Why Now Is The Time To Invest In Your Employees’ Personal Brands

When you think about your employees’ brand, what comes to mind? A job title? A professional profile picture? A social media following? The truth is, personal branding is so much more than aesthetics. It’s an opportunity for your employees to communicate their expertise, personality and values; it then positions them to navigate their personal life and the professional world with confidence.

Companies frequently focus on communicating and upholding their brand through marketing and public relations efforts, sometimes spending millions to billions of dollars on advertising campaigns to elevate their brand. Yet studies show that marketing messages had a 561% better chance of reaching customers when it came from an employee rather than directly from the brand.

Branding is one of the most important investments a company can make. Psychology Today reveals that customers perceive the same personality traits in brands that they do in other people. When done correctly, investing in branding builds loyalty and preference while transforming companies from commodities to experiences. Need more information to persuade yourself or your boss? Here are three reasons why now is the time to invest in your employees’ personal brand.

Your Employees Are Walking, Talking Billboards

As a career practitioner who approaches careers through a holistic lens, I hear from many employees, even those from top companies, who say their managers and leaders are too job-focused (situational) instead of focusing on advancing their overall careers (developmental). Employees want to feel valued beyond their job role, especially with the fluctuating demands of personal and professional life caused by the pandemic.

Last year exposed the cracks within organizational systems that fail to prioritize and meet evolving needs of employees facing life and job transitions. Employees are dealing with complex feelings of grief, loss and burnout during the pandemic, with 37% of people working longer hours. These issues are significantly affecting mothers, with one in three having considered leaving the workforce. More people are hanging their employee hats for freelancing, with 60% saying that no amount of money would convince them to take a traditional job.

When your employees feel unfulfilled in their work, unseen by leadership and unable to find adequate avenues to express themselves, they are more likely to share or use platforms to express their negative corporate and organizational experiences; this can deter top talent, customers, partners and shareholders. Your employees are walking, talking billboards showcasing the good, the bad and the ugly. 

Job loyalty rises when businesses address employee needs, ranging from diversity and inclusion to sustainability and reskilling. Yet, something is clearly wrong. In light of 2020’s numerous incidents of racial violence and injustice, Mckinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2020 study revealed fewer than one in three Black women report their manager has checked in on or fostered an inclusive culture for their team. Absolutely appalling.

Investing In Employees’ Personal Brands Strengthen Yours

Understanding what drives your employees to succeed gives you key insights for making their work meaningful. It also helps your company’s leaders evaluate what you stand for and how to fuel your vision, values and mission on a micro and macro level.

When you allow your employees to express their personal brand by voicing their opinions on issues that affect their lives, you empower them to maintain confidence in their ethos while taking ownership over the part they play within your organization’s growth. Viewing your employees as partners within your company elevates their duties from completing tasks to fulfilling a greater mission. Your employees want to feel fulfilled in their work and feel they contribute to something bigger than themselves.

For employees to buy into your brand, they want to be clear on your values; CEOs are being held accountable for making known where they stand on societal and communal issues. Clarity builds employees’ trust and confidence, and confidence improves overall workplace performance. Sustainable, high-level performance makes a business’s bottom line stronger, attracting top talent who can confidently support and even elevate your brand.

Employee Fulfillment Contributes To High-Level Wellness

When onboarding new employees, company manuals should serve as more than just a formality to share company information; they should serve as guides for employees to navigate their new position confidently. It’s an opportunity to get creative and show that you’re developmentally minded, and you care about their career, not just their job. Keep in mind that a personal brand embodies aspects like an individual’s values, personality and skills. Understanding employee pain points and providing the necessary support to remove those barriers will foster an environment where employees can holistically thrive.

With burnout being linked to feeling unfulfilled at work, taking the time to understand the core of who your employees are and the “why” behind the work that they do will allow you to cultivate a company culture that promotes job fulfillment and prioritizes employee wellness. These things can be achieved through methods like 1-on-1 coaching, virtual and in-person workshops and forums where employees are free to express what elements of their job are affecting their emotional, mental or physical health.

As our world continues to shift, investing in your employees’ personal brand will not only make employees feel valued beyond their current job, it will also foster a work environment where everyone wins. It’s been estimated that the strength of brands can account for up to 20% of the total value of companies trading on the S&P 500. 

This article was first published here on Forbes.