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Brands are constantly searching for new ways to reach more customers, but are they putting the same kind of energy into attracting new talent and retaining existing teams? Sure, job postings can be made to many websites and social media has allowed for brands to showcase what a great bunch of people work there, but for too many it’s the beginning and end of the omni-channel approach to employees.
And just as any customer omni-channel strategy should consider the diversity of the audience, so should employee communications. The Australian Bureau of Statistics allows for more than 250 different countries of birth, and each brings its own beliefs, customs, ideas, and values.
Connecting to the major traditions held by your staff, and future employees, as well as your customers enables your brand to engage through celebration and affirmation, allowing people of all cultural backgrounds to feel seen, recognised and celebrated.
Walking the diversity talk
Celebrating the diversity of your employees requires thought and nuance, as well as ensuring it’s more than just talk. Because audiences are omni-channel consumers, they are increasingly likely to notice inconsistencies. For instance, during Pride month, many social media users were vocal about brands who used rainbow flag versions of their logos on social media in some markets, but not in countries that were unsupportive of LGBTQI+ communities.
Many audiences, including your employees, are increasingly cynical about brands paying lip service to diversity.
By engaging respectfully, displaying an understanding of cultural differences, and utilising various communication platforms, businesses can reach their customers whenever and wherever they are. This is the omni-channel approach – employees need to feel their culture is valued and important to a brand whenever the brand is speaking about it.
Honouring First Nations
By understanding and recognising the traditional owners of the land, brands can demonstrate the values that matter to their employees, customers, and community.
This doesn’t have to be limited to live events, with many brands embracing the Acknowledgement of Country on their websites or virtual events as well.
Technology allows us to embed inclusion in HR communications – your brand can bolster its social media presence by recognising the many Indigenous celebrations and awareness dates throughout the year.
Occasions to be aware of include NAIDOC week in July, National Reconciliation Week, Sorry Day in May, and Mabo Day on 3 June.
Personalised messaging for important times of year
Creating meaningful engagement and fostering a culture of inclusion with customers and stakeholders requires connecting with them via unique touchpoints on different occasions. Lunar New Year is an event widely celebrated in Australia across Chinese, Vietnamese, and Filipino communities and enjoyed by many more.
When a brand sends a personalised message wishing a customer a happy Lunar New Year, it can help solidify the bond between the sender and receiver in a similar way to how friends and family use the occasion to reconnect. This is especially true if the messages are sent through the right channels at the appropriate time, but this needs to be consistent across all channels, one Facebook post just won’t cut it if the other channels remain dormant.
Current employees should also be receiving the same information as customers to feel respected, celebrated and to drive their personal EVP.
Using an omni-channel strategy to go beyond festive wishes
Your intention as a brand to be seen as accepting and celebrating of diverse populations is a great first step, but how can you enable lessons from omni-channel marketing efforts to upgrade to a fully-fledged strategy that allows customers and employees to be converted in their journey with your brand outside of cultural festivities and celebrations?
HRC Suite provides seven tips to help with omnichannel communications, from the tools that are used to automation and comms consistency.
There’s a right way and a wrong way
Engaging in the celebration of these festive and cultural events as a brand can be tricky. Stand-alone social media posts can sometimes seem out of context for a business. However, businesses can now integrate omnichannel strategies across all channels to create inclusive conversation points with their patrons.
Brands don’t have to limit communication campaigns to the big cultural events; consider local events, fundraising and charity events, or celebrations of historical milestones as a means to engage. Using omni-channel communication platforms, brands can quickly and easily speak to diverse employees through reliable and effective messaging solutions that elevate the voices of different cultures and traditions in our country.
As an increasingly multicultural and multilingual nation, Australian employees are becoming more diverse in language, culture, and beliefs. Brands that want and are willing to engage with these audiences should understand that communication campaigns should be equally diverse and authentic. Your revitalised strategy to celebrate cultural diversity will add to your Employer Value Proposition (EVP), positioning your brand to attract diverse talent who will feel accepted, celebrated and more willing to apply for a role with your brand.
Jonathan Ryan is the head of ANZ region for Infobip.
Shandel McAuliffe
Shandel has recently returned to Australia after working in the UK for eight years. Shandel's experience in the UK included over three years at the CIPD in their marketing, marcomms and events teams, followed by two plus years with The Adecco Group UK&I in marketing, PR, internal comms and project management. Cementing Shandel's experience in the HR industry, she was the head of content for Cezanne HR, a full-lifecycle HR software solution, for the two years prior to her return to Australia.
Shandel has previous experience as a copy writer, proofreader and copy editor, and a keen interest in HR, leadership and psychology. She's excited to be at the helm of HR Leader as its editor, bringing new and innovative ideas to the publication's audience, drawing on her time overseas and learning from experts closer to home in Australia.
