Let’s face it, the Olympics is something of a blogging gift in terms of the stories, narratives and analogies it throws up. And I suspect this won’t be the last time I personally drink from that well. One of the most evident take-outs from the Olympics has been the direction of focus adopted by many of the athletes and particularly those basking in be-medalled glory. Usain Bolt? Complacent, satisfied, concentrating on a job staggeringly well done? Not a word of it. Rather he’s looking forward both to the 200m and Rio in 2016 (as well, admittedly, to an evening with the Swedish handball team). Jessica Ennis? Making decisions about participation in the 100m hurdles. For others, there is a different form of looking forward with retirement and what that brings with it for the likes of Ben Ainslie and Sir Chris Hoy.
And direction of travel is important too for the UK economy. There is an abundance of apparently contradictory, yet hugely influential, metrics being produced. GDP in the second quarter fell by a catastrophic 0.7% across the country – according to Capital Economics, the double dip we entered in 2011’s final quarter has now lopped nearly 1.5% off UK growth. Stark news from an economy and associated labour market only just recovering from the depths of 2008-09 and only partly explained by the extra day’s holiday of the Queen’s Jubilee.
And yet, and yet. Whilst this makes for undoubtedly poor reading, these are stats which look back at how the economy has performed in the months of April and May (June represents something of an educated guess). Their focus is all about the rear view mirror not what lies ahead.
In contrast and building on some promising employment figures from the ONS in the month ending May, Reed’s July statistics looked significantly more perky. Its Job Index was up 16 points on a year by year basis and rose strongly from the previous month. Major organisations – Centrica (with 4,000 new roles), Jaguar Land Rover (1,100), Hitachi (730) and BT (2,000) – announced sizeable headcount increases in the last month. If this wasn’t enough to confuse, then other consumer based indices also point forward to more positive sentiment. HM Revenue and Customs announced that house purchase completions had risen by 11% in the first half of this year. Perhaps an even more tangible demonstration of confidence beginning to course through the economy were the car registration figures. July’s figures across the board were up a useful 9.3% on 12 months ago. However, the prestige marques really soared, with Porsche seeing a 41% rise in car sales, Land Rover up 62% and Lexus a gravity defying 84%.
And the learning for employer branding and engagement? These remain undoubtedly challenging times and the pressures to freeze or even cut costs mean that many organisations are making do with an employer brand expression and articulation which is predicated on the past rather than the future. Little of an organisation’s vision, direction of travel and future aspirations can be conveyed via an employer brand with foundations firmly based on historic research and past learnings. Inspiring an employee base, encouraging them to put in discretionary effort and driving customer centricity is rooted in outlining a positive future and a positive future to which they feel they can make a very real contribution. Similarly, many candidate audiences remain cautious and apprehensive – more than perhaps ever before, these people need a strong, unambiguous, confident reason to leave their current employer to join another organisation. If they are to commit their future to an employer, what sort of future does that employer itself have?
At the same time, the focus for too many other organisations is on the here and now. These are tough times, but a vision that extends no further than achieving monthly or quarterly targets is probably not as engaging, aspirational or retention-focused as line of sight of where an employer might be in three years time. And, just as important, what individuals can do to help them get there.
The confidence both employees and candidates seek comes from the articulation of an employer brand focused on the future and not an out-dated one increasingly lacking in relevance and looking back – because the only looking back Mr Bolt tends to do is at beaten opponents on the finishing line.
Getting to the heart of your employee mindset 