Like many people across the world we’ve been following Canada’s triumphs at this year’s Olympic Games. From the opening ceremony to the final extinguishing of the Olympic flame, we couldn’t help but notice what a terrific job Canada and many other countries do of promoting their employer—or in this case, team brand. We’ve compiled a few ideas for your company…straight from Rio.
- Setting a goal
When we see any athlete compete on the international stage, announcers never cease to remind us of their rigorous training schedules, personal sacrifices, and past achievements. Athletes talk openly about keeping their eyes on their goal. When we know what an athlete is shooting for—a top 10 finish, a personal best, or nothing less than a gold—we cheer them on even more wholeheartedly.
A good example of how a company can remind its employees of their goals comes from “Canada’s Top 100 Employers”. Every year, the national competition celebrates employers who excel in their brand. Companies strive to make the list, and in turn try to make their organization a great place to work. By having this yearly goal, organizations are constantly able to improve their brand, and champions are celebrated.
- Celebrating the journey
If you’ve tuned into the Games on TV, you have most likely seen carefully crafted pieces about the personal lives Olympic teams and their athletes. One story that immediately comes to mind is the touching tale of the refugee team that, for the first time in history, competed in the Olympics. The stories we saw closely followed refugee athletes’ journeys, telling their inspiring stories of how they made it out of turmoil and into the games. Their results in the medals table were all but irrelevant.
In a similar spirit, Indian company Tata celebrates journey over destination with an annual prize. Its “Dare to Try” award recognizes innovative initiatives that didn’t necessarily work out. The award supports the entrepreneurial spirit that pushes employees to take risks. Openly recognizing employees for their risk-taking capabilities and creative ideas is crucial for both individual and company-wide success.
- Rejoicing in success
After 16-year-old Penny Oleksiak took home 4 medals for Canada, we couldn’t turn on the TV or tune into the radio without hearing about her achievements, capping off with the young swimming star carrying the flag in the Games’ closing ceremony. Oleksiak’s success brought together Canadians in celebration, which in turn cast the entire Olympics in a good light –this in spite of the issues that organizers had been experiencing in the early going.
While on a more modest level, Groupon does a good job of regularly celebrating its employees. Every employee anniversary (or Groupon-iversary, as they call it) is recognized with the gift of a green Adidas track jacket, which can be embroidered with a nickname and onto which a gold star is placed for every subsequent year with the company. Demonstrating an employee’s value to your company lets everyone know their loyalty and hard work will be recognized and celebrated.
Taking a look at how the achievements of athletes were celebrated on the world stage during the Games can help your organization achieve a podium-level employer brand. But don’t wait for four years, be inspired and start putting these ideas into practice as soon as you can!
About Blu Ivy Group
Blu Ivy Group is a leading employer branding and employee engagement consultancy that aligns your organization with contemporary workplace paradigms. Our mission is to help client’s build award-winning people practices, inspire extraordinary employee engagement, and cultivate unique and desirable workplaces. We provide integrated solutions in employer brand and engagement research, strategic consulting, employer brand integration, creative and talent communications.
Blu Ivy Group is a trusted partner to many of North America’s most respected employer brands. For more information, visit us online at bluivygroup.com or contact us at info@bluivygroup.com.