‘Developing an employer brand: the Atkins experience’ The presentation follows the journey taken by Atkins over 2 years from deciding they needed an employer brand, through devising one, launching it and embedding it within the business. - Why do you need an employer brand? - How do you define an employer brand? - How do you activate an employer brand? - How do you embed an employer brand?

1. Developing an
employer brand
The Atkins experience
Chris Marsh
Director Group Resourcing
2nd October 2014

2. So what’s this all
about...
2
• Why do you need an employer brand?
• How do you develop an employer brand?
• The Atkins employer brand
• How do you activate your employer brand?
• How do you embed your employer brand?

3. Atkins at a glance
3
17,489
Employees worldwide
£1.75 billion
Revenue (full year ending 31 March
2014)

4. What we’re
good at
4
Plan
We plan every aspect of
our clients’ projects, from
cost and risk planning,
feasibility studies and
logistics, to impact
assessments and
stakeholder engagement
activity.
Design
Atkins designs intellectual
capital such as
management systems and
business processes. We
also design physical
structures such as office
towers, schools, bridges
and highways.
Enable
Our clients trust us with the
management of projects,
people and issues,
ensuring that deadlines are
met, costs are controlled
and success is delivered.

5. 5
Why an employer
brand?

6. Why do you need an employer brand?
6
“In order to attract the right people,
companies need to build visibility in the
market, and be seen as great places to
work.”
“83% of global recruiting leaders say
‘employer branding’ is a critical driver of
their ability to hire top talent.”
Source: LinkedIn's Newest Crusade: Fix That Employer
Brand! Forbes, 10.10.2012

7. What is an employer brand?
7
A great story
well told…
and a promise
well kept

8. Why create an employer brand?
The Atkins brief
8
“We need to recruit a significant number of employees.”
“The market…is highly competitive and attracting quality
employees is a major challenge.”
“We believe that there is a low external perception of the breadth
of the Atkins offer and its range of skills requirements.”
“Our brand lacks any link to our proposition as an employer.”
“…little clear differentiation between us and our competitors.”
“In order to attract (and retain) the right people we need to be
seen as a great place to work”

9. Link to Video

10. Why create an employer brand?
10
Sharing our lessons
learned…
• Key driver for hiring top talent
• Requirement in “hot” market
• Essential for online presence
• Everyone else is doing it!

11. 11
How do you
develop an
employer brand?

12. Developing an employer brand
proposition
12
It is about uncovering the unique truths about our business in a
career context and creating a shared understanding on…
WHO we are – our DNA
HOW we go about things – our culture
WHY people should care – the reasons behind
everything we do
…In a way that is true and relevant to our people and
differentiated from our competitors

13. 13
Developing the employer brand
proposition
1. Seeing our world
2. Setting the direction
3. Expressing our brand
Desk research
Atkins reports &
market trends
Perception
research
Strategic session
Workshop &
Employer brand
proposition
Creative
concepts
Translation of key
insights and
proposition in 2
creative concepts
for testing
Post-development
research
Creative
expression
Employer brand
identity, key
visuals & verbal
content direction

14. Development phase…
The work
developed
Desk
research
Atkins internal reports
Viewpoint survey results 2011
Atkins group exit report September 2012
Offers declined September 2012
External interviews
External sources
Global workforce study 2012 – Towers Watson
E-recruitment, market assessment 2012 – Key Note UK
Global trends report 2011 – LSN, The Future Laboratory
Resourcing and talent planning 2012 – Hays, CIPD
Atkins’ world
Market trends
Competitor’s
audit

15. Workshop
The work
developed
defines
differentiates
expected
Employer brand proposition
• We challenge the
environment
• We go beyond the brief and
expectations
• We live in an opportunity
world: freedom to make the
most of it
• We create Masterpieces &
‘micropieces’
• We are a house of specialists
• We have a challenging
mindset
• We define the questions
• We are an open community
• Knowledge networks
• We deliver excellence
• We have technical expertise
• We are specialists
• We offer worldwide
opportunities
• The way we work with our
clients
• (close, human relationships)
• Client focus & ability to deliver
(“more than what is asked”)
• Trust & autonomy
• Freedom of thought
• Professional (honesty,
integrity)
• “Quiet(ly) confidence(t)”
• Can do attitude
• We offer security
• “Ghostbusters”
• Good company environment
• We respect and value diversity
• Empowerment – two way
• Speed & response
• People challenged
• Commitment to people
• It is in us, in our DNA
• We become part of it
• Being part of the big picture
(Quality of life)
• We want to understand, driven
to help, to achieve it
• Client (personnel) vs. market
focus
• “Best of everything” - variety of
projects and areas (full
capability of the business)
• Atkins’ stories
• Pride
What we do How we do it Why we do it
Strategic
session
Workshop & Employer
brand proposition

16. Developing an employer brand
16
Sharing our lessons
learned…
• The importance of research
• Need a structured process
• Involve key stakeholders
• Don’t rush it!

