Category

News

employer branding agency

Another awards bash… another shortlisting for WDAD

By News

Best Employer Brand – Tiara Talent Attraction Awards

With nearly 20,000 employees in the UK and Ireland, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is a major player in the IT services and consultancy sector, helping organisations transform through technology. Globally, TCS has over 614,000 employees and are enormously proud of their Indian heritage; it makes them who we are. It makes them unique.

However, here in the UK, whilst already ranked as one of the top five consultancies, they are relatively unknown in the talent marketplace against our direct competitors like PWC and Accenture. TCS’s ambition is to be number one and therefore this lack of brand recognition was making it hard to recruit the talent needed to meet their ambitious local growth plans.

TCS engaged WDAD Communications to help raise their profile within a number of key talent audiences – Early Talent, as well as Leadership and experienced Technical hires. We wanted to create a narrative to help attract, nurture, and retain the very best talent, and to do that the starting point was a programme of research and discovery to understand their Employee Value Proposition (EVP).

That work culminated in the It means more employer brand, an overview of which can be seen here.

The brand has now been launched internally and externally and is delivering some significant results for the business. The icing on the cake, is that the EVP methodology, creative outputs, and the results have been recognised by the prestigious Tiara Talent Acquisition Awards where It means more has been shortlisted.  We wish the amazing team at TCS all the very best for the event on the evening of 5th October 🙂

award winning employer branding agency

We’re off to the PPMAs :-)

By News

We’re very happy to be going to the PPMA awards in April this year. Not one, but two nominations, alongside lead partner Osborne Thomas, for our work on a highly successful IT campaign with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

EVP

What 2022 had in store for EVP, and what next year might have up its sleeve…

By News

Another very insightful piece from our EVP partner, Neil Harrison.

If there’s one key theme likely to impact EVP more than anything else, it relates to confidence. There’s little debate that we are already in rocky economic times and more of the same undoubtedly lies ahead. These are anxious times for many,  but what does that mean for an organisation’s Employee Value Proposition and the wider Talent Acquisition environment?

Read Neil’s thoughts on the subject here.

Employer Brand Photoshoot

Photoshoots: It’s just like London buses!

By News

One week, two photoshoots and two happy clients

Having gone nearly two years over the pandemic – for obvious reasons – without a shoot, March saw us back behind the lens with two assignments in close succession. Our first was a internal shoot for a telecomms business based in Reading with numerous shots taken of the Exec Team for their website and other corporate comms.

The second, for Stagecoach, was a bit more of a physical challenge with a 7.30am set up in East London and then a full day’s shooting with 9 separate set-ups and take-downs needed, including using 2 buses out on the road, and locations at 2 different garages. I’d forgotten how heavy some of the lighting gear can be, and just the sheer volume of bags required for the stands and cameras that had to be lugged around. Luckily, we were well looked after by the Stagecoach team who commissioned the shoot to update their photolibrary and employer brand collateral as it had been over 5 years since we last undertook a similar exercise with them. It may have been hard work, but we had some great employees to work with who were enthusiastic and definitely up for the task. And whilst I may be a little bit biased, the quality of the end images look great!

If you’re employer brand needs a visual refresh, just give us a call!

apprentice recruitment video

Recruitment videos in the time of Covid-19

By News

Two socially-distanced videos shot remotely

These two films shot during the pandemic were a collective first for us as they were done without any WDAD presence on the client site.

We had great support from two fantastic Softcat employees who co-ordinated everything at their end with direction taken from us over mobile phones and via a live session on Teams; from co-ordinating the participants, sorting the locations, testing the sound quality and lighting, they were the people who ensured all the boxes were ticked. We simply provided live guidance on setting up the camera angles and which tech settings to use on a sophisticated piece of camera kit that both the Softcat employees were entirely new to.

Then via Teams, WDAD put the questions to the various interviewees with all the raw footage and audio files being sent to us at the end of each day for us to go through the usual process of editing to produce the final approved films. Given the circumstances, we think the quality of the end products are pretty good… and just shows what can be achieved even in very difficult circumstances. Thanks again to all the great team at Softcat for making this happen.

