Would one of your employees know the answer if you were to ask him/her what your brand’s core values are? How do you think they would respond?

Let’s assume your company already has some firm brand values that were covered in your initial business plan or your brand guidelines. If not, now may be a good time to consider the nature of your brand and draft those core values. If those values are in place, however, it’s important to think about how you can make sure your employees are all working in line with those core values.

Global Resources LLC consultants recommend the following five ways to keep your employees aligned with your brand values.

Hire the right candidates

Ultimately, everything starts with the individuals you hire. The interview process should assist you in determining whether someone’s individual values fit with, are close to, or veer strongly from your brand values. Even if a potential employee has the right experience, you should pass on them if they aren’t going to fit the culture you want to create.

Use signage to remind employees of values

Office signage can absolutely have a powerful effect on employee values and productivity. For example, you could hang a large sign for each of your brand’s core values throughout the office as a reminder of how those values are supposed to be displayed. Furthermore, you could also display motivational signs, designed to subtly showcase your brand values in action, such as reminders of the value of teamwork.

Demonstrate values from the top down

Employees always look to their leaders as role models for the culture they’re going to embody. If you want your newest employees to uphold your brand values, they need to be modeled by your highest-ranking leaders. Encourage all your executive leaders to display these brand values in their own positions.

Implement and discuss values in employee reviews

If/when you conduct annual or semi-annual employee reviews, take that time to talk about each employee’s knowledge and embodiment of your brand values. Try to gauge how they’ve performed in each area (such as embracing change or pursuing growth) and ask them how they feel about their performance in each category.

Publicly reward people who follow or exemplify your brand values

Lastly, take the time to acknowledge and/or reward employees who do a great job of demonstrating your brand’s core values. Ultimately, this will make the employee in question continue this pattern of behavior and encourage your other employees to seek out similar levels of adoption.

Check out Global Resources Reviews to learn more.