at many exciting overseas venues and that they are an award-winning king/queen of the rostrum. These presentations or workshops can be useful if you are looking for a comprehensive information dump on best practice procedures and thinking on an intellectual level.
Their Achilles heel is that they inevitably have no expertise to advise and implement solutions on the necessary creative aspects of employer branding and communication.
Conclusion: they only go so far.
3/. Heywood Innovation
We adopt a holistic approach to building employer brands. We are fortunate in having comprehensive skillsets within our team that cover research, workshops, EVP creation, strategic and creative brand development, communications and brand management. We are confident that our 9-stage EmployerBrandGuidanceSystem has no equal as an end-to-end solution. Our facilitated TeamPlanSystem workshops are dynamic and fast-paced. They are the definitive process for gaining buy-in, generating ideas and perspective, and motivating attendees to focus on issues and opportunities.
Successful employer branding is about the harsh reality of attracting, engaging and retaining top talent with an attractive employment proposition. To achieve this demands more than lashings of theory or an EVP report landing on your desk.
Conclusion: you need expert ‘end-to-end’ help.
If your employer brand needs some work, contact Tony Heywood at Heywood Innovation.
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
Monday, August 25, 2008
Do you care enough to attract top talent?
How socially responsible is your organisation? Do you realise how important a factor this has become in your ability to attract and retain top talent? Many of the Generation X and Y job candidates prefer a socially responsible organisation over one that relies on ‘old school’ remuneration and benefits. Some might say that they are the caring generation, one that wants to make a difference to the world and one that is increasingly selective when making their next career move.
So what is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development defines corporate responsibility as the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce, their families and the local community and society at large.
So how does an organisation embrace CSR in an honest and meaningful way?
It takes a lot more than a community newsletter and having staff plant a few trees. It requires a close look at the organisation’s behaviours and business practices. Are they totally ethical, responsible and considerate of the impact they have on staff, stakeholders, society and the environment?
“...a genuine attempt by an organisation to build meaningful relationships between the corporate sector and the rest of society”
As with most organisational initiatives, it has to be driven from the top and permeate all the way to the bottom. It must be an integrated part of day-to-day business that is constantly monitored and refined. Employee engagement with CSR only happen when open consultation happens at all levels, from the boardroom to the factory floor. It is a long term commitment, a keystone in the organisation’s foundations, not a flippant overnight PR gesture to satisfy boardroom concerns.
“...operates in ways that meet, or exceed, the ethical, legal, commercial and public expectations that society has of business”
CSR strategies can be wide ranging, such as facilitating disabled workers, considerations for indigenous and ethnic workers, environmental initiatives, safety policies, health & wellbeing programs, flexible work options and community sponsorships.
CSR conscious organisations are tuned in to the power of people and the positive impact an engaged and inspired workforce can have – which inevitably leads to success in the community and success in business.
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
Share on Facebook
So what is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development defines corporate responsibility as the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce, their families and the local community and society at large.
So how does an organisation embrace CSR in an honest and meaningful way?
It takes a lot more than a community newsletter and having staff plant a few trees. It requires a close look at the organisation’s behaviours and business practices. Are they totally ethical, responsible and considerate of the impact they have on staff, stakeholders, society and the environment?
“...a genuine attempt by an organisation to build meaningful relationships between the corporate sector and the rest of society”
As with most organisational initiatives, it has to be driven from the top and permeate all the way to the bottom. It must be an integrated part of day-to-day business that is constantly monitored and refined. Employee engagement with CSR only happen when open consultation happens at all levels, from the boardroom to the factory floor. It is a long term commitment, a keystone in the organisation’s foundations, not a flippant overnight PR gesture to satisfy boardroom concerns.
“...operates in ways that meet, or exceed, the ethical, legal, commercial and public expectations that society has of business”
CSR strategies can be wide ranging, such as facilitating disabled workers, considerations for indigenous and ethnic workers, environmental initiatives, safety policies, health & wellbeing programs, flexible work options and community sponsorships.
