Don’t stop talking after the first date.

Working Paper No. 11

Employer branding, and, more generally, talent branding, are hot topics in HR circles these days.

But there’s one noticeable flaw in the thinking behind much employer branding: It’s focused on getting candidates to apply, not keeping them. You think about that.

Most employer branding focuses on the “buying” part of the process – attracting candidates and getting them to buy into the company. But, what about the “selling” part? What about keeping candidates – and making sure they stay?

Maybe it’s time for companies to turn their attention to talent retention – to building cultures that keep great employees and it all starts with communicating better with their employees.

A culture where key talent WANTS to stick around.

For most companies, the answer is - not much. But I think they can do more. Once an employee is in the system, companies start taking them for granted and the attention towards the employee goes down. Once an employee is shortlisted and signs the offer letter, quite a few firms believe that their compensation is reward enough for their efforts.

I think we need to understand that today, for most global firms, quite a lot of people choose to work there, only because of the brand value that the firm imparts to the candidates resume.

I say that with no malice, but how many people are actually passionate for a firms growth over their own.

Both parties are privy to this, and this unfortunately cascades down to a deteriorating employer-employee relationship once the employee is bound by contract.

So how do we fix this?

Let’s try and look at it from a communications perspective where we as advertising folk, have to design communication to impress and win-over customers.

Companies use the Internet to post updates, events, and industry information. But most of the time, internal communications are one-way, top-down broadcasts. These continuous “push” communications are disconnected from employees and thus, useless. Internal communications is simply about connecting with your company’s people in a way that encourages them to respond and act. It’s not the act of creating content to push to employees and hope for the best.

In fact, 87% of employees want their employers to initiate communications.

So how do we communicate well internally?

1.     BE CURIOUS. The more you know about the people and the community you serve, the better you can engage. This can be accomplished through surveys, social media, and focus groups. When you identify what employees are interested in, you can craft your internal communications with their preferences in mind.

- eg: Especially with remote work, set up a random call, and ask an employee how they spend their day, what activities do they do before and after their work hours. And try and brainstorm where you can help create an AHA moment for them.

2. START THE CONVERSATION. Internal communications shouldn’t be a one-way broadcast. Employees should feel comfortable contributing information and asking questions. Social media is a great way to encourage behind-the-scenes conversations. Social media can also be a great way to facilitate conversations between employees. With social media, employees can connect with each other to discuss work challenges.

Perhaps a really important point to keep is to never let an employee voice go unheard. This doesn’t mean giving everybody what they want, sometimes people just want to be heard.

3. COMMUNICATE WITH PURPOSE. The ultimate goal of internal communications is to help employees do their work better. When you deliver internal communications, ask yourself: Will this help employees (or customers) do their jobs better? Use this purpose to drive your communications planning.

There’s a thin line between the HR being overbearing, irritating or nosy, and being well connected and in-touch regularly. Remember that.

4. BE CONSISTENT. For internal communications to have a lasting impact, they must be consistent. Consistently sharing information and resources allows employees to build their knowledge over time. Your internal communications should also feel consistent. The tone, language, and medium should be the same from one communication to the next.

One check in a year, doesn’t make a lot of difference, it makes it look like a formality. A balance between reaching out too many times and ignoring needs to be achieved. And that frequency completely depends on the employee.

5. MAKE IT PERSONAL. To be effective, internal communications need to connect with employees on a personal level. Use employee data to tailor your message, such as their work location or discipline. When customers or potential customers interact with employees, they’ll get the feeling they know each other. This makes them feel more comfortable with your brand.

6. KEEP IT FRESH. It’s easy to let internal communications slide. They take a back seat to deadlines, meetings, and everyday work. It’s important to remember that internal communication doesn’t end just because your latest internal communication has been distributed. Internal communications isn’t a one-and-done activity.

7. BE FLEXIBLE. It’s important to remember that internal communications isn’t perfect. It isn’t a one-way conversation. Don’t expect to get it right the first, second, or even third time. It takes time to develop effective internal communications. Effective internal communications aren’t set in concrete. They require monitoring, tweaking, and in some cases, even starting over. 

Most importantly, have fun with it.

Good Communication is the only key to ensuring your brand is built by your employees first, and then by any marketing activities.