Focusing on reputation

Simon Thomas, formerly a board director at TCS and, before that, SMRS, has launched his own business, and the name - The Employer Reputation Company - says it all.

"There's no getting away from it: the reputation of your organisation will precede you," he says.  "Good or bad, what people say and think about your business will have an effect.  So how do you make your employer reputation a good one?"

The new organisation offers a range of services designed to do just that.  It aims to help organisations develop the positive reputation that will enable them to attract, retain and engage with the talent they need.  And its approach is based on a combination of academic and experience-based inputs, Simon having gained an MBA (with distinction) at Manchester Business School in addition to his twelve years of experience in recruitment advertising, brand management and education marketing.

TERC provides services to direct clients - both public and private-sector - on a fully national basis, as well as undertaking associate work via other agency and specialist partners.  (And Simon is also open to approaches from people interested in joining him on an associate basis.)

Simon believes there's real scope for specialist organisations to add value in areas such as employer branding and reputation.  "A lot of the bigger agencies may have good creative capabilities, but they don't necessarily have the right level of fundamental, specialist knowledge in house," he says.  He also feels that HR in general should begin to engage with these key issues more fully, to avoid any risk of being marginalised by other business functions.

He can be contacted via simon@employerreputation.co.uk

www.employerreputation.co.uk