CSR conscious organisations are tuned in to the power of people and the positive impact an engaged and inspired workforce can have – which inevitably leads to success in the community and success in business.
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
Share on Facebook
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Communicating on the inside
For an organisation to achieve optimal employee engagement, it must communicate with its audiences clearly, appropriately and consistently and back this up with appropriate behaviours. Employees need to believe what they read, hear and see.
The CEO and senior team need to champion communications that inform and motivate employees, that consistently reinforce company values and attitudes with a ‘look & feel’ and voice that is recognised as belonging to that organisation. They must demonstrate a caring and responsible attitude and always remain visible and accessible.
Communications play a key role where regular ‘face to face’ meetings are difficult to arrange – either because people are in different locations or they simply cannot find the time as a result of intense workloads. They bridge the gap of painting the bigger picture of ‘what’s happening at the top’ and how it impacts on the way the business is run and its future potential.
Feed in the ‘bigger picture’ messages as well as the day-to-day stuff. Communications to employees should clarify the organisation’s vision, direction and values on an ongoing basis. This will deliver a level of comfort that the organisation is in safe and capable hands and reinforce the importance of the role that employees play in achieving objectives.
“I’ve really no idea what they have in mind”
When communications don’t happen, employee engagement diminishes.
> CEO and senior management start to become invisible
> employees become critical of the senior team and perceive that they don’t care or don’t want to make their intentions known
> employee morale begins to suffer and motivation goes out the window
“I’m busy. I’ll read it next week”
Too much communication on the other hand can be bad. Employees can find it difficult to filter out the important messages that they need to take note of. Communications can become bland, featureless and struggle for original content. They ‘move off the radar’. Once this happens it is very difficult to re-engage with employees.
“That’s not what my manager told me”
Frontline managers often become the messengers of organisational goals, strategy and performance. Care must be taken to ensure that they communicate messages accurately and consistently and have the necessary training and tools to do so. Failure to do so may cause them to shy away from the responsibility or make a half hearted effort which is inconsistent with communications from other managers. Fragmented and diluted messages may do more harm than good. Managers should be well briefed on the objectives and content of communications to ensure enterprise-wide consistency and take up. Organisations should adopt best practice by briefing managers, sharing the information with them and giving them direction on how it should be delivered to employees.
“Some of it got lost in the translation”
Avoid disengagement with other offices and business units. Internal communications are more difficult where offices are in multiple locations or an organisation comprises different business units. They may need to be adjusted to suit local audiences, local culture and languages. What works in Papua New Guinea may not work in Manchester, and what works in a filling station may not work at the refinery. Respect cultural differences and ensure communications are tailored specifically to local conditions. It requires help from people on the ground who possess insight and in-depth knowledge of the local audience –
> does the message need to be adapted?
> does it need additional explanation?
> does it need to be translated?
> will it cause offence?
> is the style and tone appropriate for this audience?
> will it make any sense?
“We forgot to include the creative WIIFM factor”
One of the main aims of internal communications is to motivate employees and hopefully inspire a change or enhancement in behaviours. To achieve this often means engaging with them creatively on an intellectual and emotional level and delivering on the WIIFM factor – What's In It For Me. By this I mean having a recognisable theme such as sports to provide a performance-related aspect to the communication – teamwork and striving to win... or space travel – the quest to go beyond accepted limits and chart new territory. The hope is that the employee will relate to the metaphor and be inspired by the brand vision, embrace the challenge, engage as a team member and push the boundaries.
“The community has a lot of respect for my employer”
More and more employees want to be reassured that they are working for an employer that conducts itself in an ethical and responsible manner and respects local communities and the environment – an employer that is not subject to adverse media attention for unseemly CSR behaviour and malpractice. The big mistake many companies make is not to involve employees in the development of CSR strategy and communications. Let them contribute and be part of it. Get them to understand what it is all about and how important it is that the required behaviours must be demonstrated by everyone, not just the company. It deserves a lot more effort than just ticking the boxes in the annual CSR report.
