Exploring the Power of Employer Branding

In recent years, employer branding has emerged as the cool kid on the HR block. While some may have dismissed it as a fad or just another trend that HR and TA professionals are chasing, savvy employers understand that the world of work is evolving. Intentional employers recognize the power of branding on both the corporate and consumer sides and have strategically invested in shaping their organizational identity. Employer branding has become a strategic imperative for organizations.

What is Employer Branding?

Employer branding is your organizational identity related to the employee experience. It’s what you become known for as a place of employment – its word on the street! While you cannot control brand outright, it can be influenced and shaped. This also enables a greater focus on honouring the brand experience throughout the entire employee lifecycle.

In a nutshell, HR used to be a combination of programs and efforts that created and supported the employee experience. Employers with foresight know this is not enough to promote memorability, identity, and ultimately, pride. Instead, they bring together these people programs, experiences, and messages, packaging them into a cohesive identity that deepens the key associations talent make with them as an employer – not leaving word on the street to chance.

Ultimately, when thinking about their brand, they are considering how to do right by their team and deliver on their people promise. It’s a win/win/win situation. Candidates gain a clearer sense of how a career with that employer can enrich their lives. Employees feel part of something. Employers spend less time educating others about who they are and how their culture is experienced.

The Importance of Employer Branding

Infographic containing information on the power of employer branding

Builds Organizational Identity

Great employer branding unifies messaging and creates a powerful organizational identity that attracts and retains talent.

Activates the Full Recruitment Funnel

Move beyond “post and pray”. #DidYouKnow that according to LinkedIn, 72% of recruiting leaders worldwide agree that employer brand significantly impacts hiring?

Supports Employee Pride

Modern employer branding turns the spotlight on the team, celebrating their efforts and providing a “window into the employee experience” that can ignite employee pride.

Communicates Differentiation & Supports a Pull Strategy

Think of employer branding like a recruiter working 24/7 to share your organizational story. Even when you and your team are sleeping, your employer brand assets can meet talent where they are and share your “why.”

Makes Hiring & Retention Easier

According to LinkedIn, organizations with a strong employer brand not only save time and money when recruiting but also experience reduced turnover.

Assists in Broadening Market Awareness

Strong employer branding efforts can help broaden talent market awareness, critical for activating the full recruitment funnel.

In conclusion, employer branding is not just a buzzword; it’s the evolution of HR and one’s people strategy. By investing in this important work, employers set the tone for how their culture is experienced and commit to honoring their people promise throughout the full employee lifecycle.

To learn more about our full-service employer branding projects and training, click here.

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HR’s Impact on the Future Workplace

Culture, Employer Branding

Your Sneak Peek into 2024: HR’s Impact on the Future Workplace

It’s that time of year again. You know the time of year where we pause in deep reflection and plan for the upcoming year while predicting changes in the business and people landscape. Twenty-twenty-three was a year of many moving pieces. We saw economic shifts, talent shortages in certain sectors while other industries hit the brakes on growth or even made workforce reductions.

As we step into 2024, Human Resources or People & Culture will continue its transformative journey focusing on a rapidly evolving technological landscape, a heightened interest and demand for increased well-being, finding new ways to work together that ignite connection, creativity, and alignment while considering both business need and work style preferences.

Ready to explore some critical dimensions of the employee experience in 2024 and beyond? Let’s do this!

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Was it even a question that AI would show up on this list? Of course not. The big question on the minds of employers is how this new technology gets embedded into our workplaces. Businesses are grappling with concerns around how to utilize these incredible tools while maintaining confidentiality. There is an opportunity to help team members use their gifts and talents more fully by leveraging AI as their assistant to streamline or automate certain tasks. AI may also present feelings of insecurity amongst our teams who may worry about job stability or not knowing how to use those innovative tools.

What can HR do: Update confidentiality policies to reflect the use of AI. Train team members on how to use new tools to allow them to better utilize their time for more human-centric work.

