Studies and experts confirm that companies with higher employee engagement are more profitable, have lower turnover, higher shareholder value, greater productivity and more. Companies with a positive corporate culture enjoy higher levels of employee engagement and better attract and retain talent. In the years since these initiatives have surfaced in corporate America, Human Resources has typically been charged with both increasing employee engagement and building a positive corporate culture. Are these initiatives better suited to the Marketing department?
The Case for Marketing
In today’s digital world, the objectives of employee engagement, culture and marketing are closely aligned. Marketing seeks to connect with consumers to communicate the company’s values and brand messaging. Because company values are so important to today’s (and tomorrow’s!) workforce, it makes sense for Marketing to communicate these messages internally as well.
The marketing team can also influence ways in which to attract top talent and encourage employees to become company advocates. While marketing is creating content that communicates company values and articulates a clear brand message to consumers, this same content can be shared with employees. Highly engaged employees take better care of customers. When those employees are living the company values and understand the brand messaging, they can authentically reinforce both with customers.
Culture and Employee Engagement are Connected
Culture is a shared set of beliefs and values. A positive culture not only attracts and retains key talent but allows employees to do their best work. Employee engagement is the emotional connection that the employee has to the organization’s beliefs and values.
Just as companies with a positive culture have a higher level of employee engagement, recognizing and rewarding excellence is on every list of ways to increase employee engagement.
Developing a formal program, training leadership on administering the program and effective ways to recognize and reward employees is critical. Partnering with an experienced firm will ensure that the program is fair, that it will achieve company goals and objectives while avoiding the unintended consequences that so frequently surface when companies try to develop programs in-house.
HubSpot believes that culture is to recruitment as product is to marketing. Because engaging customers is so similar to engaging employees, marketing may have the most to gain from an improved company culture and highly engaged employees. Contact one of our professionals today to get started on the path to strengthening your culture and increasing engagement by effectively recognizing and rewarding excellence!
