According to several studies and surveys, there’s nothing more decisive in convincing candidates to join your organization or consumers to buy your products than giving your employees a voice on social media. However, be careful not to go too far with this practice!
For over a year, the first advice from digital marketing consultants for positioning your brand has been to create employee-generated content. The famous “Employee-Generated Content” (EGC), which takes its name from “user-generated content” (UGC).
This strategy can take several forms: asking employees to share company news on their personal social networks; participating in a team photo to illustrate “office life,” during a team lunch, etc. And make no mistake, many like the concept and will want to participate willingly. But not everyone.
According to employer brand specialists, this type of ambassador employee campaign must be done on a voluntary basis to ensure complete success. However, in practice, this isn’t always what happens.
“It’s a delicate issue,” acknowledges Jacynthe, a social media manager. “Some want nothing to do with it, one or two people are open to it, but for others, you have to insist… The pressure comes from above to make videos, but in the end, it’s the social media managers who have to ‘bug’ their colleagues.”
“I didn’t want to feel used either”
Obviously, each organization is different. And each social media manager navigates according to their own ethics.
“I never force anyone to be in a video because I myself would never want to be in a corporate video,” assures Dany, another social media manager.
Sometimes, pressure is exerted in a way that could be described as “without malice.” Last year, Josée (fictitious name) was about to go on maternity leave when her employer offered her a gift basket with baby items. They asked if they could publish a photo of her on social media with a message to mark the occasion. Awkwardness ensued.
On one hand, she didn’t feel comfortable being in the spotlight. Also, some of her extended family members weren’t even aware she was pregnant.
“Looking back, I wondered if I had done the right thing by refusing, because it was a very nice, thoughtful gesture. But I didn’t want to feel used either. I feel bad for not giving the organization the opportunity to promote its employer brand, but despite everything, I’m at peace with my decision,” she indicates.
Fortunately, the story didn’t go any further.
Rejected for not participating
In small companies with few employees, where the leader is very close to their team, this can take a much more insidious form. Véronique (fictitious name), an HR professional, experienced daily pressure to relay her boss’s LinkedIn publications.
“I’m not a billboard. I’m a professional before being an employee. My audience on LinkedIn, I created it myself, over the years, by the sweat of my brow. I don’t agree that my employer should have access to it. It’s mine. It’s not for sale,” she justifies.
Moreover, Véronique was already using her social media to promote her previous self-employed practice. And her employer’s messages – superficial and sensationalist – contradicted the credible professional image she had established in her network.
“In the end, I was isolated by this CEO because I refused to appear in her videos. It was so central to her that she rejected me because I didn’t get on board. And since it took up a lot of our time, I remained on the sidelines watching them make their videos. Such great team cohesion, really…” she regrets.
Véronique specifies, however, that she works in employer branding. She understands the importance of having images of real employees to create a bond of trust towards the organization.
“I’m for it,” she insists. “If it had been occasional and targeted, I probably would have been more enthusiastic. But it was daily. It had become almost more important than my official work. Forcing staff to be ambassadors is not a good strategy. If it doesn’t come from the person themselves, it’s doomed to failure.”
So let’s preach best practices. And let volunteers come forward… with enthusiasm!
training.isarta.com 
