"Your employer brand IS your brand."

"How you treat your employees NOW is more important than ever.

I heard that a lot at the start of the crisis. I said it.

And yet ... Sports Direct. As COVID-19 took over, Mike Ashley showed characteristic contempt to the people that make his millions. The people that allow him to fill a mansion with as many fireplaces as he could ever wish to vomit in.

Their BrandIndex score plummeted. And so - three short months on - in an act of retribution, the British public .... queued for hours to buy his brands.

It's certainly a lesson to me; predictions can bite back.

BUT

I've been running EB focus groups all week. Sharing various messages about an employer with their target audiences.

Time again they have told me "Sounds good. But let me have the evidence, let me hear it from their people."

You'd probably made your mind up about Sports Direct's employer brand already.

For many other - most other - organisations, you have a pretty blank canvas. People don't know with much certainty what it's like inside.

People certainly know how they feel about their employer right now.

So, now's the perfect time to not just tell your audience, but show them. To let your people tell your story through their experiences. That's your best #employerbrand