How to Engage Employees and Build a Winning Culture

Building an employment brand is challenging especially for companies whose product or service brand is not in the consumer products space.  Getting your employees and potential employees to feel a connection to your brand is an important strategy for attracting and retaining top talent.

A number of years ago my wife accepted a new job with Mercer Strategy Consulting.  The day she accepted she received a delivery to our house from her new boss to be.  Included was a bottle of Champagne, two toasting glasses and a nice letter saying congratulations and welcome to the team.  That small gesture set the tone and made her feel very good about her decision to join Mercer.  

A small personalized gesture such as a welcome gift sends a very positive message not just to your new employee but to their entire family.  While leading Human Capital at Red Ventures I implemented a similar welcome gift.  We sent every new hire a tin of cookies from the Carolina Cookie Company is a well-branded bright red Red Ventures tin.  The cookies were addressed to the family of the new hire.  Included was a note from the leadership team congratulating the new employee on landing a sweet job and welcoming them to the team.

Employment branding can go far beyond welcome gifts.  One good example that was implemented at Time Warner Cable was branded onesies for newborns of employees.  A Time Warner Cable logo-ed onesie was a cost effective and fun way to congratulate employees on the birth of a their child.

At Doosan, a Korean conglomerate that purchased Bobcat construction equipment and entered the US market we created branded water bottles.  The water was used for meetings with external vendors, job candidates, customers and others.  Additionally we donated branded bottled water to charity races and other events.  It helped build the Doosan brand and included the careers website address.

While these are just a few employment branding ideas, the fact is that each one serves the purpose of building a stronger employment brand.  The products connect your employees to your brand in a unique and fun way.  Even more importantly they connect your employees family to your company and your brand.