employer branding: a tool to manage employees in a multi-gen environment.

Today's workplace is a mixed bag of generations with traditionalists, baby boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y (a.k.a the millennials) coexisting in a multidimensional corporate environment. Generational diversity has become commonplace with baby boomers following conventional methods of working and millennials using their zeal for innovation to introduce newer ways of conducting business.

Whatever the generation, an organisation's human capital is influenced by the employer brand – whether it is attracting and retaining skilled talent from outside the organisation or motivating the existing resource pool to outperform themselves and contribute to the organisation's success. 

A clearly articulated employer branding strategy is the primary tool an organisation can use to create a positive impact on its employees, in turn making them strong ambassadors for the brand on diverse channels of communication.

Engaging a multi-generational workforce

In a dynamic corporate environment exhibiting immense fluidity in generational diversity, it is important to first review the existing staffing and recruitment policies and modify them to align with the needs and demands of a multigenerational workforce.

Learn the secrets of employer branding

After defining a clear and distinct employer brand, organisations should implement innovative strategies to attract, engage, and retain a skilled multigenerational taskforce. Good employee engagement is critical to maintaining the brand image of the organisation as an employer. Making employees feel connected to the organisation creates loyal brand advocates who will happily promote the brand and create positive publicity.

Gamificaton as an engagement tool

Incorporating games in employee engagement strategies offers benefits beyond the fun part of it. Gamification as a concept is fast catching up and organisations are encouraging their employees to play games at the workplace and learn in the process.

Gamification brings together the various generations of employees and helps them share ideas, collaborate, and motivate individual performance while having fun at the same time. A good gamification strategy can maximise workplace productivity, boost morale, and increase employee engagement leading to enhanced business profitability.

Multinational management consulting services company Accenture uses gamification extensively to actively engage with its employees. The online game 'Accenture Land' asks employees questions about training programs, career development opportunities, social benefits, and Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.

Employees who give the maximum number of correct answers cross different levels in the game, win rewards ranging from a safari tour in Africa to an iPad. This technique has helped Accenture achieve an increase in its employee engagement levels across locations.