PR as an Instrument for Human Resources

In the search for the perfect employee, more and more German companies are participating in the “competition for talent”. Necessarily so. Due to demographic changes in the country, competition for the best brains has been heightened. As in many other European countries, Germany is experiencing steady population decline. Increasingly fewer young people as opposed to increasingly more old: the population is expected to fall by about 17 million inhabitants by the year 2060, according to forecasts from the Federal Office for Statistics. One in three will be over 65 years old. And one in seven, about 10 million people, will actually be over 80 years old.

These days, competence in communication and dialogue is playing a pivotal role for companies that want to differentiate themselves from their rivals in this highly competitive market. And so it comes as no surprise that a new term has found its way into the vocabulary of personnel: Human Resources-Public Relations (HR-PR). In light of the skill shortage, an increasing number of personnel departments are finding out that HR-PR is an important component of their employer brandings. If companies deploy Public Relations – especially when it comes to increasing the awareness level for their products – horizons slowly expand: The idea behind HR-PR is to present the company as an attractive employer to potential applicants.

So what do we actually mean when we talk about “HR-PR”? Essentially the term relates to external communication. PR is used to communicate content, messages and stories, where HR takes centre stage: the focus is on the working environment in companies, on organizations as employers. This primarily entails classical presswork. Active issue management regarding all current issues in the working and living environment means having to find what those current issues are. It also requires mid to long term topic planning. Other elements are, of course, the placement of interview partners from each of the relevant sectors, as well as active contact with journalists. The tools of story telling can also be sensibly deployed. Trust can be created by telling stories, such as how employees can find an optimal work-life balance or how the company and its employees are mastering the challenges of an ageing society. This trust will be in the company as an employer and also in its products. Companies often underestimate interesting details from their working organisation and thus miss out on opportunities to have their voice heard.

In many organizations, involvement in associations and other cross-company initiatives can also be considered as HR-PR, such as talks and publications, which go beyond the realms of classical recruitment.

Thanks to Web 2.0, other opportunities are available for HR-PR: direct contact as well as uncomplicated dialogue with potential colleagues. Career starters and young professionals in particular don’t just inform themselves via the official career network sites of the company; rather they also use the social networks and online communities to find out more about their potential employers. Having a presence on important professional networks such as Xing is now a norm. Although many potential employees are also available via Facebook, so far only a handful of companies are using this channel.

In this context, employer rating websites such as kununu.de, jobvoting.de and bizzwatch.de should be closely monitored. Poor ratings from (former) employees about the company climate, the bosses or colleagues can create an Internet crisis in no time at all. Let us not forget the assertion of Edward L. Bernays, Father of Public Relations, who in the mid 1950s claimed that “PR begins at home”: The best ambassadors for a company are its own employees. They remain the most important HR communicators. With maximum credibility and authenticity.

 

 

Author: Michael Zühlke is Managing Director relatio PR

To check in, or not to check in: that is the question…

William Ory - e-reputation Manager at Wellcom

The social location (social-loco) is the convergence of the social web, mobile and local-business, this is the next big thing in the social media universe and privacy is still a huge issue for the adoption of any apps that ask the consumer to disclose their location. A recent study made in partnership with the Social-Loco Conference (socialloco.net) shows a disconnect between what people are talking about online, what early adopters are actually doing and how the rest of the US population perceives services such as Foursquare or Facebook Places.

Brand companies want to engage consumers (increasingly)

Brands aim to increase their visibility, online reputation (which happens at the end of strategy and based on feedback) and customer relationships (we are now in a double strategy: customer relationship and visibility). For example, many companies propose special offers on Foursquare, offers reserved to the community that allow consumers to take advantage of those special offers. Besides these, many users are also given the opportunity to make bids.  Finally, social location enables companies to determine their main target groups. For example in France, McDonalds held a big national contest (“I’m check-in’it”) with the Facebook Places app, people who check-in three time in the same restaurant, win a Mc Flurry…an interesting “glocal” approach.

Yes but, what about the consumers?

George Orwell told us in his famous and controversial novel: “1984”. This book, listed by Time magazine as one of the 100 best English novels and short stories from 1923 until today, is still valid. Indeed, when you talk about this novel, no one can ignore the ‘Big Brother’.

Focusing on the precise meaning of the famous “big brother”, Wikipedia gives this definition: The term “Big Brother” is used to denote all institutions and practices that undermine fundamental freedoms and privacy of populations or individuals. The check-in business needs to consider and understand this old (but very real) concept.

