Take a look around your office or work station today.
How would it look through the eyes of a visitor to your office - especially a new employee?
Would you consider your work place a source of inspiration or a drain on your emotional energy?
Building a strong employer brand to attract and retain great talent involves far more than building effective employee engagement and communication strategies.
The environment in which you operate is a physical manifestation of your corporate brand and your employer brand, and can either help you “Bring your brand to life™” or can destroy brand equity in the mind of your employees or potential employees.
Let us just consider one area of your office - your reception area.
How many times have you walked into the reception of a corporate office and had no idea what their business was about?
Or perhaps you have been left with an impression that the business leaders of that organisation just don’t care about the impact on their visitors? And if that is the case, will they be equally disinterested if you were to work there as an employee?
The presentation of your reception area, showcasing your products and services - even down to how tidy the environment is - will leave a lasting impression on your employees on what is acceptable practice.
If you walked into your reception area today what would you find?
I always remember my background in retail where one of the first things we had to do prior to store opening was to check the windows to ensure that everything was in order - the windows were after all the first thing a potential customer would see and could make a difference between walking over the threshold of the store or not.
Your reception area is the same. Consider an applicant for a job coming to your office. Are they going to be left with a positive impression?
Creating a workplace that reflects what your brand stands for will help bring your brand to life in the hearts and minds of your current and potential employees and further enhance your employer brand.
So take time today to walk through your reception area today and consider is it ”on brand”. Does it reflect the values and culture of your business? Would an employee coming into work each day walk into your reception and feel excited and energised in walking into the office or are they going to be drained?
If not, what action could you take that would create a greater sense of pride from your employees? It may just be making sure that your office is clean and tidy through to needing a more extensive refurbishment.
Investing in your workspace can make a significant difference to how inspired you and your people are when at work. That inspiration will translate into greater performance, enhanced business results and can create a stronger employer brand so that your people feel proud to work in your company and potential employees aspire to work with you.
What actions have you taken to “Bring your brand to life™” and create an inspiring workplace to enhance and build your employer brand?
And if you are looking for more tips about building your employer brand, you can hear me speak at the Talent Management Conference in Dublin on the 2 May 2007 on the subject of how to bring your employer brand to life or listen to the Employer Branding Podcast.
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