What does your brand say about you and your company and what role does your brand play in attracting and retaining the best talent? The power of branding is truly remarkable. A considerable amount of time, effort and money is invested in building a brand around a product or service. That's a great thing, but your brand is much more than that.

Think about a solid, reputable brand that you admire, one that personifies precisely who the company is, what it stands for, what it does, and how it does it. One that may come to mind is Virgin. The Virgin brand is the perfect embodiment of its founder and inspirational leader Richard Branson. As an organization, Virgin has achieved extraordinary things in a multitude of industries from entertainment and travel, to financial services and telecommunications. What is truly remarkable about the Virgin brand is that no matter what part of the business you are exposed to, the consistency of message and brand experience is rock-solid. The mantra of fun, adventure and levity cascades through each business unit and their respective products and services. It has also been the foundation for Virgin's talent strategy of attracting the best talent, and those that share the Virgin vision and culture of doing business differently.

So, how does a company translate its brand power to its employment relationships? For employers of choice, the best way is by creating the right fit and environment for their top talent.

Great employment brands are no different from great consumer brands; it's not just about attracting "the best and the brightest." It's about finding, developing, and keeping the people who are the best fit for your organization. You're looking for people who fit with your business strategy, your values, and your company's goals - people who choose to join, stay, grow, and commit to your organization.

Most companies are at serious risk of losing up to one-third of their most valuable employees because they don't understand what motivates top talent to stay at an organization. In a recent Right Management study of 4,500 employees, approximately one out of every four identified as top talent recognizes a disconnect between his or her company's projected branding and actual internal practices.

Developing an employment brand is about applying classic branding principles to a talent strategy. Every company has a de facto employment brand whether it likes it or not. Ultimately, if a business does not manage its employment brand, it runs a much greater risk of losing its most valuable top talent, those who consistently outperform their peers and significantly add to bottom-line results. They are the people who create competitive advantage in an organization through their innovation, leadership and commitment.

The buzzwords are many – employee loyalty, employee commitment, employee engagement, internal branding. But no matter what you call it, the punch line is that every single person in your organization — leadership and employees — must understand your brand and specifically what they can do to improve bottom-line results and deliver the promise you make to your customers. Every touch point impacts the brand and customer experience.

Our research indicates that top talent seek a number of things, but foremost among them are autonomy and freedom to solve problems, being kept in the loop by the organization and that they are part of an organization that is perceived as a leader, and that cares about its people. In terms of where to start, consider the fact that the top 20 per cent of talent in a company are the people who make the biggest contribution to executing a business strategy. These individuals are up to twice as productive as their peers, yet the large majority of companies can't identify who their top 20 per cent are, nor can they identify what causes turnover in this group.

The core of a talent strategy is in creating a unique Employment Value Proposition (EVP), designed to cultivate an environment where an employer's most essential talent will remain committed and contributing positively to the organization. The EVP is a promise to employees; mirroring the promises companies make ... and keep, to customers.

So, what should you do?

• Become as intimate in understanding what's most important to the top 20 per cent of your performers as you are in understanding the top 20 per cent of your customers.

• Within the context of your business strategy, create a distinctive value proposition based on an assessment of top talent's most important values.

• Develop HR strategies that build relationships with key talent, through knowing what top performers want most in their employment experience. That relationship will be based on shared values and commitment, resulting in workforce attraction, retention, productivity, and performance.

• Define, Declare, and Demonstrate your distinct employment brand through programs and services that are relevant to your most valued employees.

Good companies create a strong corporate brand identity as a customer strategy. Great companies tune into people so they will buy a product or join the team. Great companies craft a promise (ie. a value proposition) for each critical segment of people – then deliver on that promise. It's the simple power of applying classic branding principles to a talent strategy that keeps talent choosing to stay, grow and contribute.

If you would like to learn more about Employment Branding join us for a roundtable breakfast briefing on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Please contact Jodi Lackey at Right Management at 613-591-0067 or e-mail jodi.lackey@right.com. Seating is limited.

Jeff Moffatt, Vice-President, Client Services

Right Management

To contact Jeff, e-mail jeff.moffatt@right.com or call 613-230-1311 ext. 234

Right Management is the leading global provider of integrated human capital consulting solutions. We offer much more than advice. We partner with our clients to help them achieve sustainable business results. Our four areas of expertise include talent attraction and assessment; leadership development; employee engagement and alignment; and career transition. Right Management is a wholly owned subsidiary of Manpower Inc.