"Uggh a culture we must change"

So said a respondent to Woodreed's recent survey in our Brand Inside Report.

And it seems they weren't alone, with only 29% of respondents reporting that their organisation has "a great culture of people living our values." A worrying 20% reported a culture yes, but "not the one we want" and over a quarter of respondees said their organisation had "no sense of what we stand for internally" at all.  Not great results for UK plc but, given the recent wake of corporate scandals and misdemeanours, not perhaps that surprising.

So what's the answer?

Engaging on an emotional level is four times more valuable than rational engagement when it comes to driving employee effort, yet all too often internal comms are cold and rational - devoid of the emotive power a brand can deliver.

A well defined cultural framework, grounded in brand values and delivered through a strategic and integrated internal communications programme can effectively fix the disconnect and successfully embed the values amongst employees in a sustainable way to help create the right kinds of values-based cultures for the long-term.

Employee engagement is becoming a board issue and rightly so.  What boards now need to do is direct HR and Marketing to work together, to combine their brand and people expertise and share some resources too.  But don't panic Marketeers, a little spent inside goes a very long way and don't forget there's a direct and proven link between engaged employees and your bottom line revenue.

Recognition and reward - the greatest missed opportunity

Right now the need to keep your people engaged, motivated and productive has never been greater.  We know there's a direct, proven link between engaged employees and increased turnover and profitability - it's called the Service Profit Chain.

So engaging your employees really matters; and recognising and rewarding your people is one of the best ways to do this.

According to Jeffrey Pfeffer*, “high involvement companies (those who empower, actively engage, recognise and reward employees (in good times and bad) have consistently outperformed their competitors over the long haul."

In organisations where big remuneration packages and the annual bonus are not the core reward mechanism for the majority, and where salaries of those at the coal face are more in line with the national average, brand-centred recognition and reward programmes can represent the biggest opportunity to engage staff each and every day.

The best recognition and reward schemes are created directly in line with the brand and have a powerful ripple effect through a company, creating a culture of recognition. A place where people enjoy their time because they know the contributions they make are noticed. It allows an organisation to shine lights on those best living the brand, encouraging others to do so as they go.

So why in Woodreed's Brand Inside Survey were 37% of organisations still approaching R&R with generic token offerings made in an ad hoc way and a shocking 20% having no process of reward and recognition at all?

*Jeffrey Pfeffer, The Human Equation. Building profits by putting people first

Whose responsibility is it anyway?

A particular topic which has really galvanised readers of our Brand Inside Report was the question of who has responsibility for employee engagement inside an organisation.  One reader observed that the answer lies with the CMO in that if we can "unleash the power of the brand inside then mountains can be moved."


Another agreed that best practice must be led by the Board with "HR and Marketing working much more collegiately, dispensing with the conflicting agendas and silo approach to ensure employee engagement is a shared responsibility."



So a challenge to all brand marketers out there - are you prepared to make the necessary changes in skills, priorities and budgets to unlock the immense power your brand has to engage not only with your external audience but your internal one too?


If you're not - why not? The topic is increasingly coming to the top of the CEO/boardroom agenda and they will be looking to you as the guardian of their brand to answer for your stewardship.  With rising demands for better value returns all the time, diverting just a small part of your brand investment this way makes good, good sense. 


Let us know what you think and if you're an HRD or marketeer tell us what help you need to drive this change in your business and really create a brand-hearted culture inside. 


Of course if what's holding you back is knowing how to go about it, then the team at Woodreed would be delighted to lend you a helping hand.