Employer branding is an extensive undertaking. It’s a process that requires a lot of work and it can take up to 2 years to see the full impact of the investment. Considering this, more and more employers are recognizing the need to take a long term strategic approach to their employer brand and have started to do the foundational work of researching to identify their Employee Value Proposition (EVP). This is a great initial step for organizations taking the first step in the employer brand strategy, however, what we’re starting to see is that once this foundation work is done and the EVP has been identified, some organizations have difficulty (for various reasons) with execution. We all know that to have an authentic EVP and employer brand, all key stakeholders – executives, managers, and employees – need to live the brand. So how do you bring your EVP to life and ensure that it is lived by your leadership team and employees every day? You do so, by developing an Employer Brand Playbook.
What is it?
An Employer Brand Playbook is a guide to describe the tone, personality, and behaviours of your employer brand, and can be used by your leadership team and employees as a reference to understand roles and behaviours, as well as employer brand guidelines. It is a tool you can use to help communicate your EVP and employer promise to all stakeholders. The Playbook will help explain ‘what’s in it for me’ to employees and leaders alike.
Why do you need one?
Your Employer Brand Playbook will help everyone – executives, leadership team, employees, and recruiters – understand their role in driving the employer brand. It helps to get everyone speaking the same language so they are ‘singing from the same song sheet’, and enhances your ability to attract and retain top talent through a strong employer brand.
Best Practices
Keep it simple! Identify clear calls to action by specifying 3 to 5 key behaviours from each stakeholder group to drive the employer brand strategy and help the EVP come to life. Make it available to everyone, and easily accessible – have it on desktop, make it mobile friendly, and include it in onboarding, training and development materials and regular internal communications.
By having a clear, straightforward, and accessible Employer Brand Playbook, you will be able to get all stakeholders moving in the same direction towards bringing your authentic EVP to life and sustaining your employer brand in the long term.
About Blu Ivy Group
Blu Ivy Group is a leading employer branding and employee engagement consultancy that aligns your organization with contemporary workplace paradigms. Blu Ivy Group’s 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, go to www.bluivygroup.com