Work style

In 2024, we will continue to see employers trying to navigate the changing workplace. For some, remote-first became a mainstay yielding rich savings from real estate costs, broadening talent pools, and supporting employee flexibility. For others, a return to the office, be that full-time or hybrid continues to be a work in progress. Many employers will continue to search for the sweet spot of how to attract and retain valued talent while also providing meaningful time together to deepen relationships, share knowledge, and harness the power of their organizational culture.

What can HR do: Speak with your team to better understand what matters to them while also considering business need. Investigate other aspects of work style beyond real estate costs including inclusion in order to remove barriers for strong representation.

Employer brand

More and more, employers are recognizing that employer brand work like consumer brand, requires ongoing attention. While some may associate employer branding with recruitment, strategic employers understand but it represents vital key associations made with them as an employer in a very crowded marketplace. In 2024, employers will continue to reflect on their employer brand, and amplify employee stories thereby helping to unite existing teams while magnetizing perspective talent.

What can HR do: HR leaders can embark on an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) development project to crystallize their “why” as well as assist them in building an employee lifecycle with intentionality. For those employers who have already develop their EVP, now is the time to reflect and update as necessary, as well as continue the ongoing work to help amplify employer brand key messages.

Not sure how to get started?

Check out Powerhouse Talent’s Brand Foundations Program that guides organizations through this critical strategic work. Powerhouse Talent also has a digital program called Land Your Brand. Learn more below.

Well-being

Gone are the days of the glorified hustle culture. Savvy employers understand that employee well-being pays dividends. Did you know that burnout costs “15% to 20% of total payroll in voluntary turnover costs, on average” according to Gallup. Employee well-being comes in many forms. This may be feeling tremendous support from their manager, access to strong people programs, having realistic work expectations, taking time needed to enjoy loved ones and hobbies, etc.

What can HR do: Invest in additional training for people leaders to better support employee needs. Promote organizational people programs (EAP, medical benefits, etc.) to grow awareness. Workforce plan in a manner that creates reasonable expectations for team members. Investigate other support modalities to promote well-being such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness, workshops, etc.

Belonging

The important work of nurturing belonging in the workplace continues. Diversity comes in many forms…cultural, age, gender, abilities, etc. Representation at all levels including on leadership teams and boards requires ongoing commitment to removing barriers and deepening inclusion within our workplaces.

What can HR do: Dig into the barriers that exist today and build a plan to help remove them. Educate people leaders on inclusive leadership. Partner with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and community organizations to develop programing focused on lived experiences that share, enlighten, and connect team members. Amplify voices, share stories, and continue to reflect on and commit to positive progress.

Upskilling and Reskilling

The skills of today may not be the skills for tomorrow. Helping our teams evolve alongside our organizations reduces churn and preserves institutional knowledge. Hiring for learning agility will also continue to become increasingly important.

What can HR do: Help managers better understand attributes for long-term success when hiring (such as learning agility). Create knowledge transfer plans that help employees stay and evolve with the organization. Create a learning culture by promoting access to micro-learning on desired skills.

Human-Centric Leadership

In 2024 we will (hopefully) continue to see the shift away from legacy thinking of command-and-control leadership to a people-first style where accessible leadership is celebrated. This human-centric approach helps remove historical hierarchal barriers to powerful collaboration. Its philosophy is rooted in a notion that though playing different roles, we are united in our shared mission. It’s a move towards greater empathy, accessibility, inclusion, recognition, commitment to employee well-being, etc.

What can HR do: Assist in the hiring of senior leaders that embody modern leadership values. Measure against designed values on employee surveys. Hold leaders accountable for leading in a manner that is in alignment with the organization’s people philosophy. Invest in mentors and coaches for leaders to deprogram former management styles and step into the modern world of human-centric leadership. Encourage senior leaders to model behaviours that support employee well-being (taking time of for loved ones and hobbies, reasonable working hours, etc.).

There’s no doubt 2024 will throw us some curveballs but these fundamental dimensions of a positive employee experience will continue to be areas of development for all employers globally as we move into the coming year. Here’s to a 2024 filled with strong employee wellness, gifts and talents being fully utilized, a workforce rich and belonging, and leaders that inspire both the achievement of business objectives and a personal and professional life well lived.

