Since early last year, COVID-19 has been dominating the news, going from being a local phenomenon in China to a global pandemic. It created uncertainty and is still having a significant impact on all levels of organizations and people’s behavior.
And when people change their ways of living, companies must always ask themselves how they can respond, and how they can add value to the communities they serve.
In other words, when a crisis happens, it presents a unique opportunity for companies to improve their employer brand.
Learn why Culture is Key when it comes to talent acquisition.
In this type of situation, a famous John F. Kennedy quote comes to mind: “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word “crisis.” One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger –but recognize the opportunity”.
With the idea of protecting your business during these overwhelming times, we have gathered three recommendations on how to manage your employer brand during a crisis.
1) Put Your People First
The COVID-19 crisis can be an emotional challenge for many, and it can cause changes in the way people live their lives, and that includes your people. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the company develop and implement a plan that considers their social and emotional well-being.
For this, organizations must leverage leaders to drive transparent and realistic communication, with motivational and positive tones that keep the company moving towards success and one that avoids generating false expectations.
When it comes to business operations, you should rely on a plan that includes the possibility of teleworking, changes in strategy and approach, and other actions that guarantee stability, and when possible, keeps the business running. If the plan is well communicated with your workforce, they will perceive you are working towards stability amid the crisis.
2) Align your Decisions with your Foundation
In times of crisis, managers face one of the most complex challenges in practice: making extreme short-term decisions, seeking to mitigate long-term consequences.
Remember, you didn’t force your workforce to pick you as their employer. They trusted you to be the best choice, relying on your foundation.
That underlines why it’s crucial to ensure every action your organization makes is aligned with your mission, vision, and values, as it can affect the way your team trusts your brand.
Employer Brand consultants recommend considering the situation as opportunities to highlight your business identity, strengthen your culture, drive loyalty, and align with what your employees value most. Find a way to connect the decisions you make to manage the crisis with the expected positive outcome. Some of those decisions might be tough to make and can not be easily digested by your team, but addressing the motives and the expected outcome can help you win the trust and respect of your people.
3) Build a Company Culture that Lasts
Think of your company culture like the steering wheel in your car. When it’s working, all tires are facing the same direction, and the energy is all being precisely directed forward. When it’s not, it doesn’t matter how great your engine is; the car is not going anywhere.
Your company culture works the same way; if everyone in your company isn’t aligned with your goals and direction, you’re losing valuable energy and forward momentum.
But remarkable characteristics of organizational cultures capable of taking advantage of crises are not innate. Instead, it requires a decision to carry out long-term work with continuity and commitment. Companies that are better off in the face of the crisis have not explicitly worked for it. Instead, they developed specific skills and engaged everyone to sail the same boat so they can take advantage of the situation as an opportunity to overcome.
Hiring the right people will take you here.
The right people will be engaged with your culture, with your company. The lack of this creates a toxic work environment. Think of it as a virus that threatens to infect other employees and affect company performance. You will have to rely on a workforce that reflects your company culture and contributes to achieving the established goals.
Employer Brand is the image a company has, not only towards its clients but also towards its employees and, above all, the image that its potential candidates perceive. This is especially important in relation to your talent acquisition strategy.
To leverage the right people, you will need the right processes and partners in place. From testing and assessments, interview training, to working with a third-party provider, there are measures you can take to hire the right talent to face challenges.
Staffing providers, like MAU, have spent years developing ways to understand the job market and select the most appropriate candidates to fill open positions. Trained professionals can define the needs of the employer and execute a job search quickly, to place the right candidate, the first time.
To help out, we have created a quick guide to help you sort through the process and offer you some best practices to utilize your company culture to upscale your hiring process sustainably. Each chapter comes with 3 easy, actionable steps that can help ensure your businesses’ growth healthy.
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Interested in partnering with MAU now that you know the guidelines? If you’re looking the best staffing agency to assist with your staffing and recruiting needs, contact us today.
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