Talent Will See You Now, But Are You Ready for a Conversation? Webinar presentation on the importance of using employee-centric data in your employer brand.

1. Talent Will See You Now,
But are you ready for a conversation?

2. Talent will see you now,
but are you ready for a conversation?
Key Takeaways
• We believe that talent is receptive to engagement
and recruitment messages
• But, we also believe that talent is discerning
• Therefore, employers need to be relevant,
inspiring and actionable – particularly in their
employer brand communication

3. Today’s learning objectives
Areas we’ll cover include …
1. State of today’s employer-employee relationship
2. Changing communication model
3. Employer brand: what, why and how it delivers
4. Importance of an employee-centric employer brand
5. Combining workforce intelligence with employee and
employer brand communication

4. 74% of workers are either actively searching for a new
job or are open to a new position. – careerbuilder Candidate Behavior 2012

5. State of today’s employer – employee
relationship
It’s strained.
• While trust in the US is up in 2013 from 2012, it’s still at
only 59% (Eldeman trustbarometer 2013)
• One-third of employees hope to work elsewhere in the
next 12 months (Metlife Study of Employee Benefits Trends 2013)
• 74% of workers are either actively searching or are open
to new job opportunities (86% for IT/engineering and 81%
for healthcare) (careerbuilder Candidate Behavior 2012)

6. State of today’s employer – employee
relationship
A little bit of contemp.
“Growth opportunities are lost because it takes
too long for decisions to be made in our
company.”
58% of American workers feel this way.
(Employer Brand International Study 2013)

7. State of today’s employer – employee
relationship
Impact.
• Potential increases in turnover (2.5 x salary to replace)
• Loss of continuity; financial/emotional effect of always
starting over
• Employees are more distracted and less engaged (lost
productivity)
• Spreading malaise, increased interventions
• Decreasing employee referrals, lost talent acquisition
opportunities

8. State of today’s employer – employee
relationship
Ideas.
• Repair/enhance your relationship with your employees –
put “human” back into human resources
• Understand how each of your employee populations
accepts trust communication
• Communicate regularly and often

9. 69% of workers say searching for new opportunities is
a part of their “regular routine”. – careerbuilder Candidate Behavior 2012

10. It no longer makes economic sense to send an
advertising message to the many in hopes of
persuading the few.
M. Lawrence Light Former Chief Marketing Officer/McDonalds

11. Changing communication model
24/7. All access. On-demand.
The new communication model …
• Drives a consumer behavior in every interest, idea or
search
• Shapes our communication and brand experience
expectations
• Illustration: the never ending job search

12. Changing communication model
Signs of consumer behavior in our world.
• 69% of workers say searching for a new opportunity is a part of their
“regular routine” (careerbuilder Candidate Behavior 2012)
• 35% say they begin preparing for their next job within weeks of starting
a new one (careerbuilder Candidate Behavior 2012)
• 92% of Millennial workers discuss job search experiences, in-person
and online (careerbuilder Candidate Behavior 2012)
• 44% of candidates would be more likely to leave a company that failed
to engage them in an innovative way (Korn/Ferry/FutureStep The Innovation
Imperative 2013)

13. Changing communication model
Co-workers, friends, fans and followers: it’s a group
thing now.
A Job seeker will, on average, consult 15
sources per each job search.
That includes your career site, Facebook, Glassdoor, LinkedIn,
mobile site, colleagues, co-workers ….
(careerbuilder Candidate Behavior 2012)

14. Changing communication model
Impact.
• Heightened “what’s in it for me”
Response Need to be relevant on a personal level
• Experience expectation is high
Response Need to be easy and compelling at the same time
• Brand impressions are formed in seconds
Response Need to be clear, concise and actionable

15. Changing communication model
Ideas.
Consumer behavior … market to them
• Audience research
• Compelling messaging and imagery
• Integrated campaigns (repetition matters –
at least 5 times to establish trust)
(Eldeman trustbarometer 2013)

16. Consumers are moving far faster than any of us
can imagine; that represents a huge opportunity
for all of us.
Andrew Fisher CEO/Shazam

17. A stronger employer brand will reduce turnover by
28%. – LinkedIn Employer Brand Study 2011

18. Employer brand: what, why and how it
delivers
An employer brand is the brand promise
expressed in what talent experiences, thinks,
feels and shares about your company as a
place to work. It’s delivered through your
people.

19. Employer brand: what, why and how it
delivers
A few ways it delivers.
• Lowers cost-per-hire by as much as 50%
(LinkedIn Employer Brand Study 2011)
• Reduces employee turnover by up to 28%
(LinkedIn Employer Brand Study 2011)
• Increases employee engagement
• Improves financial performance – 36% stronger financial results
due to strength of consumer and talent brand alignment
(Lippincott 2013)

20. Employer brand: what, why and how it
delivers
Where to begin.
50% of recruiters don’t understand their
own employer brands.
(Corporate Leadership Council 2011)

21. Employer brand: why, what and how it
delivers
1 Use research (authentic and fact-based)
2 Craft messages (inspire and engage)
3 Focus on culture (the stories of your people)
4 Be visual (color, images and motion)
5 Empower employees (their voice)
6 Target messages (relevancy and delivery)
7 Measure results (communication and HR metrics)
8 Act incrementally (think big, start small and scale up)

22. “I love my job. My teammates are great to work with. I
hope that I can retire from here.” (actual engagement feedback)

23. People don’t trust businesses the way they used
to … the most trusted sources are ‘a person such
as yourself or a peer’.
Steve Rubel Chief Content Strategist/Eldeman

24. Importance of an employee-centric
employer brand
It’s got to be real.
• People believe in what’s real
• People connect with shared experiences,
culture and beliefs
• Disconnects impact trust: “experience is
believing”

25. Importance of an employee-centric
employer brand
Impact.
• Increased engagement (= increased productivity)
 Greater sense of purpose
 Empowered (better customer experience)
 Less likely to be swayed by competitors’ recruitment
• Improved communication practices
 Clarity in messaging
 Less of a struggle

26. Your culture is your brand.
Tony Hsieh CEO/Zappos.com

27. Combining workforce intelligence with
employer brand communication
Three Key Focus Areas
Identity
Promise
Delivery

28. Combining workforce intelligence with
employer brand communication
Identity
Use your workforce data as a foundation for your employer
brand communication, helping to define your identity. Think as
a brand manager and explore the employer brand attributes
that tell the story of who you are.
engagement • stay/leave • focus groups • value/delivery perceptions

29. Combining workforce intelligence with
employer brand communication
Promise
Create the employer brand promise that articulates your
identity; showcases how you are unique; and inspires action.
Combine your identity with core values, culture and purpose.
evp • employment deal • key messages • empowerment statements

30. Combining workforce intelligence with
employer brand communication
Delivery
Design a communication plan that delivers your identity and
employer brand promise to targeted audiences. Make it relevant
and use communication channels that work for each audience.
communication audit • channel strategy • ROI • effectiveness strategy

31. Q&As
Contact
Danny Nelms, Managing Director
The Work Institute
615.777.6400 dannynelms@workinstitute.com
Bob Johnson, Practice Leader
The David Group
216.685.4486 nrobertjohnson@davidgroup.com