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HR Storytelling & Employer Branding – Connect Through Content

Culture, Employer Branding, Recruitment

HR storytelling content saying

Content is Queen! In the world of people and culture, one might be wondering how content is relevant to our discipline. Unlike any other time in the history of our profession, storytelling is helping to set organizations apart, providing a window into the employee experience, igniting employee pride, and magnetizing others to join the journey.

As exciting as this time is, a large gap remains in our discipline. So what is the gap? It is the knowledge gap. There are many HR pros hungry for growth, change, and advancement within our discipline and to all of those who subscribe to this philosophy, we applaud you! There is so much that we can learn from other disciplines and domains even outside the business world that we can take inspiration from to fuel our advancement.

So understanding the time is now to double down on our efforts for progress, what can we learn about content to help better our organizations?

It all begins with self-discovery

When we uncover who we are as individuals, the world opens up to us. When we discover who we are as an organization and own it, the same is true. It all begins with an employee value proposition (EVP). An EVP brings intentionality and cohesion to the full employee lifecycle helping to honour our people promise and increase the likelihood of brand recall in market. If we don’t take the time to understand who we are, how can we expect others to be invested in the mission and join the journey?

Aligning content to goals

Before designing a content strategy or building any content/creative, it’s important to get clear on one’s goals both organizational business objectives as well as people and culture. The two should go hand-in-hand, as only through our people and a strong and vibrant culture can we achieve our full potential and realize our business objectives.

Designing a channel strategy

Next up is developing one’s channel strategy. There are so many places to distribute content to but that doesn’t mean we need to be everywhere. By understanding our business objectives, audience, and where we would like to expand awareness to support broader workforce inclusivity, one can select the appropriate content channels. This can range from Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Reddit, blogs, YouTube, podcasts, LinkedIn, Medium, other discipline-specific niche sites, events, and more. We don’t need to try and boil the ocean. It’s about being selective but committing fully.

Keeping it real!

Let’s lose the corporate-speak and stock images. Nobody wants to consume self-serving and artificial content. Let’s instead focus on highlighting the people within the organization, celebrating their unique stories, and who they are as people beyond their job title. Let’s show up with personality and build community at work!

Showing up consistently

Time to commit to the process. It takes time to see the impact of ongoing effort but don’t be fooled, we are planting seeds and below the earth, they are getting ready to sprout. The harvest will come in time through consistent effort and showing up for our audience.

The benefits of content

Market awareness

Content helps tell our story beyond a single job posting on our career site or internal chatter that’s happening within the organization. It can help activate the full recruitment funnel and optimize the efforts of our recruitment team. It can help us reach under-represented populations and build a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

Employee engagement and pride

Content can ignite employee engagement and pride across geographies and remote teams. It can also serve as a form of recognition celebrating the day-to-day achievements of our talented workforce. It can build a community that deepens ties internally and helps us share our story more broadly thereby inviting others to join the mission.

Recruitment and candidate research

Content is by far one of the most powerful candidate research tools. It allows for multidimensional storytelling and helps bring to life our key messages. It also rounds out the information available on our organization, giving candidates more to consume than simply employer review channels and our career site.

So go on out there HR pros, let’s empower our organizational storytellers, and build more than a content strategy, let’s build employee pride and share our story more broadly!

To learn more about Employer Branding, EVP development, or content strategy, hit us up at www.powerhousetalent.ca. We build award-winning employer brand strategies. Will your organization be next?

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What Is An Employer Brand And How Is It Different From A Consumer Brand?

Employer Branding

neon sign saying here for an article on employer branding

Employer branding is an emerging discipline within the world of Human Resources. While many are familiar with the term branding from the world of consumer marketing, employer branding is its own unique domain and requires a shift in perspective to truly get it right.

So let’s start with what an employer brand is by definition. An employer brand is the organizational identity related to the employee experience. It’s not a logo or a tagline…those are simply branding tools. Rather, it’s what an employer becomes known for in the marketplace. It’s the associations that current, past, and prospective talent form about working at that organization. 

Your organization has an employer brand today whether you realize it or even more importantly, like it or not. You may just not be in a position of influence over your employer brand. Notice the word influence and not control. You can help influence your organizational identity but you cannot control it outright. 

