trailer world issue Two 2011

Issue Two 2011 7LWOH 6WRU\ ,OOXVWUDWLRQV&DUJRÕ*HWW\,PDJHV3KRWRV.,%2352$.790DQDJHPHQW house-Coopers (PwC) and the Wifor economic research institute in Darmstadt, there will be a shortage of almost 56,000 doctors and 140,000 nurses and other medical care personnel in Germany by 2020. The Association of German Engineers (VDI) recently posted 76,000 job vacancies for engineers. It is the same story in the logistics indus- try, where the “Top 100 of Logistics” study, published by the DVZ Deutsche Logistik-Zeitung trade journal and the German Logistics Association (BVL), found that the number of new positions to be filled in that sector will rise by 100,000 by the end of 2012. The Association of German Chamber of Industry and Commerce pinpointed what this means in actual practice: at present, about 70% of German companies are having a difficult time finding the right employees to fill their vacancies. According to professional services firm Ernst & Young, these companies will have to therefore absorb revenue losses amounting to about 30 billion euros. ;gf[]hlkYj]mj_]fldqf]]\]\ Whilst entire departments – from human resources to marketing – in large companies and corporations such as Allianz, Audi and Sie- mens are working on strategies to position their companies internally and externally as attractive employers, the small and medium-sized sector has been slow to become aware of this strategically key task. “There is a lack of concepts and not enough advisers and consultants,” says personnel recruiter Dietz-Stang, describing the current situation for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In come cases, even small structural changes would have been enough to make a quick impact on the market. What does it take for a company to make the leap from a wallflower to an attractive employer brand? “Employer branding is a strategic management task that significantly affects the image of the employer brand and thus the corporate image as well,” explains Dieter Sick- ing, General Manager of KIBO Kommunikation, a human resources marketing agency based in Bremen, Germany. Sicking, an expert in employer branding, is convinced that employers can only increase their attractiveness if they adopt a long-term and consistent employee- centric personnel policy. Sicking says that “the corporate culture is the pivotal point. As long as the staff are seen as an important link in the value chain, then all is well.” Lmjfaf_]ehdgq]]kaflgYeZYkkY\gjk First and foremost, that means internally communicating the com- pany’s values, strategies and philosophy in order to create the much acclaimed sense of community (the “we-feeling”) and turn employees into ambassadors. To accomplish this, management has to adopt an open approach to honest communication. “To be able to effectively communicate something to the outside, you have to practise it on the inside,” Sicking, an employer marketing expert, explains. “Every em- ployee has to be able to find purpose in his or her commitment, have a personal perspective and feel valued through a transparent culture of information.” The reputation and attractiveness of a company comes from inside. It is essentially shaped by the management style of the top executives, by the culture of values that is exemplified and practised, and by the support for every single employee. In the age of social media, char- acter traits such as openness, honesty and authenticity are espe- cially important, since comments made in online employer rating and review forums paint an unvarnished picture of how employees view their company or boss: an American Express employee posts an anonymous comment on Kununu.com describing the CEO as “somewhat overbearing”, and with just a click, shares his opinion with the entire world. Advisers and consultants know the outcome: people will be attracted to a company because of its interesting jobs, and will be driven away by a bad boss. x7KH FRUSRUDWH FXOWXUH LV WKH SLYRWDO SRLQWl 'LHWHU 6LFNLQJ

trailer world issue Two 2011

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