Annual Report 2010 - Melitta

8 Melitta Group Annual Report 2010
the industry standard. To summarize then, the challenge for companies with regard to
attracting staff is to define the right conditions for the defined target groups, based on
the identified key functions, which will ultimately differentiate it from the competition.
This process of examining one’s own role as an employer, one’s target groups and
competitors helps the employer position itself on the market: these are the areas in
which we are attractive, authentic and special. Modesty is not a virtue when it comes
to highlighting the findings from this positioning process. On the contrary, an increasing
number of employers are focusing on communicating exactly those authentic and
special aspects which they have to offer. They systematically direct these messages to
their target groups on the labor market using a variety of media and in the form of an
employer promise. In modern HR management such activities are called “Employer
Branding”, the systematic establishment of an employer brand.
Most companies – and especially mid-size companies – are a kind of black box. As
an outsider, you simply have no idea what it feels like to work there. You often don’t
even know the products they make. At best, potential candidates may have certain
prejudices or put their faith in some kind of image they associate with the employer.
This also applies to major corporations. Who knows for sure what it’s like to work for
Deutsche Bahn, Google, BMW or any other company? Employer branding is a good
way of systematically presenting a company’s special features to the target group in
an attractive and authentic way. Employer branding is still a delicate flower, though,
whose potential is only gradually being recognized since the publication of “The War
for Talent” in the late 90s.
However, today’s Internet users don’t wait passively to receive information on a
company. They have long been actively exchanging information on the Web about
employers and what’s it like to work for them. They are increasingly using Facebook,
employer rating portals, such as kununu, Internet forums or personal blogs.
Companies should recognize this and not wait to transmit their message to the labor
market – however and wherever they decide to do it.
But what about those aspects where companies still have some catching up to do
with regard to their employer attractiveness? In such cases, they must first identify
their weaknesses and then take appropriate action. But not everything which can
be improved should be improved. Not every weakness has to be weeded out. Many
aspects simply cannot be changed – or only with considerable effort. Staff at retail outlets
have to work weekends. Overtime is simply unavoidable in many industries at certain
times. And relocating a company is certainly no small matter. The target group is
not stupid and many things can be communicated in an authentic and understandable