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Human Resources Book – HR Reimagined

Workplace culture book

Human Resources Book – HR Reimagined & Ready for the Modern Age

Hey there friends! Ever ask yourself “Is this all there is?”. Guess what, your employees are asking the same question and it doesn’t need to be that way. In so many cases, the workplace has turned into the hamster wheel where we spend our time labouring to fit into a box versus truly tapping into our full potential as professionals and as an organization. That is exactly why I wrote this book.

This book is a trip through my twenty-year career as a Certified HR Leader (CHRL) and the research I have done. Here you will discover a methodology filled with the ingredients to nourish your workforce and build a thriving culture. And I didn’t stop there. As a lover of simplicity and bringing ideas to life, my book also contains an implementation blueprint designed to help you operationalize key concepts and tactics as you move your organization through a cultural metamorphosis.

Within the book, I cover topics such as workplace flexibility, Employee Value Proposition development, diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! The book is filled with research as well as interviews with experts in the fields of diversity and inclusion, leadership, and media.

This is my contribution to the world in an effort to foster a greater sense of community at work. I hope you enjoy it. It was written with love. 

Wishing you peace, love, & meaningful careers, 

Alyssa

To learn more about Powerhouse Talent Inc. and our employer branding and employee experience strategy solutions, hop on over to www.powerhousetalent.ca.

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Article on EVP and employer brand

The Most Powerful Transformer in HR

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.

Workplace culture book

 

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Employer of choice awards image of trophy

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

 

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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Hit us up at [email protected]

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Internal communications image

How To Write Employee Communications With Heart In Five Simple Steps

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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Data Shows How Coronavirus Has Influenced Employer Branding

Data Shows How Coronavirus Has Influenced Employer Branding

Messages promoting public health also resonated – references to health authorities, social distancing, and healthcare workers were correlated with stronger engagement. In short, it looks like messages that put people first perform best. Whether it’s honoring healthcare workers, supporting local communities, or caring for employees, posts that convey empathy and togetherness are getting the most attention – and rightly so.

Ready to learn more about employer branding? Check out our free resources

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HR and Recruitment Training

Recruiter Training Has Never Been So Much Fun!

Recruiter Training: You’ve heard it before, your recruiters want more training. The war for talent is intensifying and the landscape seems to be changing on a daily basis. While conferences are great networking opportunities, you are really looking for training that is specific to your organization’s current state. A collection of generalized approaches to topics is just no longer cutting it. 

Powerhouse Talent's Recruiter Training

Behold…Powerhouse Talent’s Talent Attraction Learning Intensive. Our custom learning workshops are called intensives for a reason. We get in there and dig into your organization’s specific needs. We dive deep into pain points and build the path forward together while learning simultaneously. We like to say we put the “action” in talent attraction learning.

Powerhouse Talent's Recruiter Training

Powerhouse Talent's Recruiter Training

In each customized session we provide inspiration, education, and operationalization to help get you to the other side! The best part is we have a blast doing it! Our sessions are designed for team building and togetherness. They are fun and human….no stuffy theory lectures here! So much so that we have a 100% net promoter score with participants describing the training as inspiring, engaging, unique, useful, and high quality!

Powerhouse Talent's Recruiter Training

Give us a shout today to learn more. 

Join our journey on Instagram! Wishing you peace, love, meaningful careers!

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How to Create Brand Champions at Your Organization

How to Create Brand Champions at Your Organization

When you think of your employer brand, you may first envision reviews on Indeed or Glassdoor. But your employer brand affects far more than just hiring – candidates and employees are also potential customers. And when they have positive experiences with your company, they become influencers.

Ready to put the ACTION in Talent Attraction!?!?

We work with employers who are ready to stand out in the war for talent and turn their company from “best kept secret” to “talent hot spot“. And the best part is, we make it feel easy on you as a busy HR professional, not to mention easy on your recruiting budget! We have put together a FREE employer branding webinar to help you rock the talent world! Click here to access it.

Ready to learn more? Check out our employer branding and talent attraction courses and coaching programs here.

Recruitment and employer brand training

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Use Social Media to Build Your Employer Brand

Why Your Company Must Use Social Media to Build its Employer Brand [Infographic]

Employer branding is a key component to attracting the right staff, and given the widespread usage of social platforms, social media is a key medium for boosting your employer brand.

Ready to put the ACTION in Talent Attraction!?!?

We work with employers who are ready to stand out in the war for talent and turn their company from “best kept secret” to “talent hot spot“. And the best part is, we make it feel easy on you as a busy HR professional, not to mention easy on your recruiting budget! We have put together a FREE employer branding webinar to help you rock the talent world! Click here to access it.

Ready to learn more? Check out our employer branding and talent attraction courses and coaching programs here.

Recruitment and employer brand training

Use Social Media to Build Your Employer Brand Read More »