According to the Colorado Department of Labor, the state is enjoying record employment. Colorado’s unemployment rate now stands at 3 percent, the lowest it’s been in 15 years. Anyone who wants a job in Colorado can probably find one, which is a big reason that Millennials are flocking to Denver, where they now make up about 15 percent of the population.
A few years ago, employees were looking for ways to get noticed among the hundreds of resumes submitted for each job opening. Now employers have to compete for those workers by boosting salaries and benefits. So how does a Denver PR firm, or any Denver employer, get an edge on the competition? What does it take to create an attractive workplace? Are benefits and salaries the key or is there more to it than simple economics?
A survey at Ethisphere’s 2016 Global Ethics Summit found that 84 percent of respondents said that corporate ethics was important to Millennials when it comes to deciding whom to buy goods and services from. And 94 percent of respondents said that social media has an impact on how they feel about corporate behavior. Social media provides insight into how a company treats its employees, how transparent the company is in its external communication, and how involved the company is in its community.
The real issue is whether or not your prospective employees can trust your brand to stand by its promise. Is your corporate culture built on an ethical foundation? Do you communicate authentically? Do you treat people with respect? Do you contribute to building sustainable communities? If that’s what you are promising, you better be ready to back that up. Here are a few steps you can take to start that process.
Take it from the top.
Conduct a branding session to clearly identify your brand promise and values. Then make sure that the C-suite, board members and management team are committed to delivering on that promise and building a culture based on ethical behavior.
Evangelize the brand.
Once leadership understands the brand, conduct training sessions to help management and employees evangelize the brand to all your stakeholders. Create key messages that can help your team become brand evangelists by communicating who you are and what you stand for.
Sing, sing, sing.
Communicate your brand values using every appropriate communication channel. That could include social media, websites, earned media, blogs, presentations and speaking opportunities, corporate sponsorships, employee meetings and newsletters.
Your future employees are watching, listening and paying attention. They want to know that they can trust the brands they work for and support. Pushkin PR’s communications audit, brand messaging session and training workshops can help you be better positioned to compete for your future workforce. Let us know if you’d like to set up a free consultation.