workplace culture
Walking the Talk
FIVE STEPS TO ALIGN LEADERSHIP WITH YOUR BRAND VALUES
Metrus Institute, Towers Watson and PwC, among
others, report increasing difficulty attracting and retaining
the best talent. In some markets – such as the
San Francisco Bay area, with three per cent or less unemployment
– there is an adrenaline pumped competition for
good talent. Many firms are increasingly looking to their employer
brand to help them land talent.
However, are the employer brands real? Are your leaders living
the brand? Is the culture disparate from the advertising? Take the
faltering United Airlines which, on its website, espouses awareness
and understanding of cultural issues while nurturing the
company’s diverse talent, enriching the airline’s organizational culture
and empowering employees. How are new hires or potential
recruits likely to reconcile that with the ugly behaviours making
headlines?
United is not alone. When such things happen, it points to a
huge gap between espoused values and those actually in practice.
The corporate playing field and graveyard are littered with such
examples – Enron, Tyco, Oracle, YouTube and most recently Uber.
When leaders behave differently than the promoted values, it creates
cynicism and dysfunctional behaviours among employees.
Reversing long-standing policies often creates similar angst and
employer brand confusion. When IBM recently cancelled a decades
long and highly promoted recruiting policy of remote work,
employees were blindsided. They were given 30 days to move into
a company office or decamp. This arbitrary new policy will affect
By William A. Schiemann, Ph.D.
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HRPROFESSIONALNOW.CA ❚ JULY 2017 ❚ 35