Remember that it is highly likely that the investment you make in internal communications will not only have a positive effect on your employees but also on the financial performance of your business.
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
Share on Facebook
The CEO and senior team need to champion communications that inform and motivate employees, that consistently reinforce company values and attitudes with a ‘look & feel’ and voice that is recognised as belonging to that organisation. They must demonstrate a caring and responsible attitude and always remain visible and accessible.
Communications play a key role where regular ‘face to face’ meetings are difficult to arrange – either because people are in different locations or they simply cannot find the time as a result of intense workloads. They bridge the gap of painting the bigger picture of ‘what’s happening at the top’ and how it impacts on the way the business is run and its future potential.
Feed in the ‘bigger picture’ messages as well as the day-to-day stuff. Communications to employees should clarify the organisation’s vision, direction and values on an ongoing basis. This will deliver a level of comfort that the organisation is in safe and capable hands and reinforce the importance of the role that employees play in achieving objectives.
“I’ve really no idea what they have in mind”
When communications don’t happen, employee engagement diminishes.
> CEO and senior management start to become invisible
> employees become critical of the senior team and perceive that they don’t care or don’t want to make their intentions known
> employee morale begins to suffer and motivation goes out the window
“I’m busy. I’ll read it next week”
Too much communication on the other hand can be bad. Employees can find it difficult to filter out the important messages that they need to take note of. Communications can become bland, featureless and struggle for original content. They ‘move off the radar’. Once this happens it is very difficult to re-engage with employees.
“That’s not what my manager told me”
Frontline managers often become the messengers of organisational goals, strategy and performance. Care must be taken to ensure that they communicate messages accurately and consistently and have the necessary training and tools to do so. Failure to do so may cause them to shy away from the responsibility or make a half hearted effort which is inconsistent with communications from other managers. Fragmented and diluted messages may do more harm than good. Managers should be well briefed on the objectives and content of communications to ensure enterprise-wide consistency and take up. Organisations should adopt best practice by briefing managers, sharing the information with them and giving them direction on how it should be delivered to employees.
“Some of it got lost in the translation”
Avoid disengagement with other offices and business units. Internal communications are more difficult where offices are in multiple locations or an organisation comprises different business units. They may need to be adjusted to suit local audiences, local culture and languages. What works in Papua New Guinea may not work in Manchester, and what works in a filling station may not work at the refinery. Respect cultural differences and ensure communications are tailored specifically to local conditions. It requires help from people on the ground who possess insight and in-depth knowledge of the local audience –
> does the message need to be adapted?
> does it need additional explanation?
> does it need to be translated?
> will it cause offence?
> is the style and tone appropriate for this audience?
> will it make any sense?
“We forgot to include the creative WIIFM factor”
One of the main aims of internal communications is to motivate employees and hopefully inspire a change or enhancement in behaviours. To achieve this often means engaging with them creatively on an intellectual and emotional level and delivering on the WIIFM factor – What's In It For Me. By this I mean having a recognisable theme such as sports to provide a performance-related aspect to the communication – teamwork and striving to win... or space travel – the quest to go beyond accepted limits and chart new territory. The hope is that the employee will relate to the metaphor and be inspired by the brand vision, embrace the challenge, engage as a team member and push the boundaries.
“The community has a lot of respect for my employer”
More and more employees want to be reassured that they are working for an employer that conducts itself in an ethical and responsible manner and respects local communities and the environment – an employer that is not subject to adverse media attention for unseemly CSR behaviour and malpractice. The big mistake many companies make is not to involve employees in the development of CSR strategy and communications. Let them contribute and be part of it. Get them to understand what it is all about and how important it is that the required behaviours must be demonstrated by everyone, not just the company. It deserves a lot more effort than just ticking the boxes in the annual CSR report.
Remember that it is highly likely that the investment you make in internal communications will not only have a positive effect on your employees but also on the financial performance of your business.
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.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg
Share on Facebook
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
