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07.02.2018

Branding and Culture: How Small Updates Make Big Business “Cents”

Brand and culture can at times feel like fluffy attributes, however, there is more and more evidence that supports the correlation between a positive, engaging culture and brand and strong financial performance.

If you are in an industry with either a war for top talent or simply a labor shortage, it is essential to create differentiation. Faith Technologies continues to do this by creating a strong brand, and by engaging employee culture in a number of ways, including innovative office spaces, relevant employee programs, impactful community involvement, and in-depth employee training and advancement.

OUR SPACE:
As organizations grow and acquire more space (or squeeze more people into the space they have!), it’s essential to take a step back from the functional aspects of the space and consider a few questions. For example, how will employees function in this space? How would this space look to a potential recruit? What about a client? Is the space clean, intentional (organized) and invigorating? The image here shows how some small updates in one of our locations made big differences in the look and feel.

When talent and clients have options, every impression, especially the first impression, counts. As you grow, ensuring each space continues to evolve is a challenge, but progress is progress, and small investments can make a big impact on brand, culture and your bottom line.

PROGRAM ENHANCEMENTS:
Over time, an organization’s make-up shifts, so it’s absolutely essential to keep a pulse on the needs of your people. With the continued entrance of millennials and the exiting of baby boomers, the needs of your people are likely changing. Is there a call for greater sustainability and green practices? Is there a desire for more flexible work arrangements? What about health and wellness programs? How well aligned are you for a change in demographics and sociographics? If you don’t know, maybe it’s time you ask your employees.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:
Similar to program enhancements, you may also find opportunities to build brand and culture through strong, strategic community involvement. Here are some intentional steps to accomplish this:

  • Designate or hire a passionate chair or manager for community involvement
  • Identify and communicate your community involvement strategy
  • Form a committee to help lead and build engagement
  • Revisit strategies as a part of your annual planning, and tweak them as your organization changes

While this can strategy can be applied through a heavy strategic focus or through smaller grassroots tactics, taking a proactive approach on your community involvement can lead to more than just good public relations and a positive corporate citizen reputation; it has been proven to drive positive impact on employee retention and satisfaction.

TRAINING & ADVANCEMENT:
Most importantly, to build brand and culture within your organization, continue to build your people. As we have seen at Faith, employee training programs are directly tied to retention and engagement, so much so that our leadership team felt it was absolutely essential to invest in what we call Faith Technologies University. Through a ground-up growth concept, employees can join our state-of-the-art apprenticeship program and begin a debt-free and financially successful career path, and current employees are continually trained to grow, progress and flourish in their careers.

No matter what your organization’s annual goals and initiatives are, though brand and culture may not be on the list, to support strong financial performance, they should always be at the foundation.