Managing Staff

4.1 Recruiting staff is costly and resource demanding. It is disappointing when a promising new recruit, or a valued member of staff, decides to leave. People resign for multiple personal reasons, e.g. a house move. It is, however, important that the organisation takes control of areas it can influence, including ensuring that management activities live up to brand attributes.

4.2 In a similar vein to recruitment, it is impossible for this book to say how an organisation should manage its staff to achieve its brand attributes. An organisation that ‘pays for the best’, will rightly manage differently than one that ‘nurtures new talent’. There are some key areas that all organisations can consider.

4.3 It is important to not only look at the content of procedures, considered earlier in this chapter, but to step back and consider whether the overall offer made to employees is coherent and aligned with the brand attributes. The employee package offered to employees may, for example, place emphasis on being ‘family friendly’. If all the organisation offers is statutory entitlements this attribute will not ring true. Instead challenge what management practices would demonstrate this commitment and what measures the organisations could offer. For example, flexible start times, working from home, child related benefits and paid carers leave. Involve brand ambassadors and other informed staff to test out what is happening on the ground.

4.4 Work with senior managers on how they may cascade the brand to their managers. Hopefully, senior managers will have invested time in the identification and agreement of brand attributes and they will be keen to realise the investment. They are best placed to ensure that adoption across the organisation has impetus. Look at how management techniques can be used to create brand related performance targets in work plans, appraisal and even links to financial rewards. A manager who supports the team to ‘fulfil potential’, for example, may score highly on periodic salary reviews.

4.4 Consider HR statistics to highlight any obvious areas that are at odds with the brand attributes. These may be different from key performance indicators (KPIs) that are used to monitor the effectiveness of the brand itself and which are looked at in more detail in chapter 6. For example, if an area of the organisation has high levels of staff grievances this may indicate a problem at odds with an attribute of staff engagement. High levels of dismissals may be questioned where the organisation places importance on developing staff. It may be necessary to fix the problem and put in place a management style that suits the organisation’s character. There may not be a quick resolution but one that needs sustained efforts; used well, the brand attributes will provide clarity on desired goals.

5.5 Exiting the Organisation

5.1 ‘It was a pleasure to have you as a boss, because you sent all my worries for a toss. As I leave my heart is laid bare, managers like you are sadly rare. Goodbye and thanks’ (Anon).

Would that all employee feedback on leaving on organisation was so positive. It is important to recognize that those leaving the organisation play an important role in communicating the brand and are a source of information on how well it is working.

5.2 The circumstances in which people leave will vary widely. Sometimes the exit is initiated by the organisation. Whatever the circumstances, how an employee is managed during the exit period will speak volumes about the organisation’s character and its values; and will be of interest to colleagues who remain. If, for example, the organisation prides itself on ‘thanking staff’, it would be damaging if a long-standing employee leaves with no recognition of service given.

5.3 People leaving the organisation may be more willing, than current staff, to express views on how well the organisation lives up to the brand. Use exit questionnaires and exit interviews to gather information on how well things are going on the ground, (explored further in the next chapter). Increasingly former employees also have a powerful voice through social media. Ideally, an ex-employee who posts on Glassdoor, Facebook, Indeed, etc., will speak positively of the organisation. If they don’t, as explored in chapter 4; decide whether an organisational response is necessary and if so, recognize that there may be things to learn. And, frame a response with a cool head. Even the most unperceptive comments from an ex-employee may contain useful information.

5.6 Time to Reflect

6.1 This chapter recognises brand attributes must be an integral part of the day to day management of staff. If they are not, the brand will not be considered authentic and it is likely to fall into disrepute.

6.2 Considering your own organisation:

Who would act as brand ambassadors? What support may they need to undertake this role?

6.3 Considering your current or proposed employer brand and a key attribute, for example ‘we value diversity’:

What policies and procedures support this attribute?

Are there any negative indicators in how the organisation, or managers, behave that may undermine its authenticity?
Numbers and Quality of Applicants
At its simplest, measure the volume of applicants who apply before and after a branding exercise. There should be a notable increase. Cost per hire is another useful measure and one, ideally, that is captured at two stages; total cost/numbers appointed, and total cost/number of related staff still employed six months from start date. If your employer brand is working, you should see a decrease in the cost per hire. Quality will be also measurable by numbers appointed, those remaining with the organisation after a given period or via feedback from recruiting managers. If there is a sharp fall in the numbers remaining with an organisation, it may reasonably suggest that recruitment attraction promises are not being experienced in practice.

Retention/Wastage Rates and Performance Management
Track how many employees stay/leave every year and what is their average length of service. Examine areas where there is a high proportion of high performing employees. Determine if there are any identifiable trends or common characteristics and test out brand attributes in those areas. With a well-executed brand, high performance and retention should be increasing.

None of the example KPIs should be overly burdensome, but as explained in the sections that follow, will take time and may require some bold interventions if things are going wrong.