Simon’s fourth Employer Brand talk in China, Shanghai, 26th July 2019

Our client, Steven Li of LinLead, has done some qualitative research on the understanding in China of what Employer Brand management is and is not, and has asked me to make the keynote at this event on 26th July. If you have a business interest in China and/or Chinese associates who may like to attend, do please forward this blog to them. My themes will include:

• The principles of brand management as a proven business approach and the challenges of applying that thinking to the world of work. Why it is a harder job than that of Product Brand Management (having done both).
• Managing people at work needs this approach more than ever given the many factors that are weakening loyalty and trust.
• Managing the realities of the employment experience. Whose job is that? Employer Brand managers and/or specialists in managing the employee experience.? Either way, it is a critical ingredient of the EB. At work, your people know the truth. They judge you on what you do not what you say.
• Practical insights which will help EB executives in creating the identity that will build the brand providing existing employees believe that it reflects reality.
• The 10 key behaviours which distinguish great Employer Brand people. It is these characteristics which will transform the career prospects of people in this area and change the reputation of people in HR. I shall be quoting Peter Cheese, the CIPD CEO, who expressed some very frank statements on what HR needs to do in the June issue of People Management. He starts with the need for more confidence and courage. In my own experience, most of the main business functions produce future CEOs but HR is not yet a springboard for the top and yet it should be.

Peking University has stated that great employers no longer have the power they once had. That power is now with brilliant talent as individuals. That is a big statement and one which I will be addressing in my talk.

Simon Barrow