The authentic stories employers share help build influence. When those stories are employee-generated, this influence increases even more as credibility grows.

Savvy employers are becoming more strategic and intentional around how they show up in the world and the quality of the employee experience they wish to offer. Thank goodness!

Many confuse the art and science of employer branding as an exercise in career site beautification. It can and should be so much more. 

The employer branding projects we have the delight to lead have allowed organizations to truly crystallize the essence of their existing employee experience and set out goals for what they wish to become. Rather than sharing an image of perfection, they share the journey and in doing so, build trust with their existing team and those ready to join the journey in the future.

So how is employer branding different from consumer branding?

While many branding principles are transferable, we are dealing with a completely different relationship where the stakes are much higher and the level of intimacy in the interaction must be thoughtful. It’s not simply a different audience.

For example, when buying a pair of shoes, if you select the wrong brand and make a poor choice, you write off the purchase as a lemon, possibly return the item or leave a one-star review and move on with your life. In the world of employer branding, you cannot return the job. You may have uprooted your entire professional life and/or family thus creating far-reaching negative impacts. The stakes are much higher. Candidates need credible information and an employer with a clear sense of self to be able to make a strong and positive career decision. 

Enter employer branding…

As mentioned above, employer branding is not a career site makeover or selling an illusion. It’s about reflection, strategy, intention, and commitment to who you are as an employer and who you wish to be. 

Employees provide their unwavering commitment. They deserve the same dedication to building an exceptional employee experience and one that can be proudly shared with the world.

Ready to learn more about employer branding? Join my free HRDQU webinar on May 26th, 2021 to dig into Employer Branding in the New Normal. Hope to see you there!

To learn more about Powerhouse Talent and our employer branding projects, click here. Don’t forget to check out our Employer Branding training and certification program, LAND YOUR BRAND.

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Eight Ways to Show Your Team Some Love on Employee Appreciation Day and Always

Culture, Employer Branding

Did you know that March 5th is Employee Appreciation Day? While this day of recognition is a wonderful idea to show some love to your team, employee appreciation should be a year-round affair.

Think of this day as you would Valentine’s Day. If you only show your partner you care once a year, you will likely find yourself in a hollow relationship unable to withstand the inevitable storms that we face in life. The same is true for the employment relationship. One day of cupcakes or a gift card will not make up for 364 days of under-appreciation and/or disregard for the people helping to power your organization.

For all of the people-first leaders out there, here are some ways to send some extra warm and fuzzies to the team on Employee Appreciation Day:

1) Fun work awards: Many organizations have formal award programs but does your company have an award program that is actually fun and interesting for employees? If you’re a fan of the TV show The Office, then you’ll know how meaningful the Dundies were to the team at Dunder Mifflin. These funny and wacky award categories were both an office tradition and an opportunity for bonding on a deeper level. While the Dundies may serve as the inspiration for this tip, it is still a TV show so keep your award categories respectful. Together with your employees (remember we believe in a co-created employee experience), come up with a handful of fun informal awards. Next, create bizarre-looking trophies (physical or virtual) to honour these not-so-polished moments and see your team light up in new ways. Come up with categories that celebrate the individual uniqueness of your team and share the categories before the big day. Have your team vote on finalists to further make this a shared experience. Embed this annual tradition within your employee experience and have your team come together to celebrate, laugh, and go down in history with their very own fun award.

2) Pay it forward – team style: With this tip, every employee is provided a fixed dollar amount electronic gift card that they can direct to a colleague who helped them the most, supported them the most, or just made the last year more manageable. This encourages a spirit of gratitude amongst your employee population and empowers your team to be thoughtful and aware of the positive impact others have had on them.

3) Pay it forward – social good: Set a fixed dollar amount and add it to your next pay cycle. Next, encouraged the team to make a donation to a registered charity or not-for-profit organization of their choice. Better yet, check out sites like Canada Helps for charity gift cards that make doing good that much easier. Research has shown that we feel better after spending on others versus ourselves. To learn more about this and other ingredients for a thriving workplace culture, check out our book Peace, Love & Meaningful Careers.

