Many of our customers continue to talk about the challenge of getting their executive team to see the need to invest in their employer brand.
Why is it such a struggle to get the execs to give their time and budget to the people agenda?
- They may not think that their employer brand can make or save money for the organisation.
- They may feel that churn, lack of loyalty or a talent war are just the way things are. They can’t influence them.
- The senior exec is naturally distant from the day-to-day issues on the ground. And therefore they may not be given priority.
So, trying to convince a lukewarm team that you have burning needs is no easy task.
We’ve often said that HR is the only department that truly has their finger on the pulse of the organisation. They see when people are engaged. They hear the grumbles. And, not to be too existential, they feel it.
Now, try telling your CFO that you want a sizeable investment in budget and people because of a feeling. (No, we wouldn’t go there either.)
So, what’s to be done? Without the buy-in—both emotional and literal—from the exec, all that desire to create a genuinely employee-centric organisation will go unmet. In our experience, that’s one of the key reasons why HR people leave their organisations.
It all starts with building a business case for your employer brand.
And a business case that is most definitely NOT in the language of HR. It’s difficult for any of us to step out of our own shoes and into those of the audience. But in this case, unless you can think like the CEO, CFO, CTO and COO (and not all at the same time!) you could be destined for a long arduous struggle with very little at the end for your trouble.
Here are the key elements that every business case should have: