How to strengthen the employer brand of a public service through its employees?

Initial situation

Human resources difficulties in recruitment: the importance of the employer brand

As a department of the Lausanne City Water Department, they faced the traditional HR and employer brand challenges of any public institution.

Recruitment was a significant issue due to a tight job market, particularly in technical and construction fields (engineers, technicians, IT professionals, etc.), as well as the difficulty for the public sector to compete with the private sector in terms of compensation.
Objectives of the Lausanne City Water Department in terms of employer brand:

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In the heat of action

The employer brand deployed through eight ambassadors on LinkedIn

The employer brand of the Lausanne City Water Department was not adequately highlighted in their communication. However, working in the water sector, with meaningful and diverse professions, had numerous advantages. It was necessary to address this issue.

How did we enhance the employer brand of the Service de l'eau?

Two half-day trainings

With two half daystraining sessions on the use of LinkedIn for all employees of the Water Department to ensure they possessed basic communication skills. These training sessions also served as an opportunity to introduce the upcoming employee-ambassador program supporting the employer brand of the Department and to call for applications.

To select candidates with the highest potential, we supported the Water Department's management in this process.

Result: It was decided to accompany cohorts of four people every six months (eight people per year) in various positions such as the head of the Service de l'eau, division manager, project manager, lawyer, and engineer.

Created a voluntary and motivated employee-ambassador program

During the initial phase, we assisted each ambassador in defining their personal brand strategy and identifying their communication focus areas. We then supported them for six months as they communicated from their own LinkedIn profiles about their professional daily life, projects, and areas of expertise.

Corrosion of pipes, connected sewer covers, leaks on the Lausanne network, municipal decisions or international solidarity, their publications covered all the strategic messages of the Service de l'eau employer brand.

Provided additional support in communication and human resources

This supplementary aspect involved creating a LinkedIn page for the Water Department to publish institutional information and highlight specific employee publications.

We also provided specific support to human resources in utilizing the recruitment features offered by LinkedIn Premium.

Impact

Employer brand: Two-thirds of applications come from LinkedIn

In six months, the Lausanne City Water Department significantly strengthened its employer brand, transitioning from almost nonexistent communication to a remarkable presence in the news feeds of thousands of people.

Regarding recruitment, two out of three candidates selected for interviews now come from LinkedIn.

In addition to achieving the initial objectives of talent retention and attraction, other benefits resulted from the ambassadors' communication:

Positive feedback from other water industry specialists led to new collaborations.
Digital skills were transferred beyond borders, reaching as far as Nouakchott, Mauritania.
The Service de l'eau won the Digital HR Prize 2022, showcasing the innovative approach of our employee-ambassador program and its positive impact on their employer brand.
The division between different departments within the Service de l'eau significantly diminished, greatly facilitating internal communication.

Profile views (over 90 days)

Notification

Perrine, Sébastien and Agnès have sent you a message...

"Not a day goes by without someone talking to me about my activities on LinkedIn. We have a recruitment in progress in which 2 of the 3 candidates selected for the final interview found the advert via our LinkedIn activity."

"We were able to highlight the Service de l'eau by sharing thoughts and projects, showcasing the richness of internal activities and skills. We demonstrated to external stakeholders and other departments of the Lausanne City that the public service can be efficient and innovative."

"I have noticed that people have a genuine interest in following what we do. I have been able to expand my professional network, which facilitated recruitment. Publishing on LinkedIn is a whole profession, but when done correctly, it opens doors and unimaginable opportunities."