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Once a recruiting tOOl , emplOyer branding has adapted tO serve wOrkfOrces ’ mOre pressing needs amid furlOughs and lOckdOwns .
Contributed by Megan Rowe
One of the subtler side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a shift in strategies for employer branding . Designed to project and encourage a company culture for both prospective and current associates , branding efforts have pivoted to reflect current realities .
25Hours Hotel Co . rolled out its revamped 25Hours People brand this year . Its core premise — “ come as you are ” — underscored the brand ’ s personality in a light , upbeat tone . It chatted up the company ’ s “ tribe ,” an unconventional approach to staffing and an environment in which passion trumps all .
Lately , the notion of tribe has become central to 25Hours ’ team messaging . “ Whenever there is news , whenever somebody in Europe says something new , if we are opening or closing hotels , we share what that means for us as a company ,” says Kathrin Gollubits , the HR director who steered development of the brand .
Germany-based 25Hours , which operates more than a dozen hotels in Western Europe , provides updates through its intranet , social media , weekly podcasts , team meetings and blogs . There are recipes , workout tips , after-hours virtual events , a Spotify playlist team members can add to . Team building is the second part of a three-pronged approach to stayin touch . Preceding it was “ keep calm ” advice and assurance that salaries would be paid through the end of May and layoffs weren ’ t part of the plan , even as 25Hours closed several hotels and guest counts crashed at the remaining properties .
The third piece , morale building , is arguably the most crucial . “ We want to keep them connected to the company and keep them motivated so we have motivated , positive staff when we start up again ,” Gollubits says . “ Our biggest goal is to keep all employees on board .”
25Hours ’ workforce has responded , filling the company ’ s Instagram feed with their own messages . In April , most associates agreed to take unpaid leave and other benefit cuts to help the company survive .
Keep talKing Keeping employees in the loop is crucial , says Susan LaMotte , CEO of Exaqueo , a
6 hotelsmag . com June 2020