It was a typical Saturday afternoon. I had finished preparing lunch for the family and was starting to clean up the dishes when my 7-year-old son approached me. “Daddy, do you know why I love you?” My brain started to flood images of my many qualities that make me a loveable father. Was it the hundreds of logged hours watching various Cartoon Network programming? The irreplaceable half I bring to our “Dynamic Duo”, when playing Xbox 360’s “Lego Batman”? Maybe it’s the quality time we spend just before bed, tucking him in and exchanging a long goodnight hug?

I break away from my daydreaming (just before the “World’s Greatest Dad” parade commences) to hear my son reply: “Because you’re my favorite Daddy . . .  AND because you bought more chocolate milk.” Wow, I was way off! From a distance, my youngest son perks up. “Yeah Daddy, you’re my favoritest Daddy, too. Chocolate milk is yummy.”

Immediately my status as the family figurehead begins to soar, through word-of-mouth and community satisfaction, which got me thinking about how this might translate to the workplace. What reputation does your organization have? Why do people enjoy working there? Are you even sure they do? If you have ever had a position open longer than a month, this is something you need to evaluate.

In today’s saturated job market most assume it’s the job seeker who needs to be competitive. They do, but what about employers? Many job hunting prefer a “shotgun method” to applying. That is, they apply to hundreds of positions in hopes of a response; one shot, many different directions, pray for a hit.

If you fail to differentiate yourself from anybody else, the seeker assumes your company IS just like the rest — “just a job”. This makes it incredibly difficult to have anyone remember your company or take a sincere interest in learning more about you. I can already hear what you’re thinking: “Shouldn’t jobseekers ALREADY know about my company BEFORE they apply for my opening?” Possibly, but would you rather interview someone who’s hoping to land a job or someone who’s fighting to be a part of your team?  If your goal is to have qualified candidates seek you out and compete to work for you, you need to know what makes your opportunity worthwhile and promote it.

When I ask clients why their employees enjoy working for their company, I normally hear anything ranging from “great benefits” to “room for advancement”. While these are good qualities, are they really what your employees would say or what you ASSUME they would? How can you find out what’s important to them? The Web-based survey-building site http://www.zommerang.com/ offers free, anonymous surveys that you can customize and then instantly generate results sent directly to your email.

By using an anonymous survey, you can assure your employees they can answer the questions freely, without fear of retaliation. Be prepared, you might not like every response. However, knowledge is power. Once you can get to the root of your employees’ likes and dislikes, you’ll be able to mold the culture of your organization. Employee satisfaction will generate positive word-of-mouth and translate into your company being a brand worth fighting to be a part of.

Reputation goes a long way. When I interview potential candidates, I’m always interested in what companies they would prefer to work at and which ones they would rather not. It seems to be some of the same players on their “wish” lists and their “do-not-call-me-about” lists. While one is viewed as a company that “treats their employees as family and offers a fun work environment” another is a “churn and burn, micro-managing nightmare.” Both offer similar benefit packages, are market leaders, and have similar room for advancement. Why then, do they have completely different reputations? The first simply learned to get past what they THINK makes them great and instead focus on what their employees really want — more chocolate milk.

Brad Lewis, Celebrity Staff Kansas City Branch Manager

About Brad Lewis

Brad joined Celebrity in 2005 and currently serves as Branch Manager for Celebrity’s Kansas City branch office. Prior to joining Celebrity Staff, Brad was a business consultant in the communications industry for five years working specifically in the Kansas and Missouri districts. As branch manager, Brad concentrates on ensuring excellence in the overall operations of the Kansas City branch for both clients and employees. Outside the office, Brad enjoys spending quality time with his wife and their family.