In the “social-loco” study, it’s clear that people are ready and willing check-in and engage with brands large and small, provided there’s something in it for them – a coupon or special offer, for example. But what are the limits, how far is the public is ready to go in order to interact with those brands? That is the question…

Three steps to get there, according to the study authors:

1. Brands need to adopt a “Glocal” social media strategy in order to engage consumers in the next generation of mobile apps that leverage location-data.

2. There is an opportunity for big brands to engage consumers in location-based apps by tapping into, and combing, multiple motivational elements (discounts, learning, promoting, meeting friends).

3. To reach beyond the early adopters, brands should focus their strategies around Facebook and Groupon as the two platforms that are most likely to drive adoption.

Report Highlights

About privacy:

• 17% of the US population have checked-in using an app on their mobile device

• 49% of the population didn’t feel there was any real motivation to check-in

• 48% have never checked in due to privacy concerns

Which Apps Do /Would People Use?

• 90% of people who have checked-in have done so using Facebook Places
• 55% of people who have never checked-in would most likely use Facebook Places
• 40% would check-in using Groupon

• 31% have disclosed their location on Twitter

• 22% have checked-in using Foursquare

Why Would People Check-in?

• 54% of early adopters and 41% of consumers cited deals and discounts as the single biggest reason to check-in.

Where People Check-In

• Consumers who currently check-in are most likely to check into a place that sells food and drink with the top destinations being restaurants (53%), Coffee shops/cafes (40%), hotels (38%) and Bars/clubs (36%)

To learn more about the study, click to enlarge the infographic below.

Via : http://www.bynd.com/2011/05/04/social-loco-research/

Social Media: Creating New Challenges and Opportunities

Gunnar Angeltveit , Managing Partner, Angeltveit & Gangdal AS, ECCO Norway

Social Media are redefining Crisis Communication protocols whether we like it or not. It is therefore essential that usage, monitoring and analysis of social media become an integral part of companies risk and crisis management, planning and operations.

Let me start with an example from Norway where we, as in most other countries, have strict protocols and routines for handling information about missing persons or people killed in an accident. The person in question has to be identified; the police locate next of kin and the local police, or a representative for the church or religious group, then pass on the terrible news to the family. In the last couple of years we have unfortunately seen cases where affected families have received the news via Facebook and other social media. People at the site and even those involved in the rescue operations spread the news of what has happened and who the victim is. The pain of the families who receive the news is unimaginable and receiving the news via Facebook cannot make things any better.

These examples are not just terrible, but they also show us a new landscape which needs a new map.

My second example: A company came under massive pressure from the media and the relevant authorities due to potential malpractice and bad management. It seemed as if the company had broken several laws and regulations in order to gain profit. As the situation unfolded, journalists used Facebook and Twitter to be listed as friends and followers of staff members and other employees. From the ‘semi-inside’ position journalists could access crucial information – right from the horse’s mouth! It didn’t help that some of the management team tweeted aggressively, not aware that their tweets ranked high when ‘googling’ their names.

Journalists are changing their ways of identifying, defining, and using sources. Social media can be like a candy store for journalists.

In other crises, we have seen examples of how support via social media from employees has helped crisis response teams in their efforts to defend the reputation of a company or a brand. Likewise, when the volcanic ashes interrupted flight traffic, the main airline companies in Norway used Facebook to reach out to those affected. In this instance, Facebook was a better tool for dialogue than any of the other web applications the companies had invested in.  From other countries and crises we have also witnessed how social media can be used to mobilise the masses, create dialogue and possibly even stir-up revolution.

During the earthquake in Japan, Google.org initiated a platform for Crisis Management as well as Crisis Communication (http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html).

Thus, my message to board members, management groups and others with key positions in companies is: Please include social media both as part of the risk assessment but also as a tool in your company’s crisis management response. Find a professional to help you in your national market.

Bear in mind though that you cannot control what employees are writing in social media. The only thing you can influence – in the long term – is the motivation of employees and customers, and their loyalty to the company. This is why the human factor is becoming more and more essential in all crisis management and communication.

And the key to the human factor is quality and open communication at all levels.

Note: Facebook in Norway

In Norway, with a population of 4,920,300, we have 2,554,600 Facebook users – more than 54 percent of the population with users equally split between men and women.