Having been involved in employment research, employment communications, recruitment and training since well before the phrase ‘Employer Brand’ was coined, we started Peer Group Communications four years ago to fill what we felt was a distinct gap in the market.
There are many organisations involved in the employer branding arena, such as large HR consultancies, recruitment advertising agencies, brand boutiques and independent consultants. They all have their particular strengths, but few combine the necessary research capability with the skill to accurately translate the findings into engaging and motivating communications.
The ability to get under the skin of an organisation and interpret the findings faithfully into clear, consistent and credible communications is a particular strength of ours.
What we do
We have developed a range of products and services which use tried and tested methodologies and can be applied either individually in a variety of combinations to meet the differing needs of organisations at various stages in the development of their employer brand. We are just as capable of managing a long-term, global employer brand development project as we are of running a short on-line survey or determining a strategy for the recruitment of rare talent.
EVP Development Model (pdf 27k)
Research
Most of the projects we’ve been involved in to date involve some form of research.
We conduct carefully structured, bespoke research using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, whether amongst specific target groups, cross-sections of the employee community or potential employees globally. We also prepare detailed profiles on the Employer Value Propositions’ of competitors for talent as well as collecting and analysing a wide range of other pertinent information and market intelligence.
When we feel that there is a significant issue that has not been thoroughly investigated, we also undertake original research. For instance, we have just embarked on a survey of recent graduates from top universities to identify how they feel about their career prospects in the current economic climate.
Employer brand consulting
The success of an employer brand development exercise is largely dependent on the planning that goes into it from the outset. We also believe in involving key stakeholders from the earliest stage by running workshops which ensure that everyone has an opportunity to understand and contribute to the project. One of our greatest strengths, we’ve been told, is that we make sense out of what is often seen to be a very complex and confusing area.
There will then be a phase of research, information gathering and analysis. This is followed by a critical stage where the findings of the research are translated into an accurate definition of the organisation as an employer and then tested thoroughly to ensure validity. We subsequently develop a message matrix which highlights the key themes and messages that are appropriate to all existing and potential employees as well as various different target groups.
Communication and Evolution
We develop creative proposals and communications strategies to ensure clear, consistent and credible introduction and long-term reinforcement of primary themes and messages across a wide range of channels and vehicles.
In conjunction with our associate company, ThirtyThree, we are increasingly working with clients to develop bespoke online tools for engaging internal communities in employer branding activities and establishing regular feed-back on initiatives and activities.
Subsequently, we can monitor and report on the measurable progress being made against a set of pre-determined criteria as well as in real-time on social/professional networks and other internet channels.
Regularly scheduled ‘maintenance’ meetings can identify any necessary fine-tuning activity whether it be a need to address a morale issue in a specific division, the re-enforcement of a particular message pertinent to a target group in a particular global region, or a complete refresh of the EVP to reflect a change in business strategy.
Peer Group People
As you can see from their profiles on this site, we have assembled a team of passionate people with wide-ranging knowledge and experience involving: employee research, brand development, employment communications, project management, recruitment and retention, diversity, performance management and engagement, and much more besides.
Although we will normally create a project team to work on each client assignment, we can also arrange for associates to take on short-term interim roles working on-site with client teams for the duration of the project.