Finding and retaining staff

Alarmingly, according to the International Workplace Survey, which surveyed HR and finance managers across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan and the US, only 32 percent of organisations have a formal employer brand strategy. And whilst 20 percent are planning to implement one in the next two years, more than a third (35 percent) have no immediate plans to do so. These stark figures underline the fact that employer branding is being neglected or ignored and this is dangerous territory for any business.

Executive Branding

This leads on to another key consideration and a possible explanation for the relatively low awareness and adoption of employer branding. Where does employer branding start within an organisation? Who is responsible for developing and nurturing an employer brand? The answer to this seems confused and inconsistent both within organisations and in analysing trends across companies, and this is the principal reason why employer branding remains an enigma for many companies, large and small.

Defining and living the employer brand has to come from the top, with chief executives and managing directors working with departmental heads and human resources to ensure that not only is the brand understood, but also communicated throughout the organisation and exemplified by the head of the business to achieve any real credibility. Modern business leaders are expected to publicly live and breathe the company they represent, and this is no less the case when looking at best practice in staff recruitment and retention.

Perhaps most importantly, leaders need to have a committed and infectious enthusiasm for their work. They need to show strong self-belief and energy, stretching their own limits and those of their team. Successes are something to be celebrated with enthusiasm in order to build on them. Leaders should also use this energy to inject an element of fun into the day-to-day running of the business, creating a dynamic and positive working environment.

Preparing Future Leaders

When developing future leaders, employee training should focus not just on training for the employee’s current position, rather it should revolve around positions one and two levels above. This will benefit both the individual and the organisation. This approach helps develop employees into future leaders by instilling a sense of confidence and pride in the individual. The employee not only feels rewarded and valued, but also becomes aware of the responsibilities, expectations and mentality required in higher level positions. This opens their minds up to the opportunities available for them to contribute at a higher level and allows them to gain a clear vision of the organisation’s overall missions, while providing the individual with the flexibility and ownership to do what is necessary to complete such missions.

Driving the Initiative

Employer branding is not an exact science, mainly because it has to extend to every corner of the company and permeate the very fabric of an organisation. So it’s not enough to hold the occasional employee workshop or annual employee satisfaction survey; these are just the very beginning of the process. It is up to business leaders to drive the initiative from the top down and that means having a very clear set of purpose from defining the ‘ideal’ employee through to creating measurable objectives and best practice across the organisation. Businesses all know that their most important asset is their people. This is nothing new, but it is high time that they begin to practice what they preach!

-Vince Pollaers manages McKinney Rogers’ (www.mckinneyrogers.com) Asia Pacific practice and is located in the Sydney office. He has held a number of board positions and is currently chair of the Advisory Board of the Australian Twin Registry, a research facility funded by the Australian Government.