It stands to reason, and many studies have shown, that employees who are proud of their company are more engaged, stay longer and work harder. They improve innovation, productivity, safety and shareholder returns. My own company’s recent employee satisfaction survey showed a strong link between employees’ level of pride and their willingness to go “above and beyond” in their performance.
But, what makes an employee proud of their company? And, whatever it is, how do you get more of it?
About 18 months ago, we decided to try to answer those questions and used the data we collected from sources inside and outside the company to shape an employment value proposition (EVP) – or an employee brand. An EVP is best defined as “the articulation of the features and attractions the company has, or the selling point of your business to potential employees.” Simply put, what makes employees want to join your company, and what makes them want to stay?
We knew that in order to be successful, our employee brand had to be the real deal – not who we think we are, who we want to be or think we should be. Of course, it would have been easier, cheaper and faster to buy an “off the shelf” slogan and campaign, but that wouldn’t get us an EVP that was well-grounded and sustainable.
We conducted focus groups with employees as well as external audiences – including professional candidates who interviewed with us but did not join the company – from around the world. It came as no surprise that employees want to work for a well respected, results-driven company with financial stability and strong leadership. They want the opportunity to grow their careers and make an impact.
We then went to the other end of the spectrum and asked the same focus groups to describe Praxair and to list the traits they associated with our company. Fortunately, we confirmed that what they wanted and what they thought we offered were fairly closely aligned. It was by no means perfect, but it was better than we expected.
Once all of the data was analyzed, it became apparent that Praxair is a place Where Your Talent Makes an Impact – the company allows you to build your skills, own your future, make your mark and enjoy your challenge. This has become Praxair’s organically grown employee brand.
As a communications professional, it was the best of both worlds. We found that the culture was defined consistently by employees who had been with the company for 30 years or 30 days. We discovered that it wasn’t about having to drive culture change, but more about having the opportunity to more effectively communicate who we are and what we have to offer to all of our audiences. We’re now in the process of doing that.
My advice to anyone thinking about establishing an employment brand is to take the time you need, make the investment in getting the data the right way and apply the data honestly. Only then will your employment brand accurately reflect the culture of your company. And, only then will you be able to leverage points of pride for current employees and help potential employees match their interests with what you can really offer them.
Sue Neumann is Vice President of Communication & Public Relations at Praxair, Inc.
