A recent recruitment ad by Iluka Resources Ltd promised the company and “you” were “making a difference every day.
A recent recruitment ad by Iluka Resources Ltd promised the company and “you” were “making a difference every day”, while titanium producer Tiwest’s ad directly next door encouraged people to join its ranks and gain a lifestyle where they can “enjoy the things that matter most”.
Over at Fortescue Metals Group, written on a picture of the company’s chief, Andrew Forrest, is a message telling would-be employees that the journey has begun and that it is a company that “actively discriminates against the apathetic, the unsafe, the rigid, the unprofessional and non-team players”.
Even local government is tugging on the heart-strings in an effort to attract good staff.
Last weekend, the Shire of Busselton produced an ad looking for motivated people who could “shape our future” and at the same time get an enviable lifestyle by working in the state’s South West.
These messages and accompanying images are turning the recruitment sections in newspapers into something resembling the lifestyle pages of a magazine.
In a climate where skilled employees are as hard to find as cheap Perth property, companies have been forced to sell themselves, which has placed a greater focus on their brand and their perception in the marketplace.
There is increasing talk within boardrooms about a company’s ‘value proposition’ – a broad range of initiatives, other than salary, designed to attract and retain staff.
Some of those initiatives and values include helping the community, caring for the environment, a better work-life balance, opportunities to travel, and training programs.
But often getting a potential employee to begin assessing the value proposition requires getting their attention in the first place.
iiNet managing director Michael Malone recently said the ISP’s recent consumer advertising campaign had helped it recruit staff in Sydney because people recognised the company.
RAC brand and communications director Carolyn Hall said the business had become more focused on employer branding in the past year.
One initiative included a volunteering program, where RAC employees can take a paid day out of the office to volunteer for a charity.
The RAC also provides training opportunities and a wellness program. Even belly dancing classes are offered.
“One of the things I have learned through my experiences at companies is that being paid fairly is good, but it is the things around that which keep you there,” Ms Hall said.
She said the RAC had a different brand proposition to a company like Wesfarmers.
Interestingly, Wesfarmers has been ranked by the advertising industry as the having the best employer brand in WA, while the RAC came in second.
“It’s different to going to work at a place like Wesfarmers. Yes, getting Wesfarmers on your CV is seen as a great thing because you are more than likely going to go on and do very well in that corporate environment, but coming to work at the RAC is more about helping people,” she said.
For many companies the key to retaining staff is making their employees, particularly those in generation Y, feel like they are contributing to the company.
“It is not just about offering the biggest buck in town…it is about having a sense of belonging, making a difference, leadership, and that sort of thing,” The Right Group managing director David Kent said.
Synovate group managing director Julie Beeck agrees that employers increasingly need to understand what employees want in the workplace.
“Money is not the answer,” Ms Beeck said. “You’ve actually got to decide what you are and how you treat your people, what your organisation is about and attract people who share common values.”
