Your Brand & Your Employees

Every company has a brand. The name of your company may be perceived as your brand. Or it could be a design, a symbol, or a tagline.  Usually, it is a combination of things that can include the logo, a mission statement, stated values, and the perceived quality of the products or services you offer. Your marketing team is positioning branding to make your company stand out to your clients or customers. But it is just as important that your brand is attracting the right talent. The brand should also be reflective of the company’s overall purpose.

There may be specific brands that come to mind for things that you buy, places you may go, or services you may use. When you hear Coca-Cola, most people still think “It’s the real thing.” When you see the Nike logo, you probably think “Just do it.” Then there is the sense of familiarity with brands like American Express or Hilton Hotels. 

No matter the brand, there is a growing view by potential talent that the brand must stand for something more. For many, they want to work in a place that aligns with their values. They want to know that the organization is about more than just quarterly returns.

If you don’t have a clear understanding of how your brand is being perceived by potential recruits, it is a good idea to take the time to find out. As a first step, you can work with your marketing team or outside marketing consultant on a short survey of your employees to see how what your company is doing around branding is resonating with them and if it is clear enough for them to share. Look at what specific words employees use to describe the company, the working environment, and leadership. Ideally, they should align with the brand goals of the marketing team in terms of brand awareness and understanding. If they are not aligned, some focus needs to be on ways to understand why and then make some changes.

There are two focuses of having a clear brand that employees understand. First, it is about the Employee Value Proposition (EVP). The EVP should clearly communicate your company’s unique benefits, beyond just employee benefits, and the overall workplace experience. Second, it is how your employees are talking to people outside your organization about your company.

There are a few first steps you can take, beyond an employee survey: 

• Regularly look at online reviews and ratings
• Track if and when your employees are interacting with your company’s social media content
• Get feedback from all new hires to see if they have a clear understanding of your company’s brand and mission

To get a better understanding of whether your brand reflects a purpose specific to your organization, you can:

• Track how many potential candidates were referred to your company by current or past employees.
• Measure your overall acceptance rate.  This is an indicator that from the beginning of the interview process, candidates had a clear understanding of your brand.

Understanding where you have good alignment with your brand both for current employees and those that have left the company and recruiting new talent, is important. It is the first step in getting your organization closer to standing out and having clear differentiators from your competition.