topics include Employer Brand, Events and Sponsorship, Peer Group News
Our series of breakfast seminars continue, with the next taking place in Edinburgh at 8am on Thursday 26th March at the Scotsman's offices in Holyrood Road (EH8 8AS). Limited spaces remain, to book your place, call us on 0131 226 9393 or email sarah.cochrane@thirtythree.co.uk
These seminars are open to any HR professionals with an interest in employer branding and engagement issues. To register your interest in future events, please email jo.brickell@peergroupcomms.com.
topics include Employer Brand, Events and Sponsorship, Peer Group News
A conference in London on Tuesday 21st April, featuring international speakers from a variety of leading organisations, will focus on global best practice in employer brand management.
Following similar events on five different continents over the past twelve months, the 2009 Employer Brand Global Intensive will be held in the UK on Tuesday 21st April at Gray's Inn, 8 South Square, London WC1R 5ET (nearest tube: Chancery Lane).
The event partners include Peer Group and our very own Nick Holker is among the day's speakers. He will be joined, inter alia, by international employer brand strategist Brett Minchington (chairman/CEO of EBI), Alexander Mann's Martin Cerullo (director of resourcing communications) and Neil Griffiths (creative director), Tony Ramos (head of recruitment brand and advertising at HSBC), and Tom Crawford (head of internal communications and engagement at e.on).
In addition to covering the latest global employer branding research and trends, the event will look at managing employer brands during the downturn, building an EB in the e-world, leveraging new media for talent acquisition, and much more besides.
topics include Events and Sponsorship, Peer Group News
On Friday 6th March, Peer Group hosted an informal breakfast buffet session focusing on employer branding from two perspectives: how theory links to practice, and how to maintain a positive brand identity even when budgets are under pressure.
Held at the Clerkenwell Kitchen, directly opposite our 'Observatory' headquarters, the well-attended event was introduced by Andrew Young, chairman of our sister company ThirtyThree, who introduced the presenters - Peer Group's founding partners and directors, Sue Redden and Nick Holker - as "two of the best exponents of employer branding, in practice and in theory."
Starting with a look at what constitutes a successful employer brand, Sue delivered a cogent overview of the topic, from the factors that encourage organisations to focus on their brand to the practical implications of a typical project and the importance of articulating the employer value proposition effectively.
She went on to look at the significance of employer reputation and the many factors that can influence this, both internal and external. She also noted that pinpointing a brand's position within any one of a number of 'brand groups' ranging from 'iconic' through 'hidden' to 'negative' can be a useful way of highlighting the specific problems that need addressing.
At this point Nick took over, focusing on the practical aspects of how to manage a brand effectively during a recession. He stressed that an employer brand (which every organisation possesses, whether they manage it or not) can't be regarded as luxury - and can't be "turned on and off" at will. What's important is that its articulation accurately reflects that organisation's changing circumstances.
Looking at the processes involved in addressing this, he usefully identified the various elements according to their low, medium and high cost implications. Then, linking the theme of branding to that of employee engagement, he cited the wide range of initiatives being undertaken by many employers in the attempt to maintain their skills base. Finally, he stressed the key importance of maintaining a strong, credible brand presence even when times are tough.