Europe's most modern and efficient hardwood sawmill was finding it increasingly difficult to successfully fill vacant positions. The number and quality of applicants had fallen sharply. The interim manager with experience in the timber industry was commissioned to counteract this development with an employer branding strategy for all of the German company's sites. The positioning as an employer was to achieve greater public awareness, greater brand awareness among employees and, in the medium term, an increase in the number and quality of applicants.
Working with employees to develop core employer brand statements
Despite having more than 800 employees, the medium-sized company was largely unknown at its locations. In particular, two production sites of automotive groups and the public sector in the forestry industry were attractive competitors. After a detailed benchmark comparison with the local competitors on the labor market, the interim manager identified an initial field of action. The job advertisements and distribution via job exchanges and job fairs were exemplary. However, the company offered no further insights into the working environment and no clues as to what the company stands for.
In order to find this out, the interim manager prepared a workshop with several employees from all areas of the company and hierarchical levels. Using various moderation techniques, he worked with the group on their self-image from different perspectives:
- Home: What gives employees stability? What creates identity?
- Future: What drives employees? What image of the future do they paint?
- Differentiation: What makes the company different, unique?
Results of the workshop condensed into an employer value proposition
From the results, the interim manager formulated an employer value proposition for the employer brand with three central statements.
- The headline "Partnership at eye level" summarizes the values that are lived and typical of well-managed medium-sized companies, such as respect, trust and fairness.
- The employees clearly expressed a claim to leadership as a global champion in the hardwood sawmill industry. This resulted in the phrase "Together to the top"
- With the statement "Shaping the future with wood", employees expressed their idea of sustainability with wood as the core product. From responsible and safe forest management and complete recycling, including all waste products, to the development of new wood-based materials for architecturally sophisticated timber construction, the employees want to take responsibility for the entire process.
Analyzing the target groups' expectations of the employer
In the next step, the interim manager carried out a target group analysis. He recorded the expectations of employers at different stages of their careers (e.g. those seeking training, career starters, experienced professionals). On this basis, he formulated target group descriptions including preferred communication channels for career information.
Four target dimensions developed for the employer branding strategy
The interim manager defined four main thrusts or sub-targets for the individual employer branding strategy and proposed suitable key figures for measuring target achievement. He assigned a catalog of measures to each sub-goal. He evaluated and roughly calculated all of the measures contained therein and prioritized them in terms of utility.
Internal impact: Turning employees into brand ambassadors
The salaried employees were not previously considered as a target group. In line with their important role as brand ambassadors, two target dimensions were aimed at employees. Under the heading "Strengthening the employer positioning among employees", all employees are invited to take part in a "Brand ambassadors wanted" casting. As part of this campaign, employees have the opportunity to engage with the new employer positioning. At the same time, suitable candidates are identified for subsequent photo and film productions.
The target dimension "Increasing employee satisfaction" includes project and employee surveys, the development of internal communication, a social intranet with an employee app for cell phones and a further training catalog.
External impact: convincing with content in external media
The interim manager identified ensuring regional reporting and the systematic generation of suitable content on sustainability on the company website as key topics for the third target dimension "Increasing public awareness and image as a sawmill". The catalog of measures for the target dimension "Expansion of applicant contact points" supplements the activities with, among other things, a previously missing content strategy. The interim manager and marketing expert also provided concrete creative approaches for implementation, particularly for the conception of target group-specific video content on professions and employers, a new, memorable visual language and an introductory campaign.
The interim manager completed the mandate after six weeks in summer 2021 with a concrete timetable for implementation. The company was very satisfied with the results and will consult him again for individual projects from the implementation plan.
