The new recruit is excited to start in a new company. He had seen pictures of glossy and modern offices on the company’s website. The pictures also suggested that modern technology was the norm in the company’s office operations.

This opportunity was a dream come true.

He walks through the company’s gates and notices that the yard in which the office complex stands has a neglected look. He is surprised, but thinks the company’s gardener neglected to do his job.

When he enters into the receptionist’s office, no one is seated. He stands and waits as there is no one to welcome or direct him. The receptionist walks in ten minutes later, looking untidy and with oil stained hands. She had obviously just had a meal. He can’t believe his eyes. She directs him to his office, and he almost breaks down in tears at what he saw.

His office was small, dark and dusty with a little weather-beaten table and a tiny chair with broken legs. This was not the image he had perceived from the company’s website and at the interviews he had had with them. He was totally disillusioned and wondered how quickly he could tender his resignation, even before he started work. Company X had not lived up to his expectations.

People can relate to the new recruit’s experience, as the perception of a company is rarely ever what the company actually is, as most companies fail to address the issue of brand projection to their employees. Employee branding is the concept of developing a company’s brand message to its current and future workforce in a manner that is meaningful to them. It is a means of motivating and securing employees’ alignment with the vision and values of the company.

“If you begin your branding process by declaring an aspirational brand without aligning with the reality of the employee’s work experience, you are in the danger of writing a cheque that your culture can not cash”- Leigh Price and Mark Horsfall.

In the past, when companies/organisations wanted to recruit, the question asked was, “what talent can the employee bring into our company?” In recent times, the question asked is “what image do we intend to pass across to the potential employee?”

As a company, it is simply not enough to assess the prospective employee. Companies need to show why a particular employee would rather work with them, instead of another company. It is a subtle battle of images. With the rise of social media, companies are careful not just about the images they put out, but actually living up to that image. It only takes for disgruntled employees to post their opinions on the social media to bring down the image of a great company.

Branding is not a new concept. Over the years, companies have always emphasized the importance of their brand in order to promote or sell their product. Good companies are now realising that they should also be aware of their brand identity projection, in order to attract and retain the right employees.

TRENDING NEWS

MR HUNT’S “TROUBLE WITH GIRLS”

Tim Hunt, a 72 year old biochemist and Nobel laureate for ground breaking work on cell division caused a global uproar, when he made a ground breaking statement about women at the workplace.

At a World Conference of Science Journalists in South Korea, Mr. Hunt insinuated that female scientists should be separated from male scientists at laboratories, as they tended to be romantic distractions and “cried when criticised.”There was such a backlash to his statement that he resigned his position as honorary professor at the University College, London.

One would think that based on his age, he was probably raised in a time where there were very few female scientists, but research shows otherwise. Marie Curie (1867-1934) was the first female to win a, Nobel Prize and it was for Physics and Chemistry in 1903, Curie won second one in 1911; Rita Levi – Montalcini (1909 –Present) received the Nobel Prize in 1986 for her research of Nerve growth factor ;Gertrude Leon ( 1918 -1990) received the Nobel Prize in 1988 in Physiology/Medicine; Jane Goodall (British primatologist and ethologist, Rosalind Franklin(1920 -1958) British biophysicist best known for her work on DNA., and the list goes on. There have always been great female scientists even as early as the 16th century who made significant contribution to the field of science. So Mr Tim Hunt, what was it you were saying about romance and crying women?

Final words:

The corporate world uses employee branding to its advantage in building a great company image, showing concern for prospective employees and attracting those who will share the company’s visions and goals who will work for and with the company to achieve those goals.

For there to be success in the marketplace, you must first succeed in the workplace.

Till we meet next month, remember that your employee reflects who you are.

Regards,