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hello – come in and make yourself at home

The Woodies have a blog. It’s a kind of collective. Not sure we’re about to start a revolution baby, but we might kindle a small debate or two and perhaps raise a smile. Anyway, rather than just blogging corporate Woodreed by fielding our top Woodie (as so many other companies seem to do in a thinly veiled attempt at impressing with their profundity), we wanted all our individual voices to be heard. An agency’s most valuable assets are its people after all. Everyone’s got something to say here and with us everyone’s ideas and opinions matter.

Each week someone different will be blogging. It's mostly about stuff that rocks our world as well as the flipside – the things that just don't cut it with us. We'll blog about inside and outside – inside this glorious industry where we work and outside in the real world.
It's a bit of an experiment, so go with us on this one.

Hope you enjoy.

Tuesday 25 September 2012

"Uggh a culture we must change"

So said a respondent to Woodreed's recent survey in our Brand Inside Report.

And it seems they weren't alone, with only 29% of respondents reporting that their organisation has "a great culture of people living our values." A worrying 20% reported a culture yes, but "not the one we want" and over a quarter of respondees said their organisation had "no sense of what we stand for internally" at all.  Not great results for UK plc but, given the recent wake of corporate scandals and misdemeanours, not perhaps that surprising.

So what's the answer?

Engaging on an emotional level is four times more valuable than rational engagement when it comes to driving employee effort, yet all too often internal comms are cold and rational - devoid of the emotive power a brand can deliver.

A well defined cultural framework, grounded in brand values and delivered through a strategic and integrated internal communications programme can effectively fix the disconnect and successfully embed the values amongst employees in a sustainable way to help create the right kinds of values-based cultures for the long-term.


Employee engagement is becoming a board issue and rightly so.  What boards now need to do is direct HR and Marketing to work together, to combine their brand and people expertise and share some resources too.  But don't panic Marketeers, a little spent inside goes a very long way and don't forget there's a direct and proven link between engaged employees and your bottom line revenue.





Tuesday 18 September 2012

Can I have a bottle of volunteer spirit please?

My wife Rosemary spent two and a half  weeks as a volunteer during the Olympics, a venture which has left her, and the other 70,000 volunteers totally inspired.

Not withstanding the fact that she travelled up to London from Kent everyday, she also received no pay whatsoever. Yes she was still motivated throughout and after the whole experience.

I applaud her and the other volunteers, a sentiment echoed by our Prime Minister who sent a personal letter to her, thanking her for her loyal services, a lovely encore for a brilliant performance.

So, a giant dedicated workforce working for nothing, seemingly motivated throughout the whole occasion.

Yes of course, part of this commitment is based on wanting to take part in history, another doing something for one's country and probably for the love of sport.

But wouldn't it be fantastic if all our giant brands could create such a dynamic effect on their employees?

Interestingly, there were over 250,000 applicants for 70,000 positions. The interviewers were trained for technique by McDonald's, during the whole Olympic and Paralympic event, there were only 100 absentees and not one person objected to wearing the uniform.


An unforgettable experience, and a lesson on how to incentivise and motivate (unpaid) employees!


Monday 17 September 2012

Recognition and reward - the greatest missed opportunity


Right now the need to keep your people engaged, motivated and productive has never been greater.  We know there's a direct, proven link between engaged employees and increased turnover and profitability - it's called the Service Profit Chain.

So engaging your employees really matters; and recognising and rewarding your people is one of the best ways to do this.

According to Jeffrey Pfeffer*, “high involvement companies (those who empower, actively engage, recognise and reward employees (in good times and bad) have consistently outperformed their competitors over the long haul."

In organisations where big remuneration packages and the annual bonus are not the core reward mechanism for the majority, and where salaries of those at the coal face are more in line with the national average, brand-centred recognition and reward programmes can represent the biggest opportunity to engage staff each and every day.

The best recognition and reward schemes are created directly in line with the brand and have a powerful ripple effect through a company, creating a culture of recognition. A place where people enjoy their time because they know the contributions they make are noticed. It allows an organisation to shine lights on those best living the brand, encouraging others to do so as they go.

So why in Woodreed's Brand Inside Survey were 37% of organisations still approaching R&R with generic token offerings made in an ad hoc way and a shocking 20% having no process of reward and recognition at all?

*Jeffrey Pfeffer, The Human Equation. Building profits by putting people first