4) Theme of the year – SWAG: Create an annual tradition of setting a theme for the year and continue this idea into Employee Appreciation Day with customized SWAG that commemorates the theme. Think back to summer camp and the song of the summer, the sweatshirts, and t-shirts that marked that moment in history forever. Rituals and traditions are an important part of building a strong workplace culture and deepening the ties that your team has with your organization. Pair this idea of an annual theme with an awesome playlist curated by your organization. This further helps to unite your team and can also be a fun tool on the recruitment marketing front.

5) Virtual party with door prizes: While this year has been unlike any other, it has helped bring much-needed progress to the workplace. We are now comfortable and perhaps too familiar with every video conferencing tool out there. Pick your fave and throw a virtual party! Depending on the size of your organization, this could be by department or as a broader organization. Have awesome door prizes to help celebrate the day.

6) Our team rocks (low budget fun idea) – Invite your team to sport their favourite rock or musical artist t-shirt. This is an amazing way to see the person beyond the job title. Get the team together for virtual drinks, add some door prizes, and rock Employee Appreciation Day with fun games like Name That Tune and music trivia. You will catch me proudly sporting a Grateful Dead t-shirt and keeping it real!

7) Time off – Let’s face it, your team, like the rest of the world has had a rough 12 months. Tell your team how much you love them by giving them some time for self-care. This can be done in numerous ways depending on your operational needs. Perhaps it’s a morning or afternoon off where you rotate between half your workforce being off in the morning while the other half is off in the afternoon. Let the team know that your intention for the day is for them to use this time in a way that rejuvenates them, thus recognizing all of their hard work especially over the course of the last year.

8) Gift cards with personality (thanks a latte) – When in doubt there’s the much-loved gift card. While this idea runs the risk of feeling impersonal, you can combat that by adding some personality and linking your gift card to a fun theme.

If nothing else, be sure to take the time to extend a heartfelt thank you to each member of your team. As small as the gesture may seem, it feels great to know we are appreciated.

The logistics:

Set a budget.
Start the work early.
Create a “care crew” made up of employee representatives to ensure you hit the mark. This is an important point for any activity you are working on within the employee lifecycle. My firm belief is that the future of the employee experience (and the here and now for progressive employers) is a co-created one. Having our team by our side as we shape the employee experience, ensures that it is meaningful, collaborative, and united in its approach.
Spread the love: Shower your team with the recognition they deserve. Now more than ever, our team needs us. Send some extra special love to your “care crew” for their support in shaping an awesome employee experience.
Rinse and repeat: Every day may not be Employee Appreciation day but every day we should be showing gratitude and recognition to our team for living our values and helping to power our mission

The key to a thriving culture and an exceptional employee experience is intention. Setting a regular practice of gratitude and recognition tells your team they are valued…not one day of the year, but always.

To learn more about a thriving workplace and sparking a cultural metamorphosis, check out our website at www.powerhousetalent.ca (Employer Brand & Employee Experience Strategy Firm).

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5 Steps For Spreading Good Vibes And Weaving Purpose Into The Employee Experience

Culture, Employer Branding

We often hear that the recipe for true happiness and success is when your passion meets your purpose. In his book, Start with Why, Simon Sinek echoes the fact that everything you do should always have a ‘why’ behind it and should always be done with intention. If you are one of the lucky people that have found the why in your job or in your company, then you have truly hit the jackpot. Companies who prioritize and advocate for social good create a richer and more engaging employee experience.

There are several ways to weave social good into the everyday culture of an organization without it feeling like a hollow gesture. Here are 5 key ingredients to what I like to call “The Social Good Recipe”! In equal parts, blend purpose, prioritization, passion, planning, and production. And as a special bonus treat, add a sprinkle of party as you celebrate wins together.

The Social Good Recipe

1. PURPOSE – Survey your employees asking them for organizations and causes close to their heart. Provide context and ask them to consider your values, the communities you serve, and underserved sectors. Being part of the journey from the very beginning will help them feel seen, heard, and more engaged in the process. This will also give them the opportunity to reflect upon their contribution in life, both personally and professionally. When employees come together, working towards the same goal, they are bound to develop creative ways to realize that goal.

