Change is the word

By Ben Tinker

Change in the world of work is happening all around us, sometimes by necessity, sometimes by design, and often in ways that feel entirely organic. The traditional 8:30 to 5:00 workday, a relic of the industrial age,gave way to something fundamentally new. As we all know (oh, how we know) we’re moving into an AI age. And while we haven’t fully arrived at that future, we’re moving rapidly toward it. 

Because of this and because of where we are in the economic cycle locally and globally, change is a constant for businesses. It’s being imposed by circumstance and it’s being employed as a growth tool. By outsourcing or automating administration, refocussing functions on new areas, our customers are creating opportunities for people to grow. Taking repetitive, dull work away makes room for higher value human-powered work. But change causes discomfort and can result in disengagement and disenchantment (not to mention people leaving). For the betterment of both the organisations and the people who work there, this needs to be explained.  

This shift is redefining how organisations energise the people it already employs and connect with new people. Belonging isn’t limited by geography or office walls. Individuals may be fully remote, or contributing from another country, yet still expected to feel part of something bigger. This is why employer branding has taken on a new level of importance and complexity. 

The ‘Why’ has changed and so has the value 

All of this means that there has been a change in why we’ve created EVPs and employer brands for our customers over the last year or so. To enable a change or to make one happen. 

We’ve had the opportunity to partner with people who drive change for our customers. That means we’re close to key issues – and that means we’re delivering work with strategic value. 

At Genesis Energy, a change in executive leadership meant new focus for the business and a new strategy. Building on and retaining a legacy of care, Gensis is moving forward with an ambitious plan to electrify Aotearoa. It means new renewable energy infrastructure and new impetus for its 1,200 people.  

A new strategy without action is just a plan on a page. It needs everyone to be aware of what it is and why it’s happening. Those already in the business and the talent yet to be hired.  And that means we needed and in-depth understanding of the leadership vision and the reality of working at Genesis, from maintenance shop to marketing. We need to drive consistent communication to ‘re-hire’ existing staff and excite candidates. 

An extensive insights process has established a new EVP ‘In the moment, for the future.’ Launched in August, we will be activating across talent acquisition and the wider people function. Impact has already been felt in an advocacy group, and a level of internal engagement and feedback Genesis had not seen before. Anecdotal evidence is great, but to make sure we’re providing value, we will also comprehensively measure the EVPs impact through media attribution and monitoring brand sentiment. 

PACT group have a demographic and recruitment challenge. Much of the workforce have been with the business for multiple decades. Whilst that makes for the closest of close-knit teams, PACT need to bring about a change and bring in a new generation of operational staff through the business. 

PACT isn’t alone, we’ve heard from many organisations across manufacturing, construction (amongst others) with a similar challenge. It’s an obvious business risk, but it’s also a huge opportunity. The depth of knowledge at PACT, from a technical viewpoint and a cultural one is massive. So too, is the desire to pass that knowledge on. We need to inspire a new generation to take that on.  

Our focus groups across the motu found real togetherness, connections which teams were unaware of and stories of opportunities to build families. The EVP ‘further your world’ will be activated across NZ through the rest of 2025 and into the New Year. 

Last thought 

In both cases, a critical business need was the catalyst and activation business wide will be the thing that makes impact (with measurement implement across the board – more to say on that!).

Give us a follow or drop me a message to find out more. I’d love to chat.