To view the films, please click below:

Apprentices – career progression and development

Apprentices – support and inclusion

evp and employer branding

Employer Branding and Sir Clive Woodward

By News

Standing out from the crowd

WDAD’s Managing Director was one of three guess speakers at the Integrate 2021 virtual conference hosted by MSD Animal Health. One of those being nonother that the former England world-cup winning rugby coach, Sir Clive Woodward.  The event was attended by professionals from across the meat, poultry and aqua sectors including food producers, veterinarians, distributors and retailers; all facing unprecedented challenges to recruit employees brought on by Brexit and the pandemic.

Mike opened the day with a presentation on how to stand out in a crowded recruitment marketplace, emphasising the vital part that employer branding has to play in achieving this. From giving some practical insights and thoughts on job advert best practice, through to careers site engagement and the importance of video. The event was closed with a thought-provoking and entertaining piece by Sir Clive on developing a winning culture in sport and business. We don’t know his views as yet on Mike’s presentation!

#evp #employerbrand #recruitmentmarketing

EVP research

EVP and Employer Branding Whitepaper

By News

The opportunities for the Employer Branding profession have never been greater and neither have the challenges

Some interesting and timely research we conducted in partnership with Neil Harrison at NH237 Consulting on how EVP and Employer Branding are currently perceived across the UK TA community. The research touches on the concerns and opportunities of the sector. Its alignment with D&I and the corporate brand, metrics, consistency and experience. A big thanks to all that filled in the survey.

To view and download the report, please click here.

#evp #employerbrand #recruitmentmarketing #hr

Public sector recruitment advertising

WDAD awarded a position on ESPO Framework (No: 3A_20 Advertising Solutions)

By News

Following a tendering exercise, we’re delighted to announce that WDAD Communications has been awarded a position on the ESPO framework for Advertising Solutions (No: 3A_20), covering the supply of broad range of recruitment advertising and other resourcing-related services.

These include:

  • Digital media planning and execution
  • Traditional print campaigns
  • Social media
  • Employer branding
  • Career websites

The framework offers organisations across the Public Sector (and beyond) access to pre-approved suppliers who have been selected for their ability to provide customers with a comprehensive range of services that combine quality and value. All suppliers on the framework have been assessed and appointed using efficient and streamlined procurement processes, ensuring customers obtain value-for-money services which meet their requirements.

Other key benefits of the Framework include:

  • It’s compliant with UK/EU procurement legislation – ESPO has done the work, so there’s no need for you to run a full EU procurement process.
  • We were assessed during the procurement process for our financial stability, track record, experience and technical & professional ability.
  • What you see is what you pay – there are no additional charges.
  • Pre-agreed terms & conditions to underpin all orders.
  • ESPO’s expertise in this market is tried and tested. The framework is fourth generation in a succession of successful advertising frameworks.

For more details please visit: https://www.espo.org/frameworks/people-professional-services/advertising-solutions-2-3a-19.html

If you’d like to know more, please contact Mike Heal quoting ESPO Framework 3A at mike@wdad.co.uk to start a conversation.

EVP

Everything changed in 2020 – why your EVP needs to look forwards not backwards in 2021

By News

The employment landscape changed beyond all recognition in 2020. Suddenly, working from home became the norm. We’ve debated the respective merits of Zoom, Meets and Teams. We discovered how to spell furlough and what it meant. From record lows, unemployment has risen significantly. At the same time, the number of vacancies and job postings is now increasing. Pre-Covid skills shortages have not gone away. Some industries have been badly hit, others have seen demand for their services soar. We’ve been in lockdown and out and then back in again. It’s been enough to drive us to Tiers!

Just as importantly, where we work, why we work and with whom we work are not the same today as they were way back in March 2020.

The employer brand and reputation of every organisation in the land has been put to the test like never before. Some have risen to the challenge, others not so much.