2. PRIORITIZATION – Select around 3 to 5 causes that align well with the fabric of your organizational culture. Prioritizing down to this level shows intentionality and brings a strong focus to your overall goal. Too many options will muddle the process and may overwhelm your employees, causing them to become disinterested.

3. PASSION – Create a group of social good ambassadors representative of the world around us. Next, hand over the reins to the people that make up your organization, so they can own different aspects of the process. If you are a company that is dispersed regionally or globally, it is important to select a social good ambassador in every region who then belongs to the larger group at the head office level. This helps with consistent and seamless local execution of initiatives within the respective regions, helping voices across geographies to be heard.

4. PLAN – Develop a plan for execution and come up with different ways to achieve your goal. When social ambassadors put their heads together and create an all-encompassing plan, it helps them become more invested at a personal level. This may sometimes mean partnering with a consulting agency that focuses on not-for-profits. Clothing/Food drives, volunteering at the local food bank or soup kitchen, participating in walks/runs, and building a home are just a few ways to make this happen. Provide flexibility for employees to be part of other causes outside of the top 3 to 5 that the organization has selected. Some organizations have woven volunteerism into the employee experience by offering days off to support community enrichment and/or philanthropic efforts to charities of their choice.

5. PRODUCTION – Making it happen. This part will likely be the bulk of the hands-on work. Seeking out vendors, coordinating and promoting events, and communicating key messages across the organization. Encourage employees to include their family and friends wherever they can. This will not only deepen a sense of belonging, but it will also demonstrate to your employees that you truly care about them and their families. And don’t forget to share your journey and pictures across social channels to further unite the team, deepen the meaning of the mission, and attract purpose-driven talent to the organization.

Last but certainly not the least, celebrate your wins (the bonus treat “P” PARTY)! Recognize employees or groups that have contributed their time and energy to serve these causes that matter. There is nothing like seeing your purpose and efforts come to life!

Well there you have it, social good can bring greater meaning to the employee experience and enrich your overall brand, both employer and consumer. And when your employees come along this journey with you, they become your greatest ambassadors.

Are you a company that is on a social good journey? This recipe might be a good one to follow so you and your employees can find that perfect blend of purpose and passion, as you enjoy every bite of success.

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Need help designing an employee experience that matters? Hop on over to www.powerhousetalent.ca to learn more about our award-winning employer brand strategies.

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Deepen Employee Engagement

Culture, Employer Branding

Deepen employee engagement - Employee Experience Infographic

The workplace continues to change and progressive employers are deepening employee engagement by recognizing the paradigm shift that is occurring.

You can read more about escaping legacy behaviours, sparking a cultural metamorphosis, and changing the energy of your organization in our book Peace, Love, Meaningful Careers.

Looking for support on this journey? Hit us up here or at [email protected] to learn more about our award-winning employer brand strategies and programs designed to help your organization realize its best self.

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The Most Powerful Transformer in HR

Culture, Employer Branding

Article on EVP and employer brand

I want to let you in on a little secret…

You might be surprised to hear me say that the biggest win related to an employee value proposition (EVP) /employer brand strategy project is not that of talent attraction, but rather the fostering of a cultural metamorphosis. A wonderful by-product of such a project is greater ease in attracting outstanding talent, as when one’s position and voice are crystallized, the opportunity for brand recall is strengthened. But again, that is simply a fabulous by-product.

When we commence these projects digging deeper and with a spirit of organizational self-discovery and intentionality around building an exceptional employee experience, we can transform more than a recruitment process. We can transform our culture.

This is not new and has always been the case. By the end of this article, you will understand why this happens. My hope is that I will inspire you to do this critical work. This does not require an agency although many organizations opt to utilize one for several reasons including expertise in this discipline, speed, ease, and objectivity. But most importantly, do not let budget constraints prevent you from realizing your organization’s best self! An EVP project is at the helm of a cultural rebirth.

Let the fun begin!