17. 17
The Atkins
employer brand

18. Employer brand proposition
For people who are driven to ask “why” and to
make a better quality of life possible,
Atkins’ design, project management and
engineering specialists unite around a global
outlook that results in a world of opportunities.
We trust our people to go beyond, and our clients
trust us to exceed expectations because we seek to
excel, and deliver quietly and brilliantly.
Together, we create careers of everyday
masterpieces delivering a better future for us all.
Who
Why
What
How
Outcome

19. The Atkins employer brand
19
Sharing our lessons
learned…
• Create an ‘umbrella’ proposition to
give flexibility
•Make it real
• Don’t lose the opportunity to think
about where you want to be

20. 20
Activating the
brand

21. Activation
21
• Employer brand toolkit
 templates
 content direction
 video checklist
 guidelines for photography and photo library
 “how to guides” on content and story telling
• Workshops for recruiters and communications teams
• Good practice examples
• New careers website

22. Touch points for an employer brand
22
1. Generate awareness 2. Create interest
3. Motivate action
4. Positive reinforcement
5. Life as an employee

23. Putting the Atkins way into practice
2 key issues:
• Visual representation
• Tone of voice

24. Tone of voice
• Its about the way we talk to our existing and potential
employees
• Provides the opportunity to bring the employer brand to
life in both written & spoken word
• 3 principles:
• Personal
• Inspiring
• Straightforward

25. “Quietly doing
brilliant things”
25

26. “Improving
together”
26

27. “Part of who I am”
27

28. “More to us than
meets the eye”
28

29. “Great stories,
great achievements”
29

30. “Masterpieces and
micropieces”
30

31. Activating the employer brand
31
Sharing our lessons
learned…
• Understand all the touch points
• Provide detailed guidance for
content creators
• Think about tone of voice
• Use every opportunity to share the
employer brand

32. 32
Embedding the
brand

33. What have we done to date?

34. Attraction activity
A new, standalone careers website

35. All employer e-flyer linking to...
Introducing the
Atkins way to
our people…

36. ...a navigable, interactive PDF
and...

37. … dedicated videos

38. Worldwide poster campaign

39. Direct mailing to hiring managers

40. Recruitment
advertising
Attraction activity

41. Our office environment
Vinyl lift door displays

42. Our office environment
Euston Tower,
29th floor reception
Posters and tailored material
for all locations

43. Induction and HR correspondence
Online induction portal
Dear {Candidate.FirstName}
We are looking forward to welcome you on board!
I would like to introduce xxx in your team to be your buddy. You can
contact xxx any time if you have questions about your future role or
team. Xxx is happy to help you to integrate in the new team quicker.
I would also like to introduce xxx to you. Xxx will be your mentor and
give you guidance when you have any difficulties with your job.
Best regards
Recruitment Team
ATKINS
Explore our world of opportunities – www.atkinsglobal.com/careers
Onboarding correspondence

44. Employee communication...
Our code of conduct
Viewpoint Group communications

45. Feedback from
around Atkins
“Really helpful for
a specific bid
question on
culture” – F+G
“I need to have a better
understanding of the
campaign, what the
intentions are: when it
should be applied, etc.”
– North America
“We're trying to adopt
a more friendly,
people centric
approach generally
and the Atkins way
suits it really well.”
– Middle East
“I think that it
grows as we
work with it.”
- Denmark
“Positive
feedback re
clean/modern
look and feel.”
– UK
Marketing
“Still need more
time to
familiarise with
the writing style.”
- APAC
“The guys in my
business have
bought into it; it
is now second
nature.”
– Energy MD“
“ We’d like
more clarity /
training on
applying the
tone of voice.”
- DAC
It is helping to
make Atkins
less stuffy.”
- Aerospace
MD

46. Embedding the employer brand
46
Sharing our lessons
learned…
• Your internal audience is as
important as your external audience
•Work closely with HR/Comms teams
•Keep communicating with/training
content generators

47. Atkins employer brand
47
A great story
well told…
and a promise
well kept