Adopt a Marketing Approach to Human Resource

I wrote this article for Mercer Marsh Benefits Wechat in July 2014. For our Chinese friend, I guess you prefer reading Chinese version 福利沟通：用marketing的方式做HR.

Couple weeks ago, I had a lunch meeting with two of my colleagues in Beijing. We talked about our new annual leave policy. I found out that they two have totally different understanding towards the new policy. It is not the end of the story since my understanding is also different with theirs.

It got me thinking, it's not just annual leave. Employers offers various benefits to their employees. I do not expect every employees knows every single benefit, but do most employees at least know most of the benefits? For multinational companies with  branches and subsidiaries in different region, benefit communication is especially difficult.

In Mercer, we held several seminars to address this issue. Most common feedback from HR is "We C&B (compensation& benefits) folks are good at handling HR issues, not marketing."

I fully understand that. But unlike calculating salary, HR only need to make sure the work is done properly, benefit can only work when employees actually use it! Employees can not afford spending a lot of budget on employee benefits while employees barely know their existance.

Based on Mercer's past experience, I would like to offer three tips which might be helpful for our HR friend.

1. Know your audience

 As a marketer, we all know the first step for developing marketing strategy is identify who are the target audience, and then how are we going to influence them.

Benefit communication is quite similar. HR has to know your employee. different employees have different needs. For example, in our Making Smart Benefit Choice Survey, Mercer notice employees in different regions might have different benefit preference.

In another Mercer survey earlier in China, we also identify what employees at different age truely value.

For example, Generation Y might not be really interested in your pension plan, but might love to attend trainings or international rotation opportunity ( as long as you are not send them to Syria right now). While for employees who has married, health insurance coverage for depedant could be critical.

Employees won't value the benefit unless they need it. Employer should do everything to get to know their needs, via surveys, focus group interview, and also external market trend data.

2. Visualize Your Benefit Program

I am a huge fan for Apple product. Let's imagine when we go to Apple store to buy the new IPhone or IPad. And an Apple genius does not allow you to try using one, but hand you a production introduction book with 30 pages. And he might give you a big smile:"dear customer, please read this..."

Would you still buy IPhone? I bet you will never go to that store anymore.

HR folks must realize, no one wants to read your heavy benefit manual, or your full of words emails (expecially when you send Chinese employee email in English), or your 50-page e-handbook on the company intranet. When they are busy with work, they don't even go to your benefit introduction seminars.

It is not their fault. You have to do something different: embrace marketing.

You can use cartoons and videos. I have seems quite many examples including Bosch China, Lenovo, You can check how Pfizer's comunicate their benefits here.

Mercer has similar experience when we design a health management program for one of our clients. HR are worried about low paricipation rate since employees seems not really interested in improving their health status.

To address this issue, we design a BMI (body mass index) wall in their building. Employees can easily check whether they are fit or not. Employees started to take photos and share on their social media wall, impact not only existing employees but also potential candidates.

3. Innovation

I am sure your marketing colleagues are using different social media channels to promote your business.  As HR, you are also allow to use these channels, such as Wechat, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube which your employees might visit more times a day than checking work emails.

Plus you know your employees might not be the only readers, but also potential candidates. This is employer branding you have been keeping talking about. 

I would like to finalize my article with my favourate quote:

Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.

——Stewart Brand