--- title: Protecting your employer brand while restructuring description: A key task for an organisation undergoing a change project is keeping its employer brand intact by ensuring exiting and remaining employees are treated fairly. image: https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/hubfs/talking%20in%20office.jpg --- [![trevor roberts](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/TrevorRoberts_September2021/images/Trevor-Roberts-RGB_Stacked_Logo_Positive.png?width=225&height=76&name=Trevor-Roberts-RGB_Stacked_Logo_Positive.png "trevor roberts")](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/) [![trevor roberts](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/TrevorRoberts_September2021/images/Trevor-Roberts-RGB_Stacked_Logo_Negative_On_Navy.png?width=225&height=76&name=Trevor-Roberts-RGB_Stacked_Logo_Negative_On_Navy.png "trevor roberts")](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/) - [Home](https://trevor-roberts.com.au) - [About us](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/about/) - [Our People](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/about/#ourpeople) - [Work with us](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/work-with-us/) - [Global Outplacement Alliance](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/global-outplacement-alliance/) - [Why Trevor-Roberts](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/why-trevor-roberts/) - [Case Studies](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/case-studies/) - [How we help](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/how-we-help/) - [Change Support & Outplacement](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/change-support-outplacement/) - [Career Development](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/career-development/) - [Leadership and Team Development](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/leadership-and-team-development/) - [Research and Insights](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/research-and-insights/) - [Articles](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/) - [Resources](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/resources/) - [Events](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/research-and-insights/events/) - [Speaking and Media](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/speaking-and-media/) [get in touch](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/contact/) [![trevor roberts](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/TrevorRoberts_September2021/images/Trevor-Roberts-RGB_Stacked_Logo_Positive.png?width=200&height=76&name=Trevor-Roberts-RGB_Stacked_Logo_Positive.png "trevor roberts")](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/) [![trevor roberts](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/TrevorRoberts_September2021/images/Trevor-Roberts-RGB_Stacked_Logo_Negative_On_Navy.png?width=200&height=76&name=Trevor-Roberts-RGB_Stacked_Logo_Negative_On_Navy.png "trevor roberts")](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/) ![Hamburger](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/hubfs/raw_assets/public/TrevorRoberts_September2021/images/Hamburger.svg) ![Hamburger](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/hubfs/raw_assets/public/TrevorRoberts_September2021/images/Hamburger-blog.png) ![Watermelon](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/TrevorRoberts_September2021/images/Trevor-Roberts-RGB_Tagline_Positive_Watermelon.png?width=600&height=65&name=Trevor-Roberts-RGB_Tagline_Positive_Watermelon.png) - [About](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/about/) - [How we help](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/how-we-help/) - [Why Trevor-Roberts](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/why-trevor-roberts/) - [Research and Insights](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/research-and-insights/) - [Articles](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/) [get in touch](https://trevor-roberts.com.au/contact/) [mailto:clientservices@trevor-roberts.com.au](mailto:clientservices@trevor-roberts.com.au) Change # Protecting your employer brand while restructuring ![](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/hubfs/raw_assets/public/TrevorRoberts_September2021/images/Trevor-Roberts-RGB_Brand_Graphic_Mono_White.png) ![](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/hubfs/talking%20in%20office.jpg) **Looking after your organisation during a restructure** One of the key tasks for an organisation undergoing a change project is keeping its reputation intact. In today’s social media-driven world, it takes just one negative employee experience shared publicly for an organisation’s reputation to come under scrutiny. It is important to consider the way those affected by the change and remaining employees are treated during the process and how this could affect your employer brand in the future. **What is an employer brand?** An employer brand was defined by Brett Minchington in his book, *Employer Brand Leadership: A Global Perspective,* as “the image of your organisation as a great place to work in the minds of current employees and key stakeholders in the external market…”i **How is an employer brand built?** There are many commentators and specialists in the field of employer branding – and a quick search on Google will pull up thousands of pieces of advice on how to build and maintain your organisation's employer brand. What most of these agree on is that a strong employer brand is critical to the engagement and retention of talent at all levels in an organisation. We believe a key driver of an employer brand is in what *employees* say to others about their real experience working within the organisation. This includes what those who have left are saying as well. This is the most powerful source of communication about the “real” brand of an organisation. Australian research reinforces the importance of employees’ lived experience. The Ipsos IC Index examines factors including employee pride, advocacy, whether people feel valued and their intention to stay or leave, all of which influence how employees experience and talk about their organisation. Social and professional networks have made employees’ experiences of organisations much more visible. People readily share their experiences with personal and professional networks, through social media, online reviews and everyday conversations. Organisations have less control over this message than they once did. Their employer