Employer branding: How to communicate the employer brand message internally

Section five of the Personnel Today Management Resources one stop guide to employer branding, covering internally communicating employer branding, leadership communications and guidance on developing your own communications strategy, together with a model approach. Other sections .

Increasingly, organisations are becoming aware of the importance of internal communications, but unfortunately, it tends to be remembered at times of change or as part of a special marketing promotion rather than an ongoing integral part of the business.

An organisation's internal communications is every bit as important as external communications for a number of reasons:

Employees need to know what is happening, what their role is and what they need to do

They need to feel valued, appreciated and recognised for their contribution

They can be your organisation's greatest ambassador, or it's greatest enemy

They need to know what is happening 24/7 so that they can respond positively.

That fact that information is power is well recognised, but just giving employees information is not enough. They need to understand why things are happening in a particular way - they need to be involved in a two-way process.

When undertaking employer branding, it is better to over-communicate, rather than under-communicate. It is important for the people with the information to be available, to listen to the front line and to create ongoing active involvement.

When developing a communications strategy, it is important that the internal messages are consistent and integrated with the external. It is also important that all the relevant parts of the business work together and that it is completely endorsed by the CEO, the board and any layers of management.

The initial attempts at employer branding may be a journey of discovery, and it is unlikely to be a neat and tidy process. What is crucial is to win hearts and minds, so that any commitments that are made to employees, customers, consumers and other stakeholders, must be fulfilled. So, it is important not to be over ambitious. Don't just say the words and expect it to happen. Identify the starting point, monitor progress and stay close to the activity.

At first you may want to start quietly and let the actions speak for themselves. There is nothing worse than an organisation trumpeting proposed changes, only to fall down in the implementation stage.

Learn from the experience, share the wisdom

For many organisations, teams and individuals, there may be examples of change not working. One very real issue can be about communication.

There should be an overall process built around the model of developing an employer brand (see model in Section 2 ). However, in many organisations change isn't sustained, the process is either too slow, or it is unco-ordinated, resulting in a lack of commitment from the workforce because to them, it is just another spin on the wheel. Therefore, at an organisational level, it is critically important to develop a process of connectivity, illustrating how the business is evolving.

In this way, change can be normalised and show how each initiative links to the last. Even if part of the process does not work, it is better to honestly show how the organisation has learnt from its mistakes and moved on, rather than ignoring it.

Taking time to communicate is a very important part of employer branding and shouldn't be underestimated. Developing an effective internal communications plan can make all the difference in ensuring 'buy-in'. If there is a mismatch between what people are saying either internally or externally, this is when any communication strategy falls down. People are smart - they see through facades, and they know when there is a disconnect between the message and the reality. Effective messages are built on integrity, honesty and trust.

Leadership communications

In Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders by John Baldoni, he defines leadership communications as:

'Those messages from a leader that are rooted in the values and culture of an organisation and are of significant importance to key stakeholders. These messages affect the vision, mission and transformation of an organisation. The chief intention of a leadership message is to build trust between the leader and her, or his constituency.'

According to Baldoni, traits of leadership communications reflect:

Significance: Messages are about the big issues that reflect the present and future of an organisation (for example - people, performance, products, and services)

Values: Messages reflect vision, mission and culture.

Consistency: Messages exemplify stated values and behaviours.

Cadence: Messages occur with regularity and frequency.

It is an expression of culture as well as an indicator of the climate, such as openness, integrity, and honesty.

One of the acknowledged greatest leaders is Jack Welch, who is said: "A CEO's greatest failing is being the last to know. A leader who never hears bad news is hopelessly out of touch."

Welch, well known for his communication skills also said: "The story about GE that hasn't been told is the value of an informal place. I think it is a big thought. I don't think people have ever figured out that being informal is a big deal."

Making the company informal means violating the chain of command, communicating across layers and not getting hung up on formalities.

One of the major contributions that Welch offered his employees was accessibility. In an average year, he met and directly interacted with thousands of his employees.

Robert Slater, author of Jack Welch and the GE Way, distils Welch's advice as follows: "Act like a leader, not a manager, use the brains of every worker, keep it simple, embrace change and fight bureaucracy."

Pringle and Gamble in Brand Manners (see Resources ) illustrate the importance of really listening to customers and employees, particularly those who are customer facing. They also quote the work of Bart Sayle, who describes a way of dealing with ideas as they emerge in management/staff interactions, by framing the response to a given proposition according to the following criteria:

Starting with 'What inspires you?' forces the listener and the speaker to aim high and concentrate on communicating something of compelling value that works at an emotional, or even spiritual level. The next level, 'What works for you?' requires a more analytical approach. Giving the details of 'What's missing for you?' allows negative responses, but then in the response to 'How could we make this better?' returns to a positive approach, which leads into a collaborative discussion on ways and means of building on the idea and improving it.

There is also the simple ABCD technique, which stands for Achievements, Benefits, Concerns and Directions:

Achievements: The list of things that have been done since last time. This gives the manager an early opportunity to appraise and praise the performance of the individual doing the report.

Benefits: The positive aspects of those achievements and the ways in which they have moved the company agenda forward.

Concerns: The issues that trouble the individual reporting. These might be areas that have not been achieved, or problems that have emerged in the course of completing others. Concerns can be a two-way street, with the managers able to voice any worries they may have about the progress of projects.

Directions: A useful way of wrapping up a status report meeting and agreeing the next steps for the period before the next review.

Both of these techniques are designed to create opportunities for employees and managers to meet together and share information. The more natural and open these opportunities are, the more effective they will be.

Fruit drink maker Innocent's employees (see Section 8 ) are great ambassadors for the company. From the initial setting up of the company, they have had a very clear policy of sharing information - weekly meetings, working together, playing together, open-plan offices and Friday night get-togethers.

Everyone is kept up to date with what is happening, but perhaps more importantly, everyone wants to know what is happening. Staff are interested and they believe the messages that are given to them because they fit with their overall belief in the way the company does business.

The more open and direct the communication between the top of the business and the front line, the more effective it will be. In large organisations, the messages can become diluted the more layers that they have to go through. However hard an internal communications team may try to send a clear message, it can be interpreted each time it gets repeated.

Sample communications strategy

When you are considering your communications strategy, here are some key stages: