Note published in Expansión, Carrera [Career] Section by Nancy Malacara.
Read the note in its original source
Having a good employer brand will make it easier for companies to attract talent, reinforce the commitment of their employees and improve their reputation as a company in the eyes of investors and customers.
In the case of new hires, Norma Godínez, the Firm’s human resources director, said that they worked with logistics partners to send a personalized new hire kit to each new employee. The package includes the contract to be signed, information about the area leader and promotional items from the contracting institution. A cup, a notebook, a pen and a pin are some of them.
Afterward, the new employees start a 90-day training program. Through videoconferences, they are given an overview of the company, its processes, values and internal policies. They are also introduced to the rest of their colleagues and the leader continues to work with them so that they know how to perform their duties and measure results.
In regard to employees who are already part of the company, Godínez adds that they have adjusted their internal policies to ensure that all employee behaviors were aligned with the principles of the organization.
“The majority of the company’s leaders belong to generation X, but there are also some millennials. While some of them send text messages, others prefer talking face to face, especially about sensitive topics. And although emojis exist to add emotion to a text, it is very easy to fall into misinterpretations. Therefore, we have homologated behaviors, in writing, in order to make relations easier”, she explains.
This has helped them to protect their corporate image in the eyes of their employees. Nevertheless, leaders still face important challenges. Escobar warns that 2021 opens the door for leaders to acquire the ability to listen, to be more empathetic, to set achievable goals and to provide feedback to their team.
“Being the ones that guide and motivate collaborators, they must be a role model of leadership and work together with human resources and marketing to build an employer brand based on a more flexible and humane organizational culture”, he adds.
Another key for maintaining market reputation is obtaining certifications, appear in rankings and conduct surveys to be aware about the well-being of employees and of the company.
Of the companies that have received the certification of Top Employers in the last year, eight out of ten have used the certified seal to conduct digital networking and maintain their market reputation. And nine out of ten have resorted to benchmarking to fundament their strategy in the care of the employer brand.
The experts that were consulted agree that a good way to enrich the employer brand is for a collaborator to publish in his social networks that he is proud to belong to the organization he works for.
“An employee that feels that he is listened to and valued by the company will have a higher level of commitment. His pride will prevent him from resigning and, additionally, it will have a positive impact on the construction of the employer brand”, states Escobar.
Legal implications
Article 47, Section II of the Federal Labor Law establishes that a worker can lose his contract if he commits an offence or damages the company. Labor lawyer Óscar de la Vega explains that this includes an improper use of the corporate image through the use of social networks, whether personal or belonging to the company itself.
“The law mentions it in a very general manner, but with the regulation of teleworking, it is the companies’ responsibility to modify their internal guidelines. These guidelines define what is allowed and what is not, with the objective of avoiding patrimonial damage”, he explains.
According to the lawyer, penalizations for damaging the employer brand can range from a verbal reprimand to an administrative report, a temporary suspension without salary to the rescission of the contract. Likewise, given the rise in home office work, it is advisable for companies to modify their internal policies and to update them at least every two years.
