Whether your organization is working on a proposal or strategizing talent acquisition efforts, your campaign and the messaging that fuels it is only as strong as the opinions of those who already work there. When it comes to promoting brand awareness, branded apparel and traditional advertising opportunities play a role, but the testimonials of Associates and how they experience the company is the secret sauce to successful brand awareness and advocacy.
According to Future Forum, 53% of directors and/or managers, 37% of individual contributors, and 51% of executives are feeling they can’t advance and are actively looking for a new career. This is why, at Signature Performance, we are moving away from simply attracting and retaining top talent. We are shifting our focus to attraction and Associate advocacy.
At Signature, we understand that our Associates are a key component to our success and that advocacy for the organization’s mission doesn’t just happen overnight. We believe that Associate advocacy is born when members of our team feel inspired and genuinely connected to their role within the organization. When Associates feel first-hand the freedom to show up every day as their authentic self without hesitation, real change for both the individual and the organization occurs.
According to a 2020 Gallup report, it was highlighted that engagement and company culture are often mistaken as the same thing, when in fact, engagement is the performance aspect of an organization’s culture. Based on the research, engaged organizational cultures are typically not only more successful, but Associates who are engaged speak about an organization’s brand reputation differently. It was reported that engaged Associates are 23 times more likely than disengaged Associates to recommend their organization as a great place to work.
At Signature Performance, we believe that if our Associates are engaged and are having a premier work experience, their enthusiasm for their specific role and our overall mission at Signature will spill over into the experience that not only our clients are having, but the brand advocacy comes so naturally that they are eager to tell their Signature story. But how do you ensure that brand advocacy comes organically? Here is how our team at Signature has created a foundation for which advocacy can flourish.
Signature Performance Prioritizes the Associate Experience and Engagement
In 2020, a Gallup survey reported that only 36% of Associates nationwide were classified as engaged at work and that organizations with highly engaged Associates show lower absenteeism, lower turnover, and higher overall productivity. All results that Signature has experienced over the last 17 years. According to in-house reporting, 81% of our workforce is highly engaged at work. But how did we get there?
One way that our team at Signature feels advocacy can be readily measured is through our quarterly aNPS score. Since the summer of 2020, our organization has consistently scored well above the national average of 40. In the past five years, Signature’s aNPS has averaged 60.3.
Now, in the age of advocacy, we need leaders who are uncommon. Being just a good leader is so yesterday. At Signature, our vision is so big that we need our leaders to show up in uncommon ways. This is accomplished by our Associates practicing empathetic leadership, utilizing available resources, and genuinely prioritizing the well-being of each member of the team. We say our leaders are uncommon based on the industry difference of how our team shows up, works together, and our overall performance level. Uncommon leadership is the foundation of driving organizational advocacy and advocacy on an individual team level.
Another way that we prioritize uncommon leadership in our Associates is by giving those who may not be in a leadership role the chance to step up and grow their potential. Emerging Leaders is an in-house program in which Associates can raise their hand and apply to up their leadership game. This intensive, nine-month program is designed to help turn any Associate at any level into a strong, uncommon leader.
If you want to become an uncommon leader and have a career you will love, visit our career page today and review our latest career opportunities today.