Microsoft Leverages Engaged Employees to "Spread the Word"
We recently asked Gretchen Ledgard, a Marketing Manager at Microsoft’s Staffing organization to talk about what employee engagement means in her role within the organization. We think you will find the interview very insightful in terms of how Microsoft leverages and builds engaged employees. Some of the key findings from the interview include:
- Unlike most companies, Microsoft’s challenge was not to get employees more engaged and talking about life at Microsoft, but to better support them in spreading the word even further to potential candidates.
- The mantra is “Spread the Love,” which speaks to employees spreading the word about Microsoft, as well as the recruiting organization giving back to our employees to enable and recognize their ambassadorship.
- The best employee evangelists are real and authentic. They accurately portray what it is like to work at the company – for better or for worse.
Gretchen, can you please describe your role within Microsoft.
I'm a Marketing Manager with Microsoft’s Staffing organization. Specifically, I explore ways to use the web to build tighter recruiting connections between the company, our current employees, and our target candidates. Some of my projects include Microsoft’s JobsBlog, View<myWorld>, the Workin’ it at MSFT Facebook page, and SpreadtheLove, which is an internal-only site. My goal is to give prospective candidates a realistic view of what it’s really like to work at Microsoft. And the best way to do that is often through our employees’ own voices.Employee engagement has become a key focus for many companies. Can you please define what employee engagement means at Microsoft?
Employee engagement at Microsoft is interesting and a bit unique because many of our employees are deeply involved in in-person and online communities. That’s just part of our culture. Many employees are active at industry conferences and user groups, and thousands read and write blogs, participate in forums, and twitter. In our case, our employees were already engaged and talking about life at Microsoft, but our challenge was to better support them and help them spread the word even further.What is Microsoft doing to enhance employee engagement and create employee evangelists?
Since we have a diverse make-up of technologies, career opportunities, and people, “Microsoft” means something a little different to each of our employees. So when we first began looking at how to better empower our employees to talk about Microsoft, we found that many of them knew how to tell their own specific Microsoft story within the context of their own experience, but they weren’t sure what Microsoft meant or could mean for others. We put together a messaging framework, brought to life by websites, videos, and print collateral, and have been working to get those resources in the hands of our employees, not just our recruiters. Our mantra is “Spread the Love,” which speaks to employees spreading the word about Microsoft as well as the recruiting organization giving back to our employees to enable and recognize their ambassadorship.In your opinion, what are the benefits of having loyal and committed employees?
Without a doubt, employees are the most credible and influential sources for prospective candidates to learn about a company. When I think about the best employee evangelists, I don’t think they have to be “loyal and committed” per se – as much as they need to be real. Our employees introduce prospects to the “real” Microsoft, for better and for worse. I’d much rather get a dialogue going - even if it’s a tough conversation about whether or not Microsoft is the right company for someone - than have a prospective candidate unsure about what it’s like to work here.
Our best evangelists are authentic. A candidate can spot marketing spin from a mile away. It’s the passionate, heart-felt conversations that help a company come to life through their employees. Our goal is to help as many of those conversations take place.
Thank you Gretchen for sharing your Microsoft experience! Let us know your thoughts.
