Sitting in front of the television as I was last week watching, with increasing resignation, my football team losing heavily in an FA Cup semi final, I was struck by the nature of engagement. What is it that creates certain apparently unbreakable bonds? Sports fan endure all manner of defeat, disgrace and discomfort in rooting for their side, often in apparent disregard for logic, wisdom and all degree of common sense. The fact that I was watching the match next to my two sons emphasised the point – if sports allegiance is responsible for some impressive levels of loyalty, they are nothing in comparison to that of family.
But what is it that creates such bonds, such engagement? Shared experiences, common value sets and unity of purpose all play major roles. And what is it that organisations can learn from this in their efforts to create game-changing employer branding and employee engagement initiatives?
For me, it’s about creating understanding and insight around what makes the employment experience truly differentiated and distinct within organisations. It can be too easy to rely on assumption and intuition and, indeed, the annual Employee Opinion Survey. The latter is an interesting tool but a blunt one when used to analyse and evaluate something as sensitive and organic as organisational fabric and sentiment. But make no mistake, this is what great employer brands are about. By making use of shared employment experience, of unified organisational objectives and of a mutual value set, we construct the substance and ammunition which creates tribes, loyalty and common purpose within both internal employee bases and external talent pools.
But such loyalty isn’t something to become complacent about. The impending London mayoral elections make this point clearly. Current opinion polls put Boris (who has achieved the ultimate accolade in personal branding – the redundant surname) some 6 percent ahead of Ken Livingstone, his main rival. This was his winning margin four years ago. However, in 2008 the Conservative party were 7 percent clear in the London Assembly vote. Today, however, Labour are a healthy 10% clear in the opinion polls. Which all means that although Labour has gained significantly as a party, many of its voters are sticking with Boris, a Conservative. His branding and appeal has transcended typical faultlines. The common purpose and shared heritage that sees people vote, in this case, Labour, does not extend to their would-be mayoral figurehead, Livingstone.
The on-going focus and attention that politicians and political parties bring to elections may not always endear themselves, but their effort in terms of understanding what their core audiences want and expect might well be taken on board by employers. A close and detailed analysis of what your core employer branding message is and how best this can be communicated and dramatised for external talent pools is increasingly vital for organisations building up their direct sourcing drives. There is much that employers can learn in terms of on-message brand delivery from underachieving football teams and bike-riding politicians alike.
Getting to the heart of your employee mindset 