Rethinking Reputation: How Your Employees’ personal Brands Affect Your Employer Brand
We’ve all heard the saying that there is no such thing as bad publicity. But is it so really? The presumption that bad publicity cannot cause damage is debatable. In today’s world, you need to be politically correct on so many levels. Gen Z and millennials on the internet don’t play. They will shred employees into pieces and serve them to their employers with no remorse. The internet is the new jury. Hashtags are way stronger and impactful than we ever imagined. It truly is the era of social justice. We are lucky to be witnessing the collective action power of the internet. At the same time, let’s not be so naïve that we end up victims of the same.
If recent events are anything to go by, no one wants to be associated with bad publicity. The other day, the Ndichu twins; founders of Wapi Pay found themselves under the wrath of ‘keyboard warriors’. And hell hath no fury like Twitter and Instagram users’ scorned. These brothers lost some of the investors of Wapi Pay. This was after they trended on social media for alleged gender based violence. People on social media were tagging these investors in posts asking them to boycott and disassociate from Wapi Pay. They implied that if these investors continued working with Wapi Pay, then it means they too support gender based violence.
We have had a case of a famous Christian DJ losing his job from a Christian program on a national TV station. This happened after he was exposed for infidelity. It’s safe to say the drama that ensued and all the inappropriate images shared on social media, were contrary to teachings of the Christian faith.
It is high time employers start looking at their employees’ reputation as it directly affects their brand. While we started out by mentioning bad publicity, employees with good reputation can elevate your brand to soar higher. The public will directly associate person’s X reputation to the company/organization they work for.
It is therefore paramount for employer’s to recognize and adhere to this. They ought to employ, work and associate with people whose values, morals and personality align with that of the organization’s. Personal branding is a valid branding construct that should be encompassed in strategic decision-making during hiring.