The document summarizes the partnership between Compass Group UK & Ireland and SMRS to transform Compass' candidate journey and employer brand. Key points of the partnership included conducting research through surveys and focus groups, developing a new applicant tracking system and careers website, and launching an internal and external activation strategy to promote the new employer brand. The project framework involved gathering insights, defining the employer value proposition, and activating the brand across various touchpoints. Initial successes included an increase in candidates and engagement on the new careers website and ATS.

1. Compass & SMRS
Transforming the candidate journey

2. The partnership
• Insight led, partnership approach
• Worked with Compass for 4 years
• Provided a range of media and creative services
• Big challenge = lack of brand awareness
• Project led approach to IDeA

3. Intro to Compass Group UK & Ireland
• The worlds leading provider of food and support services
• We have many brands – Chartwells, Eurest,
Restaurant associates, ESS, Levy restaurants, Medirest etc.
• FTSE 100, 29th at present
• 11th biggest employer in the world with c500,000 staff
• Operate in over 50 countries
• UK has 60,000 perm employees and 20,000 temps
• Across 7000 sites
• UK serves 3 million people per day

4. Starting point
• 2011, commissioned SMRS to carry out Insight
research on internal population
• Interviewed employees
• Insight completed by mid 2011 - project was shelved
• Concern vs excitement / opportunity
• On arrival
• No social media activity
• Manual processes – lack of information for the candidate
• Careers website was old and lacked investment
• ATS wasn’t used resulting in wasted time and effort

5. Targets
• Attraction across multiple sectors, job families & regions
• Development of the employer brand as Compass UK & I
• Smoother candidate journey = higher applications
• New ATS as well as a Careers site
• Removal of duplication
• Control and compliance from a candidate perspective
• MI from a management and team perspective
• Reduction in cost per hire
• Reduction in time to hire
• Increase in quality of candidates

6. What we’ve done
• Reviewed the candidate journey from
a number of perspectives
• Candidate survey on the journey = interesting results
• Filmed people trying to find the ATS and then applying
• Implemented a new ATS (Tribepad) in March
• Several team meetings to discuss look feel and
content of the careers site
• Now utilise Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to promote jobs

7. The IDeA framework - Insight
Brand Session
Meeting to understand the
essence behind the new brand
Employee
Perception
Focus groups with a broad
range of current employees
Candidate
Perception
Online survey with those recently
into the process
Competition Audit
Understanding your competitors
across various audiences and the
territory they occupy with their
people comms
Leadership
Engagement
Depth interviews with key people
within leadership positions across
the business

8. The IDeA framework - Definition
Validation
• Tracking and measuring
effectiveness with the help
of technology, surveys and
workshops
Locating the
Employee Value
Proposition
• Developing core idea,
the tone of voice and
the visual identity
• Testing and refining internally
Touch Points
• Identifying the attraction
and employee touch points
to enable the delivery of
an overarching branded
communications plan

9. The IDeA framework - Activation
External Second!
• Attraction toolkit
• Careers Site
• Graduate attraction
• Social Media Strategy
Internal First!
• Launch events / meetings to
cascade the new Employer
Brand across the business

10. Insight - What we did
“I think the group that surprised me
the most was the frontline workers at
Medirest. Their compassion and genuine
concern for patients was actually
quite humbling.”
“I think few people wouldn’t be impressed
by Roman Abramovich’s private nightclub at
Chelsea FC. A fascinating insight into the
toys of the Super-rich.”
“The business has not only a very dynamic
leadership team, but a uniquely personable
one too. Everyone made us feel welcome
and gave us a lot of access and time. It
was also very clear that people in the EMT
had no illusions about the challenges on
the frontline. That was impressive – and
pretty rare in a business of this size.”
Quotes from the SMRS Insight team:
16
13
days of insight across the Group
site visits at different locations
focus groups involving senior
and middle management and
front line employees
leadership interviews
33
27

11. Insight - What we set out to learn
In order to ensure we had a clear framework for our research,
we were very clear about what we were setting out to uncover.
• What does each sector do
• Individual career stories
• Individual career aspirations
• Individual career motivations
• Internal sector perceptions
• External sector perceptions
• Levels of engagement with philosophy, purpose and task –
by sector, function and role
• Communication desires of the workforce

12. Compass is like
an onion.
You peel off one layer
only to find twenty more
underneath.

13. “The desire to serve is
in the blood.”

14. Insight - The challanges
In relation to business and employee performance,
the following themes occurred again and again:
• Central control vs Empowerment
• Doers vs Thinkers
• Reactivity vs Proactivity
• Client identity vs Compass Identity
• Client demand vs business demand
• Compass People vs Compass Machine

15. Insight - Key messages
• The nature of SERVICE
• The future of FOOD
• Little signs of APPRECIATION
• What does the FUTURE look like?
• The INSIGHT-LED distinction
• The beauty of the BUNDLE

16. Activation
• Internal
• External – toolkit, website, security etc.
• Refinement

17. Activation - Internal
• Internal communications have always been tricky in
Compass due to disparate workforce
• New intranet introduced as of 1 May - Compass Connect
• All of the various HR related teams have been
given a new logo
• Future plans to review all internal touch points to
align to the candidate journey

18. Activation - External
• Assessment of audiences and development
of toolkit, including;
• TOV
• Multiple advertising formats
• Optimised copy for online usage
• Main point of activation: website

20. Activation - Website
• IDeA project in its own right
• Insight
• Analytics
• User testing
• Sessions with key stakeholders to understand objectives
• Scoping
• Audiences
• Journeys
• Site Map
• Technical requirements specification

21. Activation - Website
• Definition
• Seeing beyond the pictures
• User journeys for both new visitors and repeat visitors
• Five key audiences: operations, head office, Sports, leisure,
events and hospitality, apprentices school age children, graduates
• Eight operating sectors
• 15 different brands
• Photo and video shoots
• Circa 40 models across two days

22. Activation - Website
• Activation
• Bringing it all together
• UX designs
• Copy
• Existing photography, original photography
• Existing video, original video

23. Refinement
• Tracking and reporting
• Front end - analysis of user journeys and goals
• ATS linked
• AB testing
• Enhancements of content in the future – more people videos

24. What successes so far
• ATS is 40 days old and has 8,000 candidates already
• Candidates are already more engaged
• The new “brand” is keenly anticipated and eager for launch
• We have developed the employer brand into HR
• We trialed the brand at Hotelympia and received strong praise
• Our early careers section is nearly as big as the rest of the site!
• Removed duplication via the ATS
• Able to track advertising efficiency

25. Takeaways
• Plan, plan, plan, plan
• Get everyone on board internally (use the directors)
• Be brave and bold
• Embed yourself in the agency
• Ensure the brand crosses the threshold
• Be honest
• Push them
• Trust them

26. Any questions?
@SmrsLtd
@YnotNotlaw