WINNING COMPANY CULTURES

The Importance of Employer Branding

Posted by Cat Carbone

Dec. 21, 2021

I’ve almost completed the CX Program through the University of Richmond. It’s one of the best programs I’ve been a part of that really dives deeper into developing brand strategies that are customer-centric and proven to build winning brands.

Winning brands don’t win based on great customer service and products alone. They win based on the quality of their products, how they treat customers, AND how they treat employees.

Employer Branding

What does employer branding even mean? So now you have to worry about branding AND “employer” branding? Aren’t they the same thing? So many questions!

Put simply, it is akin to your company culture.

Employer branding is the components that make up your values, mission, your company culture.

Are branding and employer branding the same thing? Yes, and no. Ok, that should clear that up. Thanks for reading! Actually, not so fast. Let’s go deeper.

On one hand, internal branding is reflected in the visual identity, how you communicate to employees, etc. This is one reason I stress the importance and value in looking great from the inside out.

The real answer is much deeper than that. All areas of branding should align with each other. If you’re customer-centric focused, your message is caring about customer needs, going above and beyond, etc. Caring about customers is caring about people, right? Employees are certainly people. Your company should be sending the same message to employees…..consistently.

There are a few companies who demonstrate this well, but I’m going to use an example based on my own personal experience.

Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU)

NFCU is the largest credit union in the world and one of the best organizations I’ve ever worked for. They have a reputation for giving great service. They also treat employees very well and the two, more often than not, go hand in hand.

The better you treat your employees, the better they treat your customers.

What NFCU does right:

Communication and Education

A big company needs organized and thorough communication and training programs. NFCU put a lot of planning into trainings and had a ton of resources. Their internal system was easy to navigate, made finding information easy, and kept employees updated. As a large company, they also offered a variety of growth opportunities, allowing employees to work towards something bigger.

Compensation, Benefits, and Charity

NFCU paid well. Typically above the average rate for bank employees, and their benefits were fantastic. Their health insurance plan was one of the best I had. They had wellness programs, reimbursement programs, etc. In a nutshell, they treated employees very well. They treated employees the way they treated members. (customers are referred to as members)

Something I loved was their paid volunteer days. Employees could volunteer at a charitable organization of their choice and still get paid for days they spent there. I loved this because everyone has a cause that they care about and support, or want to support. This benefit allowed employees to give back to the organization of their choice, and afforded them the time and ability, if they wished to volunteer.

They shared equally. Every single employee received a Christmas bonus.

Employee Recognition

This is a big one. NFCU has one of the best recognition programs I have ever seen. They give out awards annually. Now, you have to consider that NFCU has locations all over the world to serve active duty military members, and they didn’t cut corners when it came to recognition. All award winners were flown in from wherever they lived in the world so they could attend this event and personally receive their award.

While there, I was attending VCU. I was fortunate to win their corporate scholarship award twice. At the time they gave out 3 scholarship awards annually. Employees had to submit a written essay answering one question, which was based on a topic of their choice. Winning meant I was reserved a seat at the annual corporate gala.

Ok, this wasn’t a regular company party. This gala was like attending the Academy Awards for employees. Tickets sold out fast, so if you weren’t a lucky one who had a saved seat, you better buy it the second it goes on sale.

NFCU Annual Gala 2012 / 2014

Creating Emotional Connections

There were speeches and a presentation. I always found the presentation very moving. They highlighted the differences that employees made in the lives of members and the impact they had. When you’re talking about military service members, it can definitely tug the heart strings, and their messaging really drove home the culture and what they are all about. It wasn’t a “marketing” move, this was authentic.

Employees feel that they have a purpose, their work is meaningful, and they make a difference.

I can’t talk about NFCU without talking about their CEO at the time, Cutler Dawson, who has since retired. Great companies tend to have great leaders, and he was. A retired Admiral, he’s well respected and you knew that when he showed up, you better be at your very best. He was also one of the most approachable leaders I have met. During the gala, which lasted hours, he spent much of that time just engaging with employees, and everyone wanted to talk with Cutler, he was just that kind of leader. He was so easy to talk to, you almost forgot his position in the company and his level of authority. He was tough with high expectations, but was fair and demonstrated empathy, kindness, and respect for everyone. This is why everyone loved Cutler and loved working for him.

The gala was a night when employees and leadership really got to interact, be themselves, and have a lot of fun. It was a night to remember.

NFCU Annual Gala 2014, Left to Right: Military Service Members Highlight, Awards Acceptance: Cutler Dawson pictured right, Gala Dance Floor.

Autonomy and Support

The factor that probably had the biggest impact on me personally, and the direction of my career, was the level of autonomy and support I was given and felt. A small idea ended up becoming a little bit bigger and ultimately change my life. It goes like this…..

I wanted to spread some positive employee info and recognition in the branch I worked in. I started an e-mail “newsletter”, which I named Coffee Talk (of course), and highlighted news, employees, etc. I used humor and the entire theme was coffee related. I think I created an award called the Golden Bean that I would use to highlight employees.

My branch manager decided to send it to another branch manager. They enjoyed it and wanted their branch included. And then the next and the next……

One day I received a call from one of the executive team members. I was certain they were going to tell me I had to end it because I couldn’t send mass emails of information without top level approval. But she didn’t. She told me that she thought it was a great idea and that it started to change how they looked at internal communication.

Me?… I influenced how they thought about communication; An organization that had an entire communications division?? I couldn’t have been more surprised, thrilled, and flattered. I was also incredibly grateful. What resonated was the fact that one of the top executives actually contacted me directly. It was a “small” gesture, with a big impact.

I will never forget how she took the time to reach out, simply to say "great job."

That small idea became a multi-page newsletter that I sent to the mid-Atlantic branches as well as headquarters, for the next 2 years. This opportunity came because of the support from my direct managers, peers, and then an entire company. It resulted in growth that I never would have achieved anywhere else at that time.

In fact, I recently sent an email to the new Director of Branch Operations because I wanted them to recognize the branch manager, Cynthia, who supported me when I first started. In true NFCU fashion, I received a thoughtful reply.

A strong company culture doesn’t easily change.

The Right People

All companies with a great culture have something in common, the right people in the right seats. You can start a business, create a mission statement, promote excellent service, dot the I’s and cross the T’s, but if you don’t hire the right people to carry it out, it really doesn’t matter.

It Starts with Leadership

Leadership is the group that employees look to for guidance; they are the example. The people you put in leadership positions are capable of making or breaking a great culture. Someone may be great at performing certain job duties, that doesn’t mean they’re a leader who reflects the values or vision of the business.

I’ve seen leadership teams crumble due to lack of peer support, being unaligned, and decisions made driven by personal opinions or agendas. These are big red flags and indicate drastic changes may be needed.

The right people in the right seats will form a rock solid foundation for creating a culture and company people want to work for.

There are many things that companies do, and can do, to influence a great culture and define who they are and want to be. The example I used here captures some of the values and factors that impact employee retention, happiness, and help shape the culture of Navy Federal. It’s a demonstration of who they are as a company. It is their employer branding.

How is your culture? Does it inspire and strengthen relationships, or is it time for a culture change?

You can create the company culture you want. First, start by asking some very simple questions that will help you define areas that need improving.

Can your employees……

Define your company culture?
Tell you why their job is important?
Repeat your mission statement?
Repeat your core values?

Is your leadership team……

Aligned?
Supportive?
Customer focused?
Communicating effectively?