brand is increasingly shaped by what current and former employees say about what it is really like to work there. **What leaders do is important** What leaders do during times of significant change matters. A respectful and transparent approach to change can help employees understand what is happening and why, while genuine consultation gives them an opportunity to raise concerns and contribute to the process. Fair Work Ombudsman guidance notes that effective consultation can support employee engagement, improve decision-making and reduce misunderstandings and disputes. In other words, actions speak louder than words when it comes to your organisation's reputation. **Aligned values between employee and organisation** People want to feel valued by the organisations they work for and to have a positive experience of work. When the experience employees have matches the promises an organisation makes, it strengthens trust and reinforces the employer brand. Respect is also critical. Employment is very much a psychological “contract” that goes well beyond a title, job description and pay. People are more likely to contribute and stay when they feel genuinely valued at a personal level. An employer brand is about the emotional connection people have with an organisation, more than formal statements about what the organisation stands for. **Restructuring** Restructuring decisions, particularly those that result in people leaving the organisation, can place significant strain on this psychological contract. The impact extends beyond those whose roles are directly affected. Remaining employees are also dealing with change, uncertainty and concern about what the restructure means for them. Australian guidance on redundancy and career change recognises redundancy, downsizing and restructuring as significant career transitions and highlights the importance of supporting people’s mental health and wellbeing through these experiences. So how do you retain a strong employer brand in the face of breaches to the actual and implied promises made to staff? **4 tips for retaining a strong employer brand** **1. Acknowledge the impact on the psychological contract:** HR professionals and leaders can distance themselves from this reality by saying ‘this is life’ and ‘people have to live with change’. Some organisations adopt a transactional, “let’s get on with it” demeanour. Restructuring is managed firmly without compassion. In reality, each person leaving their role may be dealing with concerns about identity, finances, career direction and the loss of important workplace relationships. Recognising all of this is an important step to retaining a relatable and “human” employer brand. That recognition encourages compassion and care and can help protect the organisation's employer brand. **2. Ensure a thoughtful and fair process is the first priority for the organisation:** At each step of the restructuring process, fairness, consultation and clear communication need to be priorities and reflected in the behaviours and processes of leaders and HR professionals. In Australia, awards and enterprise agreements can include consultation requirements where major workplace changes are likely to have significant effects on employees, including redundancies. **3. Plan a communication process for employees who have been directly affected and then re-engage those who remain following the change:** For those directly affected, consider the needs and circumstances of each individual. Communicate clearly and respectfully, and manage each step in the process with compassion and dignity. Where possible, tailor support to the individual rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Ensure that individuals whose roles are made redundant are fully supported in rebuilding their careers. Meet with several [career transition providers](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/how-to-choose-the-best-outplacement-provider) to ensure that the services offered are suitable for your departing employees. For the wider organisation, the rules for effectively communicating significant change are: - Communicate face to face - Be honest - Listen to and engage everyone at an individual level and [equip leaders to do this](https://www.trevor-roberts.com.au/service/leadership-development-programs-for-your-business/). 4\. Support remaining employees (see more on this [here](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/restructure-series-what-happens-to-survivors-following-a-restructure)): Support remaining employees through the uncertainty and concerns that follow a restructure. Explain the support being given to those who have left and encourage remaining employees to stay in touch and offer their support to colleagues who are leaving. Engage them in designing the future work within their team or department. [DOWNLOAD OUR EBOOK ON PREPARING FOR REDUNDANCY MEETINGS](https://info.trevor-roberts.com.au/preparing-redundancy-meeting) **Summary** An employer brand exists in the minds of prospective, current and former employees. It is shaped by the entire employee experience, from recruitment and induction through to everyday workplace practices, the behaviour of leaders and, critically, how people are treated during difficult periods such as an organisational restructure. Protecting your employer brand at times like these means taking care of those who are leaving, while continuing to support and engage those who remain. *Minchington, B. (2010), Employer Brand Leadership: A Global Perspective, Collective Learning Australia.* *Australian Government National Mental Health Commission, Redundancy and Career Change, Career Transition Series.* *Fair Work Ombudsman, Consultation and cooperation in the workplace.* *Fair Work Ombudsman, Redundancy.* *Australian HR Institute, Managing stakeholder communications during and after a redundancy process, 2024.* *Ipsos Australia, IC Index: What Australia Thinks, Feels and Does at Work.*   SHARE THIS ARTICLE [mailto:?subject=https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/looking-after-your-employer-brand-during-organisational-change](mailto:?subject=https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/looking-after-your-employer-brand-during-organisational-change) ![Trevor-Roberts](https://blog.trevor-roberts.com.au/hubfs/Trevor-Roberts-RGB_Brand_Graphic_Positive.png) Trevor-Roberts Trevor-Roberts has provided career development, leadership and team development, and career transition/outplacement services for three decades. 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