Employer Branding in Transitions

1. HR’s ad agency. Employer Branding in Transitions Workforce Communications Practice │Webinar │June 14, 2016

2. HR’s ad agency. Today’s Agenda 1) The three choices of employer brand management in times of transition 2) Benchmarking and gap analysis 3) High-performing internal communications practices N. Robert Johnson Practice Leader, Workforce Communications Practice 2

3. HR’s ad agency. HR’s ad agency. We apply advertising and marketing practices to help organizations attract and retain talent. The focus of The David Group’s Workforce Communications Practice is to strengthen employer brands, engage people and cut the cost of talent. 3

4. HR’s ad agency. 4 Perfect Storm Employer Branding in Times of Transition

5. HR’s ad agency. 5 2015 was a record year for mergers and acquisitions. (The value of such deals surpassed the previous record set in 2007.) And, yet … Source: Roger L. Martin, “M&A: The One Thing You Need to Get Right”, Harvard Business Review, June 2016

6. HR’s ad agency. 6 of acquisitions are “abysmal failures” according to Martin. Source: Roger L. Martin, “M&A: The One Thing You Need to Get Right”, Harvard Business Review, June 2016 70 to 90%

7. HR’s ad agency. What’s the Cause? Acquiring companies tend to focus more on obtaining value for themselves. 1) Access to a new market 2) Access to a new capability/technology 3) Access to talent 7 Source: Roger L. Martin, “M&A: The One Thing You Need to Get Right”, Harvard Business Review, June 2016

8. HR’s ad agency. What’s the Solution? Successful acquisitions happen when the acquiring company focuses on giving value to the acquired company. 1) Capital 2) Better management practices 3) Skill transfer opportunities 4) Resource sharing 5) Employer branding (Our add-on of employer brand promise, attributes and internal communications effectiveness) 8 Source: Roger L. Martin, “M&A: The One Thing You Need to Get Right”, Harvard Business Review, June 2016

9. HR’s ad agency. 9 A purposeful employer brand (based on mission, culture and values) is perhaps the greatest value that the acquiring company can provide.

10. HR’s ad agency. The Three Choices When combining employer brands, there are basically three choices: 1) Use the acquirer’s employer brand 2) Use the employer brand of the acquired 3) Create a merged, or hybrid, employer brand 10

11. HR’s ad agency. To Do: Establish the employer branding baseline – the benchmark – that will deliver the most value to the new organization. 11

12. HR’s ad agency. 12 Benchmarking and Gap Analysis

13. HR’s ad agency. The Goal To have a roadmap to managing your employer brand. (We also want to strengthen your employer brand along the way.) 13

14. HR’s ad agency. The Tool A gap analysis: by benchmarking and comparing employer brand elements and internal communications practices of each organization, we can prioritize and focus on areas of need. 14

15. HR’s ad agency. Where to Start Define and document the employer brand promise, attributes and employee value proposition elements of the “new” organization. Given the imperative of the transition, these should be centered those things that unify purpose and direction. This is our baseline. 15

16. HR’s ad agency. Where to Start Benchmark the current employer brand promise, attributes and internal communications channels and effectiveness of each organization. 1) Employer brand platforms 2) Employee engagement data 3) HR Data (on-boarding/stay/exit data) 4) Internal communications audit 16

17. HR’s ad agency. What to Look For 1) Dimensions of culture, mission and values (ties to everyday experiences) 2) Dimensions and drivers of engagement, however you define them (for us: line of sight + commitment) 3) For change management purposes, pay close attention to: 1) Transparency 2) Change readiness 3) Empowerment (individual voice) 17

18. HR’s ad agency. Dealing with Change 18 54%of employees feel positive (confident, excited) about workplace change while … 45%feel negative (nervous, hostile) about workplace change. Source: Workhuman Research Institute at Globoforce, 2016

19. HR’s ad agency. Dealing with Change 19 Source: Workhuman Research Institute at Globoforce, 2016 3x as likely to be excited about change. When workers feel that their company is open and transparent, they are more than

20. HR’s ad agency. Dealing with Change 20 When workers feel that their voice matters, they are … Source: Workhuman Research Institute at Globoforce, 2016 4x as likely to be excited about change.

21. HR’s ad agency. Dealing with Change 21 When workers are excited about change … 1) 38% are more likely to recommend working at your company 2) 25% are more motivated to work harder 3) 40% are more likely to believe that your company is a best place to work Source: Workhuman Research Institute at Globoforce, 2016

22. HR’s ad agency. 22 Gap Analysis Illustration Using Engagement Data

23. HR’s ad agency. 23 Gap Analysis Illustration Using Engagement Data

24. HR’s ad agency. 24 1.7 Gap 1.7 Gap 1.9 Gap 1.9 Gap Gap Analysis Illustration Using Engagement Data

25. HR’s ad agency. 25 High-Performing Communications Practices

26. HR’s ad agency. Why Internal Communications? 26 In this moment – managing an employer brand through a transition – the focus is to unite different groups of people under one shared sense of purpose and direction. (If accomplished, the employer brand will be stronger.)

27. HR’s ad agency. The power of internal communications Retain great people Help great people accomplish great things Empower great people to tell your great story Create a great workplace environment 27 Internal Communications High-performing internal communication programs are … 1) Planned 2) Systematic 3) Purposeful 4) Aligned to business needs (in this case, unifying under a common purpose)

28. HR’s ad agency. 28 Hierarchy of Internal Communications Success Senior Most Leaders Involved in Shaping Communications What success looks like Communication Integral to Change Leader and Line Managers create Line of Sight Managers’ Actions Support Words Making it work Activity Links to Business Strategy Evaluation Data Acted Upon Feedback Known to Senior Management Line Managers Trained and Evaluated The basics Skilled Communications Planned Messaging and Timing Old and New Channels Listening and Intelligence Gathering Line Managers Clear about Role Based on work by Towers Watson, Melcrum and D’Aprix

29. HR’s ad agency. IC Best Practices 29 A Few Do’s and Don’ts Do Don’t Plan content Let content be the only thing to think about Base the plan around underlying business needs and have specific outcomes defined Have an assumption that results will speak for themselves Make it relevant to the audience; Connect business need to employees’ daily experiences as validated by research Do it just because of business managers’ requests Choose channels most appropriate for each audience and measure results Pick channels for organizational convenience only

30. HR’s ad agency. IC Best Practices 30 Purpose Mapping for Internal Communications Purpose Style Channels Types Create awareness or inform Factual, use frequent and varied media Mass, impersonal E-mail; newsletters, group meetings Influence opinion or attitudes Persuasion Targeted and personal Face-to-face, alignment to personal drivers Secure commitment Motivational Personal, peer or leadership Group or team focused, aligned to outcomes Create a purpose map for your internal communications to define purpose, style, channels and types of communication. Sample/Illustration

31. HR’s ad agency. Summing Up 31 1) Align employer brand and internal communications, focusing on unifying the new combined workforce under a common mission and purpose 2) Speak to the engagement drivers that resonate most strongly with your employee audiences 3) Execute tactics like responsive templates, branded design and identifiable WIIFM messaging 4) Be mindful of the practices of change management

Employer Branding in Transitions

N. Robert Johnson, APR

Employer Branding in Transitions