Employer Branding in the Social Services Sector
Challenge
There are over 300 agencies in Ontario that serve individuals with developmental disabilities. They have a universal dilemma…to attract frontline staff to pursue a career in the developmental services (DS) sector.
The issue is compounded because millennials are either unaware of the DS sector; or from those who are, many do not believe that they could have a viable career path in this sector
Our Clients
9 agencies in the York Simcoe region* got together to tackle this challenge ….
Their goal was to disrupt the status quo of people they cared for…people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, so they could have equal access to meaningful and inclusive lives within the community. And to fulfil this goal, they needed millennials and Gen Z’s to join forces with them…and pursue a career in their agencies…
*CLASS, Catulpa, CLYorkSouth, Camphill, CLH Developmental Support Services, DeafBlind OntarioServices, E3, EmpowerSimcoe, NewLeaf Living and Learning Together Inc.
Our Task
We, at OCI Edge, (the Employer Branding arm of Oxenham Consultants Inc.) were honored to be part of this passion project….to uncover and share with the rest of the world what people working in this sector do …. But, as we dug deeper, we realized it was a mammoth challenge…. how does one bring out the many, many amazing things the frontline staff at these agencies do, when they are quite happy to stay behind the scenes?
Insight
If only the best-kept secret (the frontline staff at these agencies and the work they do) could be brought into the limelight?! After all, they were doing so many exceptional things to be proud of?!
Approach
Showcase the amazing things the current frontline staff at the agencies do, so that those in the dark could be inspired to join them.
The Idea
#DoTheExceptional
The Creation
Together with our Brand Design partner Changing Sky, the visual identity of a human tree, symbolizing the community at large was born…representing the 9 agencies joining forces to make a collective impact in the York Simcoe region…showing the quiet dynamic energy of all those who are leading a movement by
#Doing the Exceptional.
Bringing the Story to Life
We decided to tell their story as simply as they do….Humanly…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFRx8fy4-vY
And Further…
To raise awareness and engagement of the social services sector, so they could have a meaningful career, a website https://socialservicesyorksimcoe.ca/careers/ was created which included the career opportunities at each of the 9 agencies. A social media campaign directed the audience to this website to become aware of #DoTheExceptional
Results
The campaign broke all industry benchmarks….crossing 2.5 million impressions, and reaching over 550,000 of our target audience, of which 3.16% got attracted, interested AND converted to apply to the YorkSimcoe dynamic agencies!