And what of your Employee Value Proposition? The promise you make around the employee experience you’ll provide? Your employment ‘why’?

How relevant, how differentiated, how ready for 2021 is it? It’s a key question to answer.

So much of what contributes to an EVP has changed. The mindset of your employee base. The competitor set. The labour market. Perhaps even the structure of your own organisation.

And a robust and effective EVP has to reflect where you are and where you’re going, rather than where you were.

It’s worth perhaps reminding ourselves what an EVP is and what it can deliver.

It’s your commitment to the employee experience you’ll be delivering. It’s the narrative thread creating consistency across all people communications. It’s your direction of travel as an organisation and how your people can contribute to this.

Get this right and the potential of what your EVP can deliver is huge:

  • Employers who effectively deliver on their EVP can reduce departures by 69% (Gartner)
  • 83% of employers felt their EVP had a significant influence on their ability to hire talent (LinkedIn)
  • Poor EVP and employer branding adds 10% to the cost of external hiring (LinkedIn)
  • A well-executed EVP can improve new hire commitment by up to 29% (CLC)

Whilst we have worked with some organisations here in the UK and internationally to develop their EVP and their employer brand this past year (including their career websites and attraction material), it would be fair to say that for many in 2020 that this was not the time to either create or re-visit an EVP or brand. There were too many moving parts, too much ambiguity, too much uncertainty.

However, 2021 feels different. The staggering progress around the vaccines is creating a quiet, determined sense of returning confidence. Unemployment will not be going away anytime soon, however we are likely to see a pent-up demand for hiring in those sectors relatively unscathed by the virus. We work alongside a number of clients in tech and healthcare, for instance and this is the ‘norm’ for them; and there are, and will be, others.

For two key audiences, an organisation’s EVP will be important.

Candidates are likely to be both wary and cautious, looking for a new employer which is clear about its message, its direction and its purpose. An organisation, again, which is looking forward and not back. The employer brand and external messaging needs to convey this.

For your employees, the rationale for an investment in EVP is just as strong. They want to understand what the future looks like and how they can contribute to such a future. They want their voices, their experiences and their stories articulated. They need a reminder as to why you remain the best environment for their skills and ambition.

Because your Employer Brand is effectively the stories your people tell to describe what it’s like to work for you.

It’s a message for today which asks people for their commitment to help deliver tomorrow.

And whilst few of us wish to be defined by Covid-19, it’s important that it is referenced. Covid and how an organisation responded to its challenges will have shaped the employee experience hugely. An EVP in 2021 which doesn’t speak of how an organisation listened to its people, supported them, relied on them, would feel tone deaf and unintuitive.

Which is the danger of continuing with a pre-Covid EVP as we begin to emerge into a post-Covid world.

And how to you go about shaping, or indeed re-shaping, your EVP?

There are a number of differing approaches, but they all rely on the ability to listen to your people and tell their stories. Stories of how they have coped and how they have grown… with your support. Stories that then build a consistent employment narrative which is both authentic and inspiring.

It’s the sort of process we’ve delivered for numerous organisations. Some were looking at EVP for the first time; others wanted the tyres kicking on their existing one. And all were looking to encapsulate this into an authentic, distinctive and appealing employer brand that delivered a clear return on their investment.

If you feel it’s time for your own EVP and employer brand to look forward rather than backwards, then please contact me on 07973 131017 or email mike@wdad.co.uk

 

 

 

 

Shaw Trust Power 100 List of UK’s Most Influential Disabled People

By News

We’re thrilled that one of our partners, Andy Gilbert, has been named as a finalist for the Shaw Trust Power 100 – the UK’s most influential disabled people. His personal achievements, and the great work Gilbey Films does for disability access and disability awareness training is inspiring.

The Disability Power 100 2020 celebrates individuals, disabled or living with an impairment, who are working to break the stigma around disability to create a more accessible and inclusive world. The list unveiling and top 10 countdown will be streaming live on Weds 21st at 2.30. Visit disabilitypower100.com for more info.

And good luck Andy!