Okay, so Martha the HR professional dies and meets Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates.
Peter says, “Everything seems to be in order. Now we just have to show you heaven and hell and then you can make your decision where you want to go.”
Martha replies, “I can save you the trouble on that one. I want to go to heaven, of course.”
Saint Peter nods. “I understand. But we’re doing this Six Sigma thing and we have to show you both. It’s part of our new engagement process.” Being an HR pro, Martha understands.
Peter takes her in an elevator down to hell. The door opens and reveals a beautiful scene of sloping green hills with flowers everywhere, a flowing brook and birds singing. The devil, who is incredibly handsome in a tailored Armani suit, warmly welcomes her and walks her to a huge gazebo set on a hill. There she has a wonderful meal, meets many interesting people, eats some amazing food and dances the night away with the devil. All in all, she has a lovely time.
The next day Peter takes Martha in the elevator up to heaven–and it’s very nice. She floats on a cloud, sees a lot of her old friends and family members, and experiences an inner feeling of contentment and peace she’s never felt before.
When it’s all over, Peter asks for her decision.
“I know this sounds crazy,” she says. “They were both wonderful. Really. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’m going to choose hell.”
“No problem,” replies Peter.
They take the elevator down and it opens upon a scorched, arid landscape. The sky is blood red, it’s unbearably hot, there’s no water and people are screaming and writhing in pain. The devil is waiting there with a cape, horns and a maniacal laugh.
“What happened?” Martha exclaims. “I was here just two days ago. Where’s the green hills, the gazebo, the nice people, and why are you dressed like that?”
“Well,” the devil replies, “two days ago you were a candidate. Today you’re an employee.”
The point of my awful joke? In recruiting, we often spend a lot of time and money trying to communicate and engage top candidates. We think a lot about our recruitment process and our employer brand, we make sure the career portion of our website ensures a good experience and has lots of info, we travel to colleges, industry events and open houses to spread the word, we rigorously interview, test, compare candidates…and so much more.
But what happens once they’re hired? Do you make them feel as important as you did when you were wooing them? Do you communicate with them about things like company news, areas of growth, what top management is focused on, career advancement, etc.?
Your employees truly are the engine that makes your company runs. Internal branding is not just about retention, but also about the success and engagement of your employees. If it’s something you need to learn more about, drop me a line at trosato@alstin.com
Don’t let what happened to Martha happen to you. Let us help you with your internal employee brand–before it’s too late.
