Embarking on a new employer brand programme is a risky endeavour. Embarking on a new employer brand programme in the midst of corporate change is riskier. But, if done well, the rewards are many.

For the speakers at Havas People’s recent ‘Talent bites: How can employee engagement improve business performance?’ rewards were plentiful.

Allergan, a generics pharmaceuticals company found that business change had become the norm. Being family-run for decades, Allergan had become accustomed to doing things the way it had always done things. But 2013 marked the beginning of a half decade of change for the once static brand. It was acquired, the subject of attempted hostile takeovers, merged, demerged, acquired again. In short, it was quite the journey. The impact on the employer brand was massive.

A global staff base of about 11,400 swelled to 16,700 and got shuffled in and around other businesses and brands along the way. Janet Kettels, vice president of communications and PR was there through it all. She found that authentic communications was one of the most important factors of seeing the business through change. Bringing the customers along the journey was one thing, but it was also important to develop a new corporate culture so employees could engage with the new business. She advises her peers to concentrate on the things they can control, rather than trying to control all the uncertainties that arise during M&A processes.

At Nomad Foods, the process was slightly more straightforward. Sarah Sturton, organisational development director, describes the process of creating the Nomad Foods corporate brand from nothing, uniting the strong consumer brands of Findus, Birds Eye and Iglo under one umbrella and bringing the employees along that journey. “The prevailing mindset in our business was a real barrier to performance,” she says of the employee culture. To reinvigorate the company from the inside out, a growth mindset was introduced and promoted. The leadership team was charged with espousing these new attitudes and fresh brand direction. As a result, the share price has improved and the business has been able to acquire further brands.

For those businesses going through periods of change, embracing the aspects within control and maintaining course with a strong culture strategy can help ensure success and promote a stronger employee experience.

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