No single action by a company is more interconnected with its ability to build trust with the public than treating employees well. Edelman reports.
Employees are brand ambassadors
Treating, managing and collaborating with people are important jobs to any HR team. An excellent HR team is conscious of and plans for all aspects of good treatment when it comes to employees. This includes workplace behaviours, general rules, and company-employee alignment. It is the responsibility of Human Resources to consider every action taken by the company when it relates to employees, and they must connect employees to the organisation.
Treating employees well encompasses the environment, opportunities, inclusiveness and support provided in a workplace. The treatment an employee receives influences the story they build and relay internally and externally about an organisation. Over time, this builds into a social brand, or image, of the organisation. Importantly, a trustworthy source has built up this image and not the organisation directly. This socially constructed image of an organisation is closely interconnected to public trust and can influence customers buying decisions. Thus, we can say that all employees are now brand ambassadors for their organisation, whether intentionally or not. The role of Human Resources is therefore to manage the organisation’s brand and brand perception via the experiences and treatment of the ‘brand ambassadors’.
How to support employees
Let’s hone in on the treatment of the employee during a period of organisational change and how best to manage and support employees when redundancies may occur. During this period, the Human Resources team are ultimately responsible for the experience the employees have. Their experience(s) will form part of their organisational story shared with their networks. It is imperative to ensure employees are provided with the best support and care. This mutually benefits both the company and the employee.
Employees exiting the company, or facing this possibility, can be supported via outplacement services. Outplacement programs may include emotional support, further training, career development tools, CV writing, interview skills and access to a coach to support them throughout this period of uncertainty. The outplacement solution should be bespoke to the organisational needs and aligned to regional, cultural and market influences. There is no one size fits all solution when it comes to outplacement. It requires sensitivity, care and customisation.
Global Organisations
When working in a global organisation, the HR Director managing career transition must appoint an outplacement provider who is well equipped to deal with the individual needs of each location. They must truly understand their market on a local level but must also have a global understanding. Employees will be well equipped for the job market emotionally and professionally, and the organisation’s brand is protected.
Ultimately, there should be a wider strategy in place to continuously develop and enhance employee’s treatment and experience within an organisation. By treating employees well, organisations build up a positive reputation and public trust increases.
About Career Star Group;
Career Star Group is a leading global group for personal career transition, outplacement and redeployment services.
Active in 79 countries and over 1000 worldwide locations, with 1500 coaches and 45 global projects staff, the Group enables more than 50,000 individual career transitions in over 5,000 companies each year.
Career Star Group supports companies and their employees through their personal career transition to help find their next position and embrace the opportunities of an increasingly dynamic marketplace.
They treat individuals with care, compassion and empathy.