Why corporate internal events matter? Internal employer branding best practices
Corporations across the world face the problem of intensified employees rotation. In times when professionals have the guts to take risks of changing job and possibilities to seek more attractive positions employer branding objectives start to play the lead. Can internal events help with the problem? Answers in the article.
Today’s market is harsh when it comes to social conditions provided by the company. The work-life balance, working environment, and the impact employees can have on the company’s development – it all can influence internal employer branding. When managed badly, it causes many problems connected to the workflow within the company and in effect, you end up with ongoing employee rotation.
Among many ways to improve operational processes and atmosphere in the company, there are internal events. However, many still can’t notice their importance for internal employer branding and automatically for the company’s profits. Let’s take a closer look at why they matter and what are the best employer branding practices to try in your business.
Why internal employer branding is important?
In times of the intensified work toward constant development of the company, the so-called ‘human’ factor may get lost. The fast pace of changes, new deals to close, deadlines to meet can lead to a negative influence on the whole company’s work.
First of all, in the fierce pace of everyday duties, there’s usually no time to maintain meaningful work relationships. Unfortunately, in big corporations, it’s common that the integration is less than minimal. While for many such situations isn’t anything to worry about, the fact is that the lack of bond within the company’s community can significantly influence its bad performance. Lack of proper bond integration between team members contributes to poor communication within the team and many misunderstandings. Automatically the workflow is flawed.
Then, there’s an aspect of the atmosphere in the team. When feeling uncomfortable or stressed, employees won’t be willing to work toward a common goal. Simply put, coming to work will be a sad duty for them because the sole purpose of accomplishing aims is not enough. They need social interactions to become more proactive and creative. When your team doesn’t have it then don’t expect from them to engage with generating profits and going for success if they don’t feel like a part of one society. Also, if they feel like their voice doesn’t matter, you won’t get to know about bad mechanisms and things to improve.
Of course, it’s never too late to get things right. By setting employer branding objectives for your company you’ll be able to express that your team matter to you. Everyday activities will improve the atmosphere in the office. From time to time it’s good to give your employees something special that would let them spend some quality time leaving the desk for a while.
Why corporate internal events matter?
The investment in internal events for many is unnecessary, considering the profits that the company can get. However, such thinking is a sign of business shortsightedness. It’s not noticing how important internal events are for not only creating internal employer branding but also for improving the effectiveness of your team and the company as a whole. Need more to convince you to cut a little bit of your budget pie? Let’s dive into core things that prove that corporate internal events make sense.
Internal events create an employee-company relationship
Managers at big corporations need to face one of the most common problems of our times – mentioned before rotation of employees. In this case, internal corporate events can make a real difference. Through giving your team a clear statement that they matter, have their say in the company and are being taken care of, you strengthen the bond that they have with the company.
Nowadays employees often change their job in the minute something doesn’t suit their expectations. Thanks to events you’re able to monitor the mood within the company and choose an adequate employer branding best practice. Also, by offering entertainment that allows your team to take time out of stressful duties, you make them feel good within the company. Now, seeing this effort they’ll absorb the company’s values, connect with the firm and its environment and eventually will stay with your company longer, saving you time, the money you’d need to spend on the recruitment process.
Internal events support the interpersonal relations in your company
There’s no way to create a good team without something that will glue them together. To create an atmosphere which would drive your employees throughout the day you need them to know each other. The feeling of belonging to the larger community is priceless when it comes to improving the workflow in the office. For example, a simple coffee break with coworkers in the middle of the intense work on one project can allow them to refresh their brains and come up with greater ideas. Actually, while choosing 10 best TED talks for business some time ago, I discovered Margaret Heffernan speech where she proves that interpersonal relations need to be healthy and positive in order to succeed. Have a look:
Now, when we reached the agreement that the integration factor is important, let me tell you that there’s no better way to get your team to know each other than to organize an internal event. It can be a formal gathering of all departments, a banquet or more informal party. Also, the good way is to send your team for a short trip, arrange some extra activities (like this neuroSYS team did) or simply give them time for fun. It’s always easier to befriend someone and know them from things other than work when you grab a beer and have a fun time without deadlines at the back of your head.
Also, you can ask one of your team members to organize some team game. We did it at the meeting that summarized 2018th in our company. Everyone had to write down an unknown fact about themselves. Then, when the time came, the whole team had 20 minutes to match the facts with their colleagues. There was a lot of fun and believe me, they did get to know each other!
Internal events can get you proper feedback
Another great value that comes from in house events is that literally, everyone from the company is there, regardless of position. In the same time, the most common topic that will probably be a true ice breaker between coworkers will be the work itself. This way you, as their leader, have precious opportunity to hear something that might help you with employer branding best practices. After all, people are more willing to tell what’s wrong within the company to their colleagues and in the informal atmosphere rather than to the board at the quarterly or one to one meeting, wouldn’t you agree?
However, when trying to collect some information about your teams’ expectations and opinions take care of the form. Make sure you’re gathering feedback at a corporate event in the right way, which will allow you to evaluate the event and then draw conclusions to improve your employer branding practice. For example, don’t force your team to fill the paper forms, give them additional attraction and run a mobile survey. Also, try to ask the right questions so that they feel like it’s not just a courtesy but they voice really matters.
Internal events show that you care for your people
Corporate events have many advantages but some of them won’t be material. The crucial thing that makes internal events employer branding best practice is the fact that it shows that you care. Employees really appreciate initiatives that provide them with more experiences than just dealing with day-to-day duties. Even when it’s connected to the field of work they will still be grateful for the effort taken to diversify their routine.
If you need an example, one of our clients, international corporation, organized a contest for technological companies. Employees were asked to attend it and choose the best, in their opinion, solutions that could be implemented to their banking industry.
Internal events help with promoting the company’s values
Launching a corporate event gives you an option to make sure that everyone is on the same page with your company’s mission and values. Spending quality time together helps to spread a particular approach and promote the behavior you’d like to see as a characteristic for your company.
Think of it as a demonstration of your philosophy. When your company is supposed to be a chilled technology firm, you’ll want to go for more informal attractions. However, when you’re dealing with a distinguished company that has it’s hard rules, you’ll choose a standing cocktail party with the set dress code. This way the firm’s philosophy will subliminally fall into your employees’ understanding of the company.
Internal events can make your business grow
The ‘soft’ and interpersonal aspects that corporate events provide are easier to notice when one starts to think about it. However, there’s also a business value of investing in in-house events. Gathering the whole team in one place allows you to get everyone involved in the creative process of creating strategies, new product concepts and more. In result, you get more ideas that brought together give a wider look at the matter. This way, you can all come up with better decisions for your business and multiply the profits.
What is more, all of the ‘soft’ employer branding aspects mentioned above automatically support the company’s business growth. It influences the positive motivation within the team. Employees are satisfied with their workspace, engage in better cooperation with other team members. This, as you can imagine, drives the work of the whole company toward achieving new goals and growing the company’s potential.
What’s it all about?
Internal events for corporations are a similar thing like email marketing for e-commerce businesses. A true must-have! They let you make sure that you stay on the same page with your team. You want to make it feel appreciated, relaxed in order to be more efficient and to stay with you on the goal accomplishment journey. Thanks to one investment in out of ordinary activities for your team, you can have it all and automatically boost your internal employer branding actions. This way, you not only make your team feel like in the right place to be but also contribute to better performance of the company as a whole.
Do you have your own employer branding best practices? Share it with us, leave a comment!
