Branding and Employee Communication
In recent years, companies have realized that communication among employees is just as important as the activities they perform in their daily work. With this realization, one of the most successful strategies to improve communication has been developing formalized employee communications systems. This article discusses some of the reasons why branding and employee communication systems should be used. It then gives a few examples of these systems based on personal experience at five different organizations.
Why Branding?
When an organization wants to establish a distinct brand identity from one another market-wise, it's important for them to create an effective marketing strategy and messaging system. Effective branding can strengthen an organization's position in the market by drawing upon their organizational history, culture, and their primary objective.
Employee Communications
Employees are valuable assets to any company. They perform vital company functions and help generate revenues. In return, they should be treated as such and given all the necessary resources to perform their jobs properly. When employees are motivated with empowerment, and supportive of corporate communication efforts such as branding, they will be more productive and productive at a higher level. The business value they produce will increase while their costs will decrease because of less turnover rates from unsatisfied employees and a reduced amount of employee training needed when new employees are hired.
Examples
The five companies that were used for examples were chosen for two reasons. First, these cases represent some of the ways organizations can successfully implement their branding and employee communication systems. Second, the businesses in these examples are diverse. They range from a small (2 million in sales) software company, a large ($10 million) pharmaceutical firm, a retailer with over 50 stores within one state, an aviation services company, and a practice management firm with over 700 employees.
Company 1 - Software Company: A medical software company was establishing its brand identity when it decided to create an Employee Communications Manual. The manual was designed to communicate company values and procedures to their employees. They wanted to drive the message that their company was unique and important. The manual was distributed monthly to all employees, which included benefits and vacation policies for each department. It also included an employee newsletter containing information about new product launches, upcoming events, and employee news.
Company 2 - Pharmaceutical Firm: A large pharmaceutical firm was established in 1986. Initially, the business had very low overhead costs because it used its own facilities and resources as a cost-saving measure. In 1994 with its first earning year, it started interviewing approximately 60 administrative personnel including accountants and human resource staff on the job market. These individuals were offered a compensation package of $40k a year while on assignment within the company. When this contract was signed, the people were told about the perks of working for the company including medical and dental insurance, retirement plans, life insurance, and paid vacations. The pharmaceutical firm required that all employees attend an orientation meeting before they assumed their jobs.
Company 3 - Retailer: A retail company had over 50 stores in one state. The company decided to establish an Employee Communications Manual (ECM) to provide employees with guidance on their responsibilities while they performed their duties within the corporation. The ECM included information about employee benefits such as free or discounted health care benefits, tuition reimbursement for certain training programs, and telecommuting policies for select employees.
Company 4 - Aviation Services Firm: This aviation services company had over 500 employees. The company was established in 1975 and was located in a large metropolitan area with many military bases nearby. The company is a full-service provider of aircraft rentals, sales, and maintenance services to the U.S. military as well as private air carriers at airports throughout the country. They utilized an ECM to improve employee communications between all of their employees. The ECM provided guidance on how they should treat each other when working with the public. In addition, it provided offices a way of communicating with employees on other matters such as corporate events and conventions.
Company 5 - Practice Management Firm: This practice management firm was established in 1998. As they were growing their business, they decided to establish an employee communications system. It included the distribution of newsletters to its employees monthly, which contained information on their values and how the company wanted them to represent the organization. Other communication systems included exit interviews to identify human potential problems and a mentoring program for middle management called "Department Discussion Groups." These meetings allowed for employee feedback about everything from office space issues to interpersonal conflicts between staff members.
The two main criticisms that have been brought against companies who are implementing the use of branding, or other marketing strategies, is that it can be costly and time consuming. In regard to time, many studies have shown that if a company has a history of successful branding campaigns and employee communications systems, then the process will be quicker and less costly. In some cases, it takes over 6 months for an organization to generate the capital needed for this process.
In addition to money and time constraints, there are also critics who argue that organizations should not establish branding or communications systems because it may create an image with customers where they think of their business as highly commercialized business. However, there is not much empirical data that supports this claim.
Some other factors that can cause an employee communications system to be ineffective include poor communication channels, loss of communication with employees, and a lack of employee respect. These are relatively low-risk environmental risks because they are easily identified. For instance, if employees have difficulty communicating with one another about their jobs or the company does not have a clear message for them, then the process can fail before it even begins. On the contrary, for high-risk environmental risks such as conflict in management between workers and employers, then either poor management practices or poor systems can create these problems.
A quality employee communications process is a key element in any large organization's effort to establish a positive brand identity and increase employee satisfaction. An effective communications system can also help improve communication between the company's management and employees, create better employee loyalty, and enhance productivity. Some of the most effective applications for an ECM are the following:
Employee Communications Manuals: They are meant to communicate important facts such as policies, benefits, and human resource information so that employees understand their roles within the organization. Employee-Provider Communications System: It describes how employees can provide feedback to management on their performance as well as other issues that arise in the workplace. Employee Media: It is especially important for an organization if it wants to communicate its values and mission.
When compared with the cost of developing a human resources (HR) system, implementing an employee communications system can save considerably on training costs because it reduces the need for new employees to be retrained on company policies and procedures. All employee communications systems require a good deal of planning. Because they are not just another HR function, they must be planned and implemented in a carefully crafted way.
The purpose of this assignment is to create one or more alternative business names suitable for use as trademarks, service marks or other indicia of source.
Conclusion
Alternative Name Conclusion:
Cade Company (Cade Co.) is a company that sells weapons and protective gear to law enforcement agencies in the US. It also sells training materials, including combat maneuvering, drawing and shooting exercises. The business provides training to special forces, SWAT teams and military special operations forces such as Delta Force, Navy Seals and Airborne Rangers. Cade has a strong reputation for quality workmanship and durability. Many of the customers of Cade Co. are police departments that have purchased many of their products from other vendors but had been unable to get their models repaired or serviced due to poor service or unfriendly customer service. Because of this, Cade Co.