Shaping Your Employer Brand and Organizational Culture During COVID-19

COVID-19 is a massive wake up call for organizations across the globe to shift their focus from revving up their engines accelerating business growth to focus on concerted attention towards attracting and engaging a ‘PEOPLE FIRST’ employee-centric, holistic employee experience strategy across the organization.

A larger number of organizations are suddenly building the blocks and shifting focus on their people showing employee care like never before and sculpting a beautiful story that they could tell their external audiences once they emerge successful from the COVID-19 crisis. Although it seems that one has arrived later than expected to this stage to value the lifeline of the organization the EMPLOYEES it is certain that this would trigger phenomenal employee experience one always envisioned for their organization.

The quest to provide a greater employee-centric experience, true and meaningful employee care, engagement, inclusiveness, cross functional collaboration among teams, rewards & remunerations, risk allowances, work life balance AND work from home are some of the EVP propositions organizations are now looking at in an unprecedented time of uncertainty.

Although some organizations do not have a compelling Employee Value Proposition EVP they have embarked on a quick short term rather proactive employer branding initiative that could make a meaningful and measurable impact on the businesses in the shorter run. In order to achieve a lasting impact on the employer branding initiatives and a strong correlation to the organization culture one must significantly focus attention on crucial EVP touchpoints leveraging the image and reality gaps when crafting such short term executions.

The specialists EVP team members at CLACOACHING have been taking a closer look on how organizations around the world showcased their employer brands during the COVID-19 period.

  1. Embrace A People Savvy Culture Now and Forever
  • A paradigm shift on the approach to include a people savvy culture across the organization. Check out how HubSpot demonstrated a great PEOPLE FIRST culture with a diverse spectrum of programs during the COVID-19 that included employee travel & safety, remote work, virtual hiring, continuous internal communications with employees etc.
  • Demonstrating leadership credibility, authenticity and CORPORATE GENEROSITY and partnering all employees by ensuring to stand by them at this crucial moment by spending company’s cash reserves to pay salaries without pay cuts and leave deductions. The leadership move by the budget carrier INDIGO was truly admirable.
  • Though business continuity and managing costs become a top priority for organization’s INVESTMENTS ON PEOPLE at this point of time would be a wiser move and will have a better ROI and yield when you propel your engines in the aftermath of the COVID-19 period. Microsoft leadership is demonstrating the importance of valuing people and appreciating their support as a community that is standing by the company reminds us how leadership driven by Emotional Intelligence works well when you have a higher degree of awareness of others who relentlessly support the organization’s journey.
  • Organizations should be mindful that when things turnaround you need your key talent to execute the assigned tasks. Courageous companies who dared to invest on people stand a good chance to increase engagement and accelerate growth when confronted with similar contingencies.

2. Be Authentic and Improve Credibility To Promote Organizational Values

  • COVID-19 era could be rated as one of most catastrophic blows to humanity and the business world. Some businesses just cannot see their industry outlook aftermath of the COVID-19 period and loosing sight of their very own survival. Effective leaders adapt well in situations like this and align engagement among stakeholders. Check how Marriott International CEO, Arne Sorenson’s HUMBLE AND INTEGRAL LEADERSHIP style touched lives of employees at the need of the hour.
  • Make your organizations’ leadership team visible and accessible during times of uncertainty and ambiguity. A stronger culture of diversity and inclusiveness helps to build a strong cultural transformation in the workplace where people stand together in an ‘ALL FOR FOR ONE’ model. “We know from research that people are most motivated to help when they feel a connection to those whom they’re helping.” – Deborah Small

3. Provide Greater Clarity During Communication

  • Maintain crystal clear communication to all stakeholders on the survival strategy of the organization by continuously validating what is communicated time to time.
  • Showing absolute care for employees well-being and monitoring risks confronted by the members and families are topping the list of priorities among organizations. This level humility and inclusiveness has been always been there when entrepreneurs started their journeys to build their organizations and these values are those helped to build an organic EVP and Employer Branding for their businesses in the past. However eventually faded away as they scaled their businesses to the next levels at the cost of ignoring employee experience and wellbeing.
  • Setting up of employee help desks through virtual and other social media platforms to provide coaching help for employee anxiety and depressions during COVID-19
  • Today COVID-19 is reinventing the lifestyle of living with bare necessities and teaching us to ground ourselves and feel the true transformation of life through connecting with some of most vibrant energies that could provide profound benefits to a life well lived.
  • Educate the WORK FROM HOME model and how interim measures could help employees and the organization in the short run ensuring business continuity and customer experience. This model has proven to build employee loyalty and commitment to organizations.
  • Embrace Virtual Meetings and conferences and still make a strong presence of people and engagement across the organization. Increase the frequency of these meetings and stay connected throughout the crisis period. Remember to include HODs and other senior leadership team members during these virtual meetings.

The urgency to develop a strong and a compelling Employer Brand has become the dream of every organization today. The Employee Value Propositions and the culture of the organization should become a beautiful story to listen to and influence other organizations to take the steps in the right direction towards a holistic employee-centric culture with vibrant engagement.

CLACOACHING can help you to discover the methodology to develop your EVP and Employer Branding strategy and also to measure your present Employer Brand Strength and make your organization a truly great place to work. Call us today for a briefing meeting on +94720865000

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