Let’s start with what an EVP is. An EVP is the “why” around your organization. It’s what attracts and retains talent. It is also your promise to your people. When we undergo an EVP project, we distill the very qualities which attract talent to us, as well as gain an appreciation for who we are not. In this realization there is power. There is the capacity to communicate clearly to both existing employees and prospective talent around the authentic employee experience. In doing so we optimize our recruitment funnel by having those unlikely to find success at our organization opt-out while those who will thrive in our environment have their interest intensified. For example, some candidates thrive in builder environments with a higher degree of fluidity and ambiguity, while others will be met with frustration and crave deeper process maturity. An EVP is an exercise in truth-telling flavoured with the aspirational tone of what’s to come, as with each hire we advance closer to this.

Next, some mistake employer branding as an exercise in career site beautification. This to me is “veneer work”. If what is beneath the #instaperfect surface is far from inspiring and contrary to the messages being shared, credibility will be lost. When we approach this work with genuine motivation to become our best self, we can co-create an enriched employee experience and future together with our employees. This is the business of transformation, not of selling an illusion.

For those who know that there’s something special that needs to be unearthed and are committed to this being the catalyst for positive organizational change and enhancement, this is the work that gets me fired up!

It’s important to look at this initiative with fresh eyes. It’s a paradigm shift rather than looking at it as simply another HR initiative. One needs to understand that the EVP is at the heart of one’s people strategy and brings cohesion to the full employee lifecycle.

Article on EVP and employer brand

Once an EVP has been established, every new HR program, initiative, and policy, becomes intentional and crafted to support an exceptional employee experience honouring the people promise. It is approached with a spirit of alignment to the overarching “why” of the employee experience. Rather than the employee lifecycle looking similar to a quilt with random employee programs patched together, it is an intentional and cohesive experience which aligns to this “defining why”. How we onboard, how we inspire, how we develop, how we build belonging, how we part ways, how we foster ongoing relationships within alumni networks, and how we invite those very people back into the organization as boomerang employees, all aligns with the EVP and tells a consistent story. If you’re looking for authenticity around your employer brand, this is how you do it.

An EVP is the Optimus Prime of HR. It is the transformer (80s cartoon version of course!) that leads the people strategy. Beware of the veneer, they are the Decepticons of this space.

Listen to our podcast to learn more on this subject.

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To learn how to escape the legacy mindset, foster a cultural metamorphosis, and change the energy of your organization, check out the book Peace, Love, & Meaningful Careers available in Kindle and paperback here. To learn how you can work with Powerhouse Talent on the development of your EVP, hit us up here.

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Winning at Work – Are employer of choice awards worth it?

Employer Branding

Employer of choice awards image of trophy

You’ve got the best gig ever, employer branding (I know what you are thinking…biased much? Raving fan of EB over here and proud!). Undoubtedly you will start to think about ways to build awareness and strengthen your organization’s reputation. Often employer of choice awards come to mind. With more and more award organizations popping up and categories emerging, it’s hard to know what is worth pursuing.

Employer of Choice Awards can be helpful within the world of employer brand management and employee experience strategy. When they are part of a larger people plan, they can provide intentionality and help narrow your organization’s focus on programs that are truly meaningful within the employee experience.

Here are five ways employer of choice awards can strengthen your organization’s position in the talent marketplace.

1) They force you to reflect upon the employee experience and make it better

The award submission process can serve as an opportunity for reflection. In my humble opinion, awards should not be a random exercise in throwing tactics against the wall to see what sticks. Like my philosophy around the broader people promise and employee experience, awards play a role in intentionality. They provide an opportunity to pause, reflect, and optimize. This may mean reviewing award criteria to better understand organizational gaps so that these gaps can be remediated. This may mean not pursuing awards for a period of a year to right the ship, do the heavy lifting, and serve the employee population in a more thoughtful manner.

Whether you are in it to win it in year one or simply information gathering, the awards circuit allows us to look in the mirror and ensure we are building a world-class employee experience.

2) Brand enrichment

For those lucky enough to be finalists or recipients of industry or employer of choice awards, employer brand enrichment can occur. Promotion around award programs provides additional reach and broader brand awareness to populations who may not have had the opportunity to interact with the brand in the past. Just think back to the last award list you saw and you will probably recall seeing names of organizations that provide a product or service that is not consumer-facing, thus you may not have had the opportunity to interact with the brand up until that point.

