Author: noegrus

Choosing the perfect film was once about glossy covers and a leap of faith. But now it’s about online reviews and realistic expectations. So, do you approach your employer branding like a 90s VHS or a modern blockbuster?

“Let’s go down the video shop”, he said.

It was Saturday afternoon. I’d switched off the Sega, and met up with my friend. We were off to rent a film from the video shop, as we called it back then in the 90s.

I remember stepping through the door, marvelling at the floor to ceiling shelves. “There must be at least two hundred movies here”. Ha, how we can laugh now.

We’d head off in different directions to gather a small pile of the videos we liked. Both finding inevitable excuses to pass the adult section several times.

“What about this one?” he said.

Return of the Killer Tomatoes. Looks interesting. The cover was some buff commando with a big red face.

“Epic”, I said, “basically Rambo with a tomato head”.

We took it home and put it on. But what we actually got was a film about giant tomatoes rolling over civilians and a mad scientist using music to turn tomatoes into people. Now, I know some people might regard this as a B-movie classic, but it was hardly the action film we’d dreamed of.

The term ‘never judge a book by its cover’ is well known, but no one told us it applied to VHS too. And in those days, how else would you judge it?*

The trouble is, the covers could really pull you in – make it sound exciting, make it look great – something that acting and special effects seemed to rarely deliver (no offence film fans, there’s still some great movies from that era).

Fast forward to 2023 and you probably get your films online after a quick search and a read of the reviews. It’s a totally different world.

Erm, I thought this was about employer branding

90s VHS often set expectations that the film failed to deliver. And it wasn’t just this one. Time after time, we were let down by interesting looking horrors that turned out to be god-awful puppet shows.

Great cover artwork would grab our attention, but it didn’t guarantee a good watch.

The same is true of employer branding. We can get attention with some slick words and big promises, but that doesn’t guarantee a good experience when you get through the door.

What happens if the experience doesn’t match the expectation? Well, in our scenario, we wasted three pounds and two hours of our life. But for you as an employer, you’d lose your candidate and all the time, effort and investment that went into recruiting and onboarding them.

And that’s if they don’t do their research and find out the truth about you first, before you have a chance to convince them otherwise.

Approach your branding like a modern movie, not a 90s horror

A lot has happened since those video shop days – perhaps most notably is the internet. And that means everyone has a voice.

For movies, you can find countless reviews online and form a good idea of what to expect. For employment, well actually it’s very much the same.

You used to be able to close the doors to the office and paint a picture of whatever you wanted to the outside world, but now the world is much more transparent, so the truth comes out (ahem, Brewdog).

What does all this mean? Well, it means three things, and some of them are biggies:

1. Get your shit in order. If you’re losing people because you have a toxic culture or you’re not paying a fair wage, then no amount of branding will fix that. Make people want to work for you because you’re a great place to work.
2. Build an authentic brand. Create an employer brand based on what people like about working there. Do your research, be honest about aspiration, and let your employee voices shine.
3. Listen to your reviews. No one likes to hear criticism, but it’s how we grow. Get regular feedback, learn from your exit interviews, keep an eye on Glassdoor and be humble in your responses.

And so…

Great employer branding is no substitute for a great place to work. Fixing that has to be priority number one.

But if you’re doing good stuff and struggling to pull in the candidates, then maybe it’s time to look at how you position yourself. Just because people know who you are as a business doesn’t mean they know who you are as an employer or why they should be a part of your vision.

Understand who you really are and turn that into something authentic and inspiring. Make sure you’re the modern movie boasting the five-star reviews, not the forgotten horror setting expectations that it just doesn’t deliver.

*Whilst we were often let down by these films we also never learned. After being disappointed by a horror movie called House, we still went on to watch House II, House III and House IV. All of which were crap! Kids eh 😆

Interested in employer branding? Download our whitepaper to understand the context, case and considerations for a modern employer brand.

“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. 

Get in touch today @ info@ineedsurgery.com