It goes without saying, it’s been a tough couple of weeks. Almost overnight, the world changed and we’ve all had to find and adjust to alternative ways of working. Companies were left with no alternative but to respond quickly and quite rightly, many have focused on their employees by communicating, managing, re-deploying and furloughing.
Nobody will come out of this unscathed and some difficult decisions are still to be made. However, these quick responses will have gone a long way to protect employer brands and employee morale which has never been so important.
In this article, Jenny Jones – Director of ETL Resourcing, probes into a common question she’s been asked: Is it a good time to be thinking about your employer brand right now?
Well the simple answer is yes!
People are safe at home, looking for positive, inspirational and also useful content to lift their spirits and which they can share with others. Sharing good news stories like how you’re boosting staff morale; images of video calls or even virtual socials are great ways of humanising your employer brand and keeping you top of mind over the coming months. Maybe you’ve been fortunate enough to have new starters join or have moved ahead with staff promotions, this stuff needs to be shouted about!
Creating and sharing a useful set of resources is also a great way to engage with your audience as it will not only offer support to your network, it will also allow you to spend time in meaningful conversations and is a great way to build trust in your brand. You could write articles, host webinars, pre-record videos and podcasts and create some useful training content or a catalogue of useful sources.
In times like this it’s important to appreciate what we all have, and when that comes to employer branding it is the people in your company that define your brand. So, what could be more authentic than getting your employees involved? Encourage them to talk about how you’ve been managing the situation over the last few weeks; how they’re adjusting to new ways of working at home with children and pets, include photos or ask them to share new skills, hobbies or learning since isolating.
Offering this transparency will show a lot about you as an employer and your leadership, and it’s likely to be this projection of confidence, stability and hope which people will value during these uncertain times.
Finally, and most importantly, everyone needs to continue to stay safe during these challenging times and try to remain positive. If we all look after each other and focus on being kind, we will come out the other side ready to do great things for our employer brand.
Jenny Jones is Director of ETL Resourcing, she has worked in recruitment with various high-profile companies for over 10 years. ETL Resourcing is a dedicated talent acquisition partner for ETL Global partners and many businesses around the UK. If you are interested in developing the recruitment and retention strategies for your business or improving your employer brand, contact Jenny Jones:
