There are some key areas that drive higher levels of engagement and these include:
* Pride (employees like to feel proud of the company and the leaders they work for)
* Respect (employees need to be feel valued for what they bring to the table)
* Opportunity (employees need to feel they are developing, progressing and being recognised – particularly millennials)
These are by no means exhaustive but represent some of the most relevant & important drivers to creating excellent employee engagement.
All of these areas can be addressed by creating a programme that not only focuses on your corporate brand reputation and the values and messaging you want to get out to outside world, but on people development in a way that truly engages them to modify mind-sets and behaviours. Many companies immerse their staff in programmes that let them know what their corporate values are but rarely do they get to the level needed in order to effect real authentic change that is sustainable.
From the top down
Creating an organisation that your staff feel proud to work for I believe starts with the executive team. According to a study by LinkedIn (LinkedIn 2012), when top talent accepts a job offer, a strong employer brand is twice as important as the company brand in terms of brand name, particularly for those under the age of 40. Candidates feel they need to know a bit more about the ‘personality’ of the brand. In order to stay relevant and competitive today, the brand personality needs to shine through strongly, giving a sense of identity, authenticity and trust.
A new wave of branding?
Consider my theory that I discussed in last month’s edition, that there is a new wave of branding on the horizon – what if your leaders have such a clear and powerful personal brand and are known for a specific area of expertise that they get a much higher level of external exposure for themselves and your organisation than would normally be the case. Imagine what this could do for your corporate reputation, visibility and personality of the brand. Greater leader visibility serves to create a level of pride when employees they see their leaders on TV, featured in the press and presenting at external events.
When we have websites like Glassdoor.com that leave your company exposed to all the potential warts that go on internally, there is a growing need for companies to either balance this out where needed or enhance their reputation with positive, engaging PR via their leaders and employees.
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