Students help
OddBalls in top employer mission
OddBalls is
a vibrant and distinctive underwear brand located in the North East of England.
Louise weeks, a Northumbria University graduate and People & Culture
Manager at OddBalls got in
touch with the Business Clinic, seeking some support with defining and
developing a compelling employer brand strategy, one that would clearly
communicate who OddBalls are as an employer, what they stand for, and why
talented individuals should want to work with them.
“As a growing business, attracting and retaining the right
people is critical. I wanted the strategy to reflect our values, culture and
ambitions and to help differentiate us in a really competitive recruitment
landscape.”
To gauge
current perception of OddBalls, the students conducted two surveys: one to get
the views of Oddballs’ employees and another survey of the general adult
public. They researched employee benefits currently offered, training and
development opportunities, workplace culture and communication strategies.
The students’ recommendations included enhanced pension and
sickness packages, additional flexible working times and hybrid working building
on the current hybrid model OddBalls already operates (88% of Oddballs staff
surveyed said hybrid working is important to them), enhanced holiday allowance
and the offer of private healthcare for staff. The menu of options tabled also included training for managers
and the recruitment of an external consultant who could support OddBalls with
the growth of its team and organisational culture development.
On the communications side of the equation, the students
suggested advanced social media and artificial intelligence training for staff,
as well as a graduate scheme to attract and retain top talent, e-learning
courses to build on existing knowledge and the use of external experts to
deliver face-to-face training sessions and tailored, one-to-one support for
employees.
Katie Simmonds, Student Project Leader, said: “Getting the
employee offering right is critical for a business like OddBalls, which is
operating in an ultra-competitive marketplace. It’s a dangerous threat to
corporate reputation if you get your offering wrong and you lose talented
people to a competitor who’s willing to offer more attractive terms and
conditions. Our recommendations are designed to make it easier for OddBalls to
attract and retain top talent, improve its reputation and cement its position
as a great place to work.”
