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Branding and Trust: Why Brand is Important Internally and Externally

July 14, 2016Lori Rohrbach

The brand of an organization is crucial to building the trust of consumers, its external publics. What may not be as obvious to consumers is why an organization puts such high importance on communicating its brand to its own employees, the internal publics. An organization’s brand is important to both these groups for different reasons.

For consumers, the brand must mirror the organization’s identity, its mission, and purpose. Consumers want to have their wants and needs addressed as they relate to products and services, and the brand must convey this. The team behind every meaningful, honest brand relies on two-way communication between the company and its consumers to establish trust, and to receive feedback on whether the organization is meeting consumer needs and requirements, and how improvements can be made.

Internally, leaders must ensure that employees have buy-in on what the brand conveys because employees help to communicate the brand externally; they are the voice boxes of the brand outside of the company and they ultimately uphold it on behalf of the company. Employees must identify with the brand and feel a personal connection with it in order to embody it. Without this personal belief, employees are disconnected to the brand, have no personal accountability or responsibility to it. This disconnection has direct impact on the brand and on consumers’ ability to trust what it conveys.

Consumers must be given a chance to put their faith in an organization, its products or services and ultimately its brand. As facilitators of that relationship, it is equally important that company leaders and employees feel that sense of purpose and identify and embody the brand.

Author: Michael LaBella

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Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

 

Whether telecommuting is old hat or something you’ve been forced into as part of the COVID-19 shutdown, here are a few tips to make the experience run smoothly for both employers and employees.

 

Managing expectations

Successful work-from-home strategies always begin with clearly communicated expectations. Make sure your employees have any necessary equipment, tools and resources.  Will they need to track their time? Participate in regularly scheduled meetings? Be available at certain times of day? For employees, know what you’re accountable for and clearly communicate any challenges you’re having.

 

Constant communication

Keep the lines of communication open and be accessible. Check in with employees regularly through apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and Skype, or even an old-fashioned email or phone call. Be genuinely interested in how they’re doing but don’t overdo it. Foster a feeling of trust by not micromanaging.

 

Nine to five…ish

While having a daily schedule is ideal, it may not always be practical right now. Make sure your people know when you need them to be available and try to offer flexibility at other times. They may be juggling school schedules as well as work schedules and working at “off-shift” times may be necessary. Be mindful of employees in different time zones as well.

 

For employees, try to work when you’re at your best, and not when you’re exhausted by kindergarten playtime and fourth grade math. Make sure people know if you will be unavailable at certain times.

 

Taking a break

Getting up and moving clears the head and helps with creativity and problem-solving. Whether it’s a walk around the block or a break for lunch, make time to get away from your desk throughout the day.

 

Signing off

Working from home does not mean being available 24/7. Set an actual end to the workday if possible. Don’t send and respond to messages at all hours. Sign out of messaging apps and close work programs. Understand and respect these boundaries.

 

Location, location, location

When setting up a home office, think about where you will have the fewest distractions – for yourself and for those who may be seeing you and your background on a video conferencing platform. Try to avoid busy spots that may include semi-clad people walking behind you, barking dogs and kids vying for your attention.

 

Conferencing and calls

Be clear about whether you expect people to turn on their cameras during meetings. If so, be clear about how they should be dressed. During calls, mute your phone when you’re not talking to avoid background noise. Headphones can also help with call quality. When speaking, pause frequently so others can participate in the conversation.

 

Social engagement

It’s ok for managers and employees to have some down time together, which may help ward off feelings of isolation. Keep up your normal level of interaction, perhaps with a virtual coffee break or happy hour. Managers should set the tone for how casual to be. Let employees choose what they would like to share, and never pry into areas that were off-limits before.

 

 

Author: Erin Alderfer

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