Use Public Relations To Create A Positive Employment Image
by Mel Kleiman, CSP

Does your business message also become your employment message?
Employees are looking for companies that stand for something. The best way to make clear what your company stands for is being visibly involved with your community's civic and charitable causes.

There's nothing better a company can do than be involved in the community.

Community involvement does three things:

1. It raises the image of the organization and provides good public relations and tells people that the store is a good place to work and a good place to shop.

2. It is a tool that makes the employees proud to work at the store.

3. People that get involved work as a team and build better relationships, plus they learn new skills.

One of the biggest positives is that charitable work can do a tremendous job of promoting a company. Good PR is an important recruiting tool. Unfortunately, most companies don't use PR to build recruiting because they don't identify themselves as a good place to work.

Being involved in fundraising can serve as an excellent training exercise for your employees. Through working with fundraising and charities, employees can oftentimes gain more managerial and other skills they then transfer to their jobs. skills.

Images of your employees collecting toys for children during Christmas are sure to make the news, and put your company in a very positive light, so rather than simply writing a check, get your employees involved. If your employees are directly engaged in community efforts, impact will be twofold. The media will portray your company as the type that will roll up its sleeves and put elbow grease into all they do. The second impression your company will leave, is one of generous, cheerful employees.

Be aware that your employees must volunteer for community work. One of the employees at my company recently told me a story about her last place of employment. During the Christmas season, it was mandatory that all employees stop what they are doing and pitch in to clean up low-income neighborhoods.

The company went all out with a media blitz, but the plan backfired. The media picked up on the lack of enthusiasm the employees were putting into their mandatory volunteer work. Instead of light-hearted, positive clips of employees pitching in on the evening news, there were clips of disgruntled employees that made the organization look like a terrible place to work.

Mel Kleiman, CSP, is an internationally recognized consultant, author, and speaker on strategies for hiring and retaining the best hourly employees. He is the President of Humetrics, a leading developer of systems, training, processes, and tools for recruiting, selecting, and retaining the best hourly workforce. Mel is also the author of four books, including the best selling "Hire Tough Manage Easy." You can reach Mel at (800) 218-0930 or (713) 771-4401mel@melkleiman.com.