noegrus, Author at The Surgery

“It ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it.” What a tune. 1982 apparently.

I say apparently, as I am far too young to remember the early 80s (cough, cough). My grandparents say it was a cracking time to be alive, though.

If you’re a fan of 80s music (no! come back, Millennials, this blog is for you too, honest), then you’ll no doubt already be humming it ain’t what you do. It’s a proper tune from pop giants Fun Boy Three and those era-defining dungaree-clad musical icons Bananarama.

Obviously, when the girls from Bananarama and the erm… boys from Fun Boy Three sat down to write it, they knew it was all about the secrets of successful and engaging storytelling for business. I mean, obviously, right?

You might need to bear with me on this one.

Imagine for a moment you’re a leading financial firm in a big city.

Your main rivals, Pugh, Hugh and McGrew down the road, are a leading financial firm in your city too.

You have similar clients, offer similar services and similar products at a similarly exceptional level.

There’s not much to choose between you. Maybe the biscuits you roll out for meetings are just that little bit more chocolatey. Gooier in the middle, maybe. Perhaps they just chose you because you’re right around the block from their office.

You’re going to need something to make you stand out from the rest (investing in even better biscuits ain’t going to cut it).

You need to be something different, so those big spending clients and all those shiny new graduates and talent just have to choose you over your rivals.

You need a story, a way to explain to people your why and how. Why are you here? Why are you different? How do you do what you do?

It’s all about the feels

The best stories are all about people. They’re about relationships. The relationship you have with your clients and customers and, of course, your people. They’re the ones doing your do, after all.

Through telling your story, you can create an emotional attachment – a feeling.

Tell a compelling, provable story, and it won’t matter what sort of biscuits you dish up; the power of who you are and why you do what you do will be what makes you stand out, be different.

If it’s genuine and you back it up every day, if it’s something your people can believe in and talk about with passion, then your employee engagement should soar too.

Stories are powerful stuff!

Of course, your what is important, but it’s the why that gets those neurons firing. See? It ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it. The next line after that one? And that’s what gets results! Bananarama and Fun Boy Three really were way ahead of their time.

I wonder if all 80s songs had a subliminal business message?

Maybe Rio by Duran Duran is actually about creating a growth mindset in a stagnant and destabilised marketplace. Maybe not.

Here’s three things to help you bring storytelling into your business;

Remember, it’s about EMOTION. Get them laughing, smiling, crying, nodding along in agreement. Your story needs to connect and move people.
LOGIC is important too. Your why and how are the connectors, your logic, the rational sense behind your story, is your anchor.
Give it some CREDIBILITY – make sure you can prove what you say, back it up with tangible actions. It’ll help show you’re a source worth listening to.

If you’re struggling to unearth your why and your how, we’ll do the deep dive, find out who you really are and help you tell your story (we promise not to mention Bananrama and the Fun Boy Three ever again).

Get in touch today @ info@ineedsurgery.com

(or how to ensure your workplace EX and EVP drives recruitment and retention)

Work eh? Would we do it if we didn’t have to? If it means we can make a difference to the world around us, then maybe, just maybe, we would. As The Surgery’s Employer Brand and Behavioural expert Si Andrew told attendees at the recent Barn to Boardroom Employee Experience event, a bit of CSR and a bit of care can go a long way towards creating a place your people will love to be.

Thankfully the workplace has moved on a bit since the 1800s.

Back then, employee benefits pretty much amounted to being allowed to keep all the wood shavings you found in your pockets at the end of the day. You might have got a few hours off to celebrate Whitsun, too, provided you made the time up later. The biggest benefit was coming home after a long day at t’mill with all your limbs still attached.

Stuff matters

It’s all subjective, of course, but these days, gripes in the workplace are likely to be a little less life-threatening.

Perhaps Gavin’s hogging the office Fussball table again, or your clearly marked yoghurt has miraculously disappeared from the communal fridge (I know I sound petty, Janet, but that’s the third time this week!)

Stuff like that matters to people, and if the culture is a bit crap at your place, then it can damage your reputation as being a nice place to work.

Back in the olden days, if you had an awful day, no one cared. They’d just replace you.

Now, your people can be on social in seconds to let the world know how let down you’ve been.

Companies can’t get away with not caring any more, thanks to Insta/Twitter and LinkedIn there’s an open window into every workplace.

“The best organisations are talking about how they can inspire their people to connect and build work experiences that matter and make a difference.”
Si Andrew

It’s an employee’s market

Being happy and driven at work goes beyond yoghurt and Fussball tables, of course. If you don’t look after your people, give them what they need to thrive, they’ll be off to see what else is out there in what is still an employee’s job market.

While tracking down the yoghurt thief is a good idea, employee experience goes a bit deeper than that. You need to make sure work is supportive, fun even, and just as importantly, your people need to feel that they can really make a difference to the world around them.

Genuinely caring about your people and building work around them will give you advocates that will sell your company for you. The best employer brand is not the flashy stuff, but putting your people first.

Walk the walk AND talk the talk

As Si told the internal communications gurus attending the Barn to Boardroom event, you need to walk the walk as well as talk the talk (we may have paraphrased that slightly).

If you’re to compete with Jenkins and Jenkins Ltd down the road, you need to offer more than organic kumquat and quinoa salad in the office canteen, as lovely as that is. The perks might be fantastic and are still important, but what do your people come to work for? Why are they there?

Gone are the days when offering the best salary in town afforded you the pick of the coolest graduates.

Work has to mean something. When candidates say they want to make a difference in their interviews, they actually mean it. Can you imagine!

“These days, flexibility, empathy and understanding are the most highly rated traits in employers. In polls, 70% of employees demand to do purposeful work.“

Support, trust and flexibility

It’s all about demonstrating your corporate social responsibility and showing pride in developing a welcoming and supportive culture to drive your employee value proposition.

It’s about striving to be a modern and accommodating workplace, one which gives its people support, trust and flexibility.

“79% of employees want to be able to work in a hybrid (from the office and at home) working model,” Si said.

“And these days, flexibility, empathy and understanding are the most highly rated traits in employers. In polls, 70% of employees demand to do purposeful work.

“They want meaning, not just activity, and many are saying they would be prepared to compromise on their salary expectations to get it.

“Having a shiny brand isn’t enough anymore,“ Si added.

“The best organisations are talking about how they can inspire their people to connect and build work experiences that matter and make a difference.”

The impact when you get it right can be staggering. According to Glassdoor, over 85% of candidates will research a company’s ratings and reviews before applying, while a whopping 92% of people would jump ship to a company with an excellent corporate reputation.

“Employee voice is three times more credible than the CEO’s when it comes to talking about working conditions in the company,” Si said, revealing just how important having a culture you can be proud about is in recruitment.

“Driving an EVP is about listening to your people, using design in your thinking and giving your people a platform to share ideas and be involved. It’s the norm now, what people expect from their job.”

Empathise and engage

Promoting a great culture, living your values, and showing how diversity and inclusion matter to you are key. People want a good work/life balance; they want senior managers to empathise and engage.

It’s not just compensation and benefits which drive people’s work choices these days.

Knowing someone isn’t going to steal your yoghurt and not losing a limb also helps!

Si Andrew and the Surgery Team can help create your perfect Employee Value Proposition.