TM - October 2007 - (Page 17) Building the Pillars of an Employment Brand Ron Lawrence A clear value proposition, synergy with consumer brands, authenticity/consistency, loyalty and culture. These are the five pillars that form the foundation of an employment brand and render tangible and competitive benefits. The following are a few action steps to begin the building process. To create a value proposition: • Partner with marketing to align the consumer/ customer brand with the employment brand. • Hire employees who can identify with the brand or with the way consumers/customers regard the company. They must fit with the team, the department and the company as a whole. To generate authenticity and consistency: • Clearly define and articulate the organization’s values. What does it really believe? What does it say it believes, and do its actions support those statements and beliefs? • Because the value proposition is in the eyes of the beholder, regularly survey employees to learn what they really think about working at the organization. According to their honest opinion, what are the value proposition and brand? • Determine the key attributes of the employment experience. • Zoom in on the company’s “A” players and determine what they value most. These are the kinds of people the organization wants to recruit and can least afford to lose to the competition. What attracts and motivates them provides a central focus for the value proposition. • Research what talented people in the marketplace expect from employers today. For example, are the people the company needs still looking for a solid 40-hour-a-week, 9-to-5 job, or are they more interested in flexibility, even if it means earning less money? • Study the practices of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and other commonly referenced frameworks for identifying companies that are employers of choice. Use their best practices to create a brand that is compelling enough to lure the best people from other companies or keep them from joining competitors. To link consumer/ customer and employment brands: • Align the views of the employment brand across, as well as up and down, the organization. • Clearly articulate and communicate the employment brand to all employees and candidates. • Clarify and communicate any sub-brands. • Review hiring processes to ensure what is promised to candidates is real and consistent with what is actually delivered. • Solicit feedback from recent hires, departing employees and employment candidates who chose to take a position with another company. To engender loyal ty: • Look for opportunities to go above the call of duty by helping employees in need, whether it is accommodating an individual worker who has to care for an elderly parent or establishing procedures that assure everyone has a place to live in the event of a disaster. • Look for opportunities to be a good corporate citizen, such as encouraging employees to volunteer for community organizations or giving them time off to serve on nonprofit boards. To define an attractive cul ture: • Find out what characterizes the company culture. Be honest about its positive and negative elements. • Clearly articulate the culture as part of the employment brand (or change it if necessary). • Don’t try to emulate another organization’s culture just because it’s hot — find your own way. Shakespeare could have been talking to organizations and not just to an individual when he said, “This above all else: To thine own self be true.” • Make sure the consumer/customer brand is clearly understood by the public/marketplace, as well as by those who recruit and hire on the company’s behalf. talent management magazine www.TalentMgt.com 17 http://www.TalentMgt.com
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