Introduction
‘All other swindlers upon earth are nothing to the self-swindlers, and with such pretences did I cheat myself’.
– Pip, Great Expectations – Charles Dickens 1860
The collective views of an organisation can be as inaccurate as Pip’s in Dickens Great Expectations; believing what is desirable rather than facing up to the facts. In this chapter we will explore how an organisation may define its employer brand through honesty and awareness. Then test out how far this vision of ‘what it’s like to work here’ matches with reality. Gaining organisational understanding may be uncomfortable but it is an essential step to achieving and managing an authentic brand.
2.1 Who to Involve?
1.1 In creating a business case for employer branding it is necessary to identify who the players are (Chapter 1 – Business Case). It is now time to put these people to work. As previously explored, who gets involved will depend on the size and complexity of an organisation, e.g. whether there is a Marketing team. Involve people in addition to HR so that the brand is more likely to be widely accepted and can be managed on a day to day basis.
1.2 Regardless of the organisational type, there are some common roles in brand development and management. In small organisations people may hold more than one. Common roles are:
Opinion givers, these may be employees, job applicants, staff consultative bodies or in some cases the public. The latter probably only applies to large commercial organisations.
Researchers, normally in-house but could be an external organisation. They will find out how the organisation compares with its competitors, consider sector norms, assess the impact of potential options. For example, an organisation that aims to ‘invest in its people’, needs to understand and consider the consequences.
Decision makers, able to sign off a proposed employer brand and make its management happen. Dependent on organisational arrangements decisions may rest with the Chief Executive, Board or a Committee.
Opinion formers, services who implement the brand such as HR or Communications or managers and employees, whose actions support or denude brand values. Without their whole-hearted buy-in, the positive opinions of the targeted audience may be lost.
1.3 Ideally, communication with these people should occur at multiple points. This to include:
Researching brand attributes, receiving views on what it is really like as an employee or candidate.
Consultation on the proposed employee value proposition.
Feedback on the ‘success’ of the developing brand.
With new technology, gathering people’s view is not difficult if people feel safe and their contribution has purpose. What’s said may be surprising, (good and bad), but knowledge is a sound platform to create and manage the employer brand.
2.2 What is the Scope of the Brand?
2.1 In their paper, Employer Branding and Market Segmentation, Moroko and Uncles examine how the ideas of market segmentation can be applied in an employer branding context. (Employer Branding and Market Segmentation, Lara Moroko and Mark D Uncles)4. Product brands are often shaped to fit a target consumer, making use of characteristics such as; lifestyle, age range and geography. In a large organisation employee types may be so different from each other that different employer branding messages may be ideal. This could be seen in: large organisations which span continents and where different cultural values mean employees’ expectations consequently vary; or where roles are distinct (e.g. research and sales); or where there is a need to target a specific audience or a specific demographic, such as new graduates.
2.2 Reflect on your business case to decide whether:
To develop and manage a whole organisation employer brand, or
To separate to reflect distinct areas of the workforce where values and qualities may reasonably differ.
A word of warning if you follow the segmentation route. Employees must perceive an employer brand as truthful and relevant. Different messages to different employee groups risk confusion and alienation from what is said. Generally, it is recommended that the organisation decides upon messages that are consistent throughout, (i.e. a golden thread), but tweaks promotion according to desired outcomes. This could be stressing career opportunities for entry level recruitment or flexible working arrangements to retain job holders in hard to fill roles. Fundamentally, craft the employer brand to work for your organisation but keep it simple.
‘All other swindlers upon earth are nothing to the self-swindlers, and with such pretences did I cheat myself’.
– Pip, Great Expectations – Charles Dickens 1860
The collective views of an organisation can be as inaccurate as Pip’s in Dickens Great Expectations; believing what is desirable rather than facing up to the facts. In this chapter we will explore how an organisation may define its employer brand through honesty and awareness. Then test out how far this vision of ‘what it’s like to work here’ matches with reality. Gaining organisational understanding may be uncomfortable but it is an essential step to achieving and managing an authentic brand.
2.1 Who to Involve?
1.1 In creating a business case for employer branding it is necessary to identify who the players are (Chapter 1 – Business Case). It is now time to put these people to work. As previously explored, who gets involved will depend on the size and complexity of an organisation, e.g. whether there is a Marketing team. Involve people in addition to HR so that the brand is more likely to be widely accepted and can be managed on a day to day basis.
1.2 Regardless of the organisational type, there are some common roles in brand development and management. In small organisations people may hold more than one. Common roles are:
Opinion givers, these may be employees, job applicants, staff consultative bodies or in some cases the public. The latter probably only applies to large commercial organisations.
Researchers, normally in-house but could be an external organisation. They will find out how the organisation compares with its competitors, consider sector norms, assess the impact of potential options. For example, an organisation that aims to ‘invest in its people’, needs to understand and consider the consequences.
Decision makers, able to sign off a proposed employer brand and make its management happen. Dependent on organisational arrangements decisions may rest with the Chief Executive, Board or a Committee.
Opinion formers, services who implement the brand such as HR or Communications or managers and employees, whose actions support or denude brand values. Without their whole-hearted buy-in, the positive opinions of the targeted audience may be lost.
1.3 Ideally, communication with these people should occur at multiple points. This to include:
Researching brand attributes, receiving views on what it is really like as an employee or candidate.
Consultation on the proposed employee value proposition.
Feedback on the ‘success’ of the developing brand.
With new technology, gathering people’s view is not difficult if people feel safe and their contribution has purpose. What’s said may be surprising, (good and bad), but knowledge is a sound platform to create and manage the employer brand.
2.2 What is the Scope of the Brand?
2.1 In their paper, Employer Branding and Market Segmentation, Moroko and Uncles examine how the ideas of market segmentation can be applied in an employer branding context. (Employer Branding and Market Segmentation, Lara Moroko and Mark D Uncles)4. Product brands are often shaped to fit a target consumer, making use of characteristics such as; lifestyle, age range and geography. In a large organisation employee types may be so different from each other that different employer branding messages may be ideal. This could be seen in: large organisations which span continents and where different cultural values mean employees’ expectations consequently vary; or where roles are distinct (e.g. research and sales); or where there is a need to target a specific audience or a specific demographic, such as new graduates.
2.2 Reflect on your business case to decide whether:
To develop and manage a whole organisation employer brand, or
To separate to reflect distinct areas of the workforce where values and qualities may reasonably differ.
A word of warning if you follow the segmentation route. Employees must perceive an employer brand as truthful and relevant. Different messages to different employee groups risk confusion and alienation from what is said. Generally, it is recommended that the organisation decides upon messages that are consistent throughout, (i.e. a golden thread), but tweaks promotion according to desired outcomes. This could be stressing career opportunities for entry level recruitment or flexible working arrangements to retain job holders in hard to fill roles. Fundamentally, craft the employer brand to work for your organisation but keep it simple.
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