This means brand awareness grows, as does prestige, as discovery was through being noted as a leader within the industry and/or the employee experience.

3) Social proof

Social proof is essentially reinforcing a brand’s credibility by having a trusted third party associated with it. Think of your consumer brand purchases, you likely visited sites that mention the product or service being featured in a major publication or being used by a large multinational corporation. Social proof leverages the existing trust of these global publications and/or multinational organizations to establish credibility. Awards are valuable social proof.

4) Additional traffic

From a talent attraction perspective, many award sites link to either a career site or directly to one’s ATS thus providing an additional traffic opportunity. Let’s face it, attention matters. Gaining additional attention streams can serve both your employer brand, as well as your consumer brand.

5) Employee pride

Last but certainly not least is the benefit of employee pride. Being appointed a finalist or the recipient of an employer of choice award benefits more than the leaders of the organization, it can help to ignite employee pride. Employees want to feel proud of where they work as it is a pivotal association made with them as individuals. Being associated with an award-winning business with employee-centric practices helps employees feel proud of who they work for and indirectly helps elevate their personal brands.

There you have it, five reasons to consider industry and employer of choice awards. Once again, in order to derive the greatest benefit from this investment, it is important that there be an overarching people strategy that embeds the employee value proposition (EVP), essentially “the why” into each stage of the employee life-cycle. Once established, awards can provide intentionality, focus, and commitment to an exceptional employee experience.

Wishing you peace, love, and meaningful careers,

Alyssa

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How To Write Employee Communications With Heart In Five Simple Steps

Employer Branding

Have you ever received a corporate email laced with jargon and wondered why communications can’t share information in a more human manner? We got you. Not only is it possible, but there is also a helpful formula to make sure you don’t put your readers to sleep. Are you ready for it?

1) Determine what you want the audience to know and how you want them to feel

Start by understanding your communication goals. What do you need the reader to learn from this communication and how do you want them to feel while reading it? When we are intentional, not simply about information structure, but also the emotional response, we improve the output. Rather than a vanilla communication, compose heart-centered messages that share not simply the desired information but also enrich the employee experience.

2) Speak to one person and do so with transparency

Stop writing to the masses. The best way to hit it out of the park with your communication is to imagine your reader, not your readership. When you move from a generic mass communication to a custom-crafted message that can still be shared broadly, you increase your odds that it will feel human, connected, and sincere.

Don’t forget to be transparent. If you need to gloss over the facts with jargon, don’t bother including them. Employees want to be informed, trust their leaders, and this is built with transparency. Share the journey and help employees understand the landscape. Let them know what is keeping you up at night and what you are doing about it.

3) What’s in it for them

While speaking to your reader, ask yourself, “what is in it for them, or what is the impact?”. It’s human nature to focus on our personal impact, positive or negative. Shifting our thinking to the reader’s questions helps build messages which convey what is needed while addressing the elephant in the room. This helps communications land well, reduces noise, and assists the team in digesting the information.

4) Add images or video

Tell stories, don’t just regurgitate facts. Bring the reader into the story with visual elements. Did you launch a new product? Share images of the product team including the journey leading up the launch (the pizza boxes, the goofy moments, the product demos, and team shots). Bring the reader into the experience of the message with informal images and video. Highly produced scripted video or portrait shots won’t usually win over hearts. Keep it real!

5) Use modern channels

Communication is simply the sharing of information. Break those predictable communication patterns and experiment with new channels. From live streaming to internal podcasting, there are plenty of ways to break up with the “office memo”. Kick it new-school. Consider the criticality, confidentiality, and scope of the message when determining the appropriate channel.

There you have it, employee communications delivered with intention and heart! Now go on out there and build an awesome workplace!

Need help communicating with your team in ways which inspire connection? We got you! Powerhouse Talent builds meaningful employee communications, compelling employer award submissions, and social media content which unites. Hit us up at i[email protected] to learn more. Contact info here.

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