When creating and launching their Employee Value Proposition (EVP), companies often than not take a candidate-centric approach. Current employees are usually the last to get the message, if they even get it at all. While this is a good tactic to attract the right talent, it can inadvertently damage employee engagement.
Research shows that organizations that don't actively engage their employees are not only missing out on valuable benefits, they are putting themselves at risk of losing good people. Many times the existing employees are the last to get the message, if they get it at all.
Employer branding must take into account the employee experience as well. Organizations that don't engage employees are not only missing out on valuable benefits, they are putting themselves at risk of increased employee turnover. Effectively activating your EVP internally can:
- Increase employee retention by 29%
- Increase employee referrals by 47%
- Increase productivity by 20-25%
We often hear companies talk about how their employees are their greatest asset. Engagement reminds them why they joined your organization in the first place. It will energize and excite them, and inspire them to stay and do great things. It will also help reduce staff turnover. Your employees are online and are constantly being told that the grass is greener elsewhere. You have green grass, too, and you have the home field advantage. Exploit that opportunity to the fullest!
Six steps to engage employees around your employer branding:
- Engage & equip your internal communications team. Provide them with the content they need for their ongoing internal communications. Create an easy-to-use toolkit with guidelines, images and messaging they should use. Mock up a few examples so that it's clear what it should look like in practice. You could even ask them to conduct employee communication surveys for deeper insights.
- Take it on the road. Create a roadshow that key leaders and HR Business Partners can take and share. Check the calendar for upcoming all-company events or town halls. Your CEO can use this content to energize your team.
- Leverage your Brand Champions: This is good low-hanging fruit. Chances are, these folks are anxious for fresh material. The above-mentioned toolkit and roadshow can easily be adapted into talking points and assets.
- Update the Careers section of your website. Admit it, you've been meaning to do this for a while now. When you have a website full of rich content that's relevant to your employees – content they can be proud of – you will be amazed how often they will come back to visit the site and proudly share it with their social network. The more evergreen it is, the more they will check it for what’s new and exciting.
- Be more social. Social media platforms are the ideal space to inform and engage your employees with rich EVP content. Create posts that encourage comments, likes and shares. Feature your employees and their stories. They will feel the love and their network will see that your company really values their people. Maybe they will click to learn more about opportunities to join your ranks themselves.
- Use cool tools. There are countless cool (affordable) tools available in this digital age. SoAmpli, for example, curates employee-generated content that can easily be posted on your website and social channels. Your employees are you most credible and effective advocates so put them to work for you. They'll have fun in the process!
The ultimate goal is to have consistent messaging across all of your channels for an optimal user experience. Activating your EVP across your organization is a process and won’t happen overnight. A good first step is to make a plan and take it step by step, winning over hearts and minds along the way. After all, your employees are your greatest asset!
To learn more about this and other Employer Brand Services offered by the Cielo Brand & Digital Team, visit us online or email us at brand@cielotalent.com.
Post contributed by Taylor Willhite, Director of Brand Solutions. Connect with her on LinkedIn or find her on Twitter.
