Ask chief executives today if they think that the reputation of their organization is more important than it was five years ago and they’ll almost certainly say yes. There are many reasons for this. Increased awareness of “ethical” products and processes, corporate scandals and many other factors have demanded that we all look much more closely at what we buy, what we invest in, or who we work with.
The 2003 Corporate Reputation Watch survey asked chief executives to name the most important business objectives that a solid reputation helps achieve. Their response? Recruiting and retaining employees.
There has recently been an increased interest in, and focus on, the employer brand. That’s not a bad thing, but much of that effort is solely aimed at attracting employees. In this sense, the employer brand is concerned with promotion rather than “product.” The product in this context is the employment experience—and that’s the core of the employer brand.
If the promotion makes promises that aren’t realized experientially, then it may indeed work in attracting new employees, but not in retaining them. Retention only adds value if the right people are retained. Companies don’t want to keep people who are not performing because they don’t add value.
The key metric here is engagement. In other words, are your employees aligned with and committed to your objectives? Consider employees as a dynamic asset. The value of their contribution can go down as well as up. An employee’s contribution value depends on a number of factors, including:
- How they are managed.
- The alignment between their job, their team goals and organizational objectives.
- How they perceive reward and whether they can influence it.
- How they learn and develop.
- Their involvement in decisions that might affect them.
Employee satisfaction is not a determinant of performance: It’s the other way around. Employees who are aligned with, and committed to, your company objectives will perform. They are much more likely to be engaged, channel discretionary effort to the company’s benefit; and given the conditions outlined above, be satisfied with their jobs.
Building a strong employer brand systemically from inside the organization enables you to build something that is sustainable, flexible and relevant. Through the creation of an aligned and committed workforce, you can drive performance and value. In the process, you will be able to attract, engage and retain talent; and by enabling that talent to be empowered to give their best, you will be able to delight customers and keep shareholders happy. This way you get the employer branding “product” right.
Because organizations are complex systems, we cannot do just one thing to ensure our employer brand. There is no silver bullet and any alterations or adoption of new programs can be expected to receive a range of feedback and will need to be supported elsewhere in the system. For example, implementing a new reward system for attracting and retaining talent requires:
- A clear statement of reward philosophy.
- Context rooted in business goals.
- A performance management process to drive it.
- Clear links between individual, department and organizational objectives.
- A clear line-of-sight for people between what they do and how they are rewarded.
- Managers who can apply the parameters fairly.
- Appropriate language and behaviors to promote it.
This one intervention generates the need for numerous other critical actions.
Finding the right starting point can drive desirable results with comparatively little effort. Guessing at it can lead to major resistance or, at best, apathy, with the next “great idea” consigned to the ranks of canteen humor.
Design a simple tool that helps you look at what is working in the employer/employee relationship and what is in need of further action. What motivates and engages employees? What, if not addressed, may cause them to look elsewhere? Sometimes it’s better to have this research done by independent consultants.
Five years ago, this type of research became imperative for some clients of my organization and we set about designing a tool to do the job. Working with BlackRock International and Oki Europe as peer reviewers and early pilot groups, we designed what is now known as the Q4 Profiler™.
This diagnostic tool looks at the employer/employee relationship in 12 dimensions. It can chart the employer’s desired state as well as their view of the current state. In addition, this tool examines the factors that attract, motivate and retain talent, including how familiar people were with the organization before joining, how favorable their impression of the organization was when they joined and their current feelings towards the company. The tool can plot the company’s position on an alignment and commitment matrix, indicating the level of engagement—a strong indicator of performance.
Armed with this information, it is easier to plan the starting point for an intervention, what has to be done to support it elsewhere in the system and what factors will likely improve performance over time.
The process never ends. As business imperatives change, the system has to change to support the new objectives. We must continually take a dispassionate view of the total employment experience so that we may accurately assess whether all of the components and elements are working synergistically to support the overall corporate objectives for performance.
The employer brand may have evolved, but like any other corporate asset, it requires evaluation, planning, investment and careful stewardship. Ultimately you can drive sustainable growth, and use that most precious of corporate assets—reputation—to your advantage.
