On-Brand Hiring Practices: Pret a Manger

Visit the Pret a Manger Web site (http://www.pretamanger.com) and you will immediately understand Pret's brand promise in words printed white on red and exuding passion—passion, passion about food. Passion about everything the company does.

The UK-based Pret, founded in 1986, is described by the London Times as having "revolutionized the concept of sandwich making and eating." ^[6] A big part of Pret's success has to do with its staff. Pret hires only about 5 percent of those who apply for a position. Possible recruits are interviewed multiple times and are finally given a "test day" in a Pret shop. Shop employees finally decide who gets hired.

Again in Pret's words: "We are equally passionate about the people we employ. We're incredibly privileged that so many creative, hard working and talented people have chosen to work for us.... We employ people with personality who we think have the potential to give genuinely good service—people who like mixing with other people, who are good-humored and like to enjoy themselves." ^[7]

If hiring is done well and you have a critical mass of employees who are engaged with the brand, off-brand staff will feel uncomfortable working with you. They will be misfits; their service delivery approaches and attitudes will not be tolerated by the on-brand staff.

Brand Book

Every organization also needs a blueprint or Brand Book to guide its branded customer service effort. The Brand Book is best made with joint input from the marketing and HR departments. Vendors and outside agencies should look at the final product to give feedback about its contents. They may notice disparities or conflicts that are hard to see from the inside.

We recommend a high-quality, colorful, and engaging publication that is representative of your brand promise. It should minimally contain the following:

• A welcome from the senior person in your organization

• Mission statement

• Vision statement

• Company information

• Brand goals and strategy

• Brand promise and values

• Brand history information

• Brand differentiators

• Branded customer service practices

Some organizations also include personnel and orientation materials in Brand Books: organizational structure, locations, products, names of key players, and departments. Others include information about dress codes, appearance, benefits, guidelines for employee behavior, recognition programs, and commonly asked questions and their answers.

All this is possible. Think about the Brand Book as a marketing document for your staff. And be aware that copies of it will no doubt circulate to the general public, news media, and your competitors. Every Brand Book we have been involved with has been interesting to read and visually appealing. It is important that this corporate document not be another three-ring binder that gets put on a shelf and never looked at again. It should be compelling enough so people refer to it when in meetings, when making important strategic decisions, and when they have a question about what their organization is doing. An effective Brand Book is a guide to your brand DNA.

^[6]See http://www.pretàmàger.com

^[7]See http://www.pretàmàger.com