12 Mar 2024 Blog

To h*ll with hype and shame about employee ambassadors

Employee ambassador, thought leader, spokesperson, spoke, etc. Many different terms are used for colleagues who communicate alongside their own work, many of which may find it difficult to identify themselves with these sorts of titles. At worst, thought leadership sounds lewd, well-coached seems fake, and employee ambassador half-forced. However, the organisations’ own employees are the best messengers, according to studies. Who wouldn’t rather talk to people than logos?

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NO HYPE NEEDED

Overloaded terms may seem off-putting and too big. Even if you are ready to talk about the workplace, few people want to draw glossy pictures. However, it is not necessary, as many readers and followers already understand that no one’s work and working life is perfect. Different organizations can have very different virtues and features that are worth communicating so that potential employees, investors or others interested in the organization can better understand whether the organization in question is their thing or not.

If you don’t communicate yourself, it’s easy to give up the power to influence your reputation to others. A large part of building an employer brand is already out of the organization’s own hands. Both employees and various third parties, such as media, share their views on workplaces. For example, on a weekly or more frequent basis, 57% of 18-26-year-olds share workplace news and 49% produce their own content related to their workplace. (Edelman, 2023).

And of course, it’s not all hype. More than half of employees between the ages of 18 and 26 are willing to make it public if there is something in the workplace that they see as important to change. (Edelman, 2023).

SHAME IS POINTLESS

Promoting oneself and one’s workplace doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Many think that employee ambassadors are self-sufficient mannequins paid to act to like their work. No wonder that such a position in the minds of your LinkedIn friends does not seem worth pursuing for many. Shame may also be associated with the idea that those who know you think you’re not being completely honest or being yourself in the posts. It’s true that we don’t give an image of ourselves on social media that is the perfect mirror of us. We are constantly making choices about what to tell and what not to tell. We also do this outside of social media.

Many employers have resorted to money or competitions as a motivator to dissipate shame. For example, the IT consulting company Gofore pays several hundred euros for public appearances, blog posts and media appearances (Huhta & Myllyntaus, 2019). Money is a concrete way to show appreciation and lead action in some direction. It can work well here too. However, rewards should be considered from many perspectives. Research has shown that the reward associated with recruitment recommendations can lead to a decrease in the quality of referrals (Wieschollek & Dlouhy, 2023) and job seekers are less interested in those workplaces where they know referral bonuses are in place. (Stockman, Van Hoye & Carpentier, 2017).

EVERYONE CAN PLAY

So how do you get rid of hype and shame if not with money? Supporting an employee ambassador that looks like, sounds and feels like a normal person. Based on their own skills, position and motivation, employees can be useful in building their employer image in five ways. At a minimum, employee ambassadorship means that employees share their experiences when they are asked. There is no need to praise or remember the content of the employer promise unnecessarily. It is enough to tell the truth, including constructive feedback, both in the employee survey and at the sauna evening.

Employees can also be active participants in relevant discussions. The lightest form of participation is to share content produced by colleagues or the organisation. For example, recommending job vacancies is effective communication work. Research has shown that job recommendations have many benefits. The benefit for someone recommended for the job is that they are more likely to be hired. The benefits of employee referrals to an employer are lower recruitment costs, more likely job offer acceptance, and lower turnover. (Burks, Cowgill, Hoffman & Housman, 2015).

You can also participate by liking or commenting. Those who put themselves on the line a little more act as content creators, for example by posting regularly or irregularly on their own social media channels or by writing a blog post on the organization’s website. Some may get excited and shoot “my workday” videos or take over the content creation of an organization’s social media profile for a certain period. Success in social media is achieved by ensuring three things. Consistency, consensus and distinctiveness. Considering the listener’s own experiences, are the messages expected by the listener repeated in the stories of both the organization and others? Are the same things being said in the same channel, i.e. are the employer’s LinkedIn content in harmony with employees’ posts? Do the messages stand out by the fact that they come from people who genuinely know the organization and are somehow unique compared to other employers? (Dineen, Hoye, Lievens, & Rosokha, 2019).

Those who want responsibility can act as independent representatives of the organization. These are employees who, for example, represent their employer at career fairs or attend higher education institutions as guest lecturers. They may be active in networks they know or are assigned to, promoting the desired employer image among relevant experts. This can mean, for example, organising student events, managing university cooperation or participating in events organised by a community representing one’s own profession. The most demanding job is for those who end up representing the organization at high-profile events and being the contact person for the media. Typically, for good reasons, this task is saved for well-paid and properly trained experts or leaders.

The fifth level of ambassadorial work is dreamed of by many but achieved by few. Today, many organizations seek to elevate their specialists to the position of thought leader. It has a direct impact on the employer brand when the employer employs experts who are valued by potential employees. In addition, of course, customers’ perceptions of the quality of organisations providing professional services are also affected. Think of Mikko Hyppönen, the nation’s best-known information security expert who with his public appearances keeps WithSecure and its security solutions in the minds of the public. Organizations that invest in diversity work should think carefully about who they will support and encourage to achieve thought leadership. Representation is valuable in itself. (Huhta & Myllyntaus, 2023).

What should you consider in ambassador programs?

Miltton’s ambassador programs are built according to the needs of the participants. Typically, they consist of presentation, writing, media, effective communication, storytelling and/or social media coaching.

Our own checklist for coaching is:

You should always rely on research-based information to make your points
Participants need concrete advice and tools that need to be practiced together – trying new things and getting feedback in a safe environment is important.
Coaching must provide answers to participants’ individual challenges
It is good to have two coaches, because different perspectives and role models are valuable.
There must be an appropriate ratio of encouragement and challenge in the coaching sessions.

If you would like help planning or implementing your ambassador program, don’t hesitate to ask us for more information.

REFERENCES

Burks, Cowgill, Hoffman & Housman (2015) The Value of Hiring through Employee Referrals, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130 (2), 805–839.

Dineen, Hoye, Lievens & Rosokha (2019) Third party employment branding: What are its signaling dimensions, mechanisms, and sources? Research in personnel and human resources management. 37, 173-226.

Edelman (2023) Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report Trust at Work. Accessed 20.2.2024 https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2023-08/2023-Edelman-Trust-Barometer-Special-Report-Trust-Work.pdf

Huhta & Myllyntaus (2019) Työnantajabrändi ja työntekijäkokemus. Helsinki: Alma Talent.

Huhta & Myllyntaus (2023) Monimuotoisuus työelämässä. Helsinki: Alma Talent.

Ismagilova, Slade, Rana & Dwivedi (2020) The Effect of Electronic Word of Mouth Communications on Intention to Buy: A Meta-Analysis. Information Systems Frontiers, 22, 1203–1226

Stockman, Van Hoye & Carpentier (2017) The Dark Side of Employee Referral Bonus Programs: Potential Applicants’ Awareness of a Referral Bonus and Perceptions of Organisational Attractiveness. Applied Psychology, 66(4), 599-627.

Wieschollek & Dlouhy (2023) Employee referrals as counterproductive work behavior? Employees’ motives for poor referrals and the role of the cultural context, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 34 (14), 2708-273.