Views from the Top: About Kanal 5 & Kanal 9
Interiew with Jonas Sjögren, CEO
By Grazyna Sotta
About Kanal 5 & Kanal 9, ranked 2nd among high school students (FöretagsBarometern Ung 2010)
What are your main activities?
We are a commercial TV provider.
Something you would not expect about Kanal 5 & Kanal 9:
Most people probably don’t know that we are a part of Europe’s second biggest media conglomerate – ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG.
Current Number of employees: 135
Expected Number of Vacancies for 2010: Approximately 5 as we don’t plan on expanding on a large scale this year.
About Kanal 5 & Kanal 9’s
Employer Brand
What are the current business conditions that are driving the need for employer branding in your organization?
A company should strive to have a strong employer brand and work actively with these questions regardless of the business and economic conditions on the market. To us, it’s important that the brand comes from within and that we communicate our internal culture. Our employees are our ambassadors and any potential new hire is able to tell in an interview if the information they hear is authentic. It’s therefore a continuous process which doesn’t fluctuate with the business conditions.
How long has the Kanal 5 & Kanal 9 focused on its employer brand?
In a pronounced way since 2002.
What does your organization hope to accomplish via its employer branding activities?
We hope to hire and retain good and talented individuals by being an attractive employer. Employee well-being, comfort and development are crucial and directly linked with their performance and thus company profitability.
What specific objectives will take advantage of or mitigate the impact of your specific business environment?
We provide entertainment and are therefore dependent on continuous innovation. We don’t foresee changes in the near future.
Are you measuring your employer brand? If yes, how?
We have a satisfaction survey internally among our employees and rely on market surveys for an external understanding of our employer brand strength. We are very proud of the distinction we received at this year’s Universum Awards. It means a lot to us and is proof that we are perceived as a demanding, but attractive employer.
Is employer branding driven by the senior management team?
It’s absolutely a top priority for us and it’s very important to me. Employer Branding and corporate culture aren’t just a question for HR; they’re at the core of a company’s profitability. It’s something the CEO has to honestly believe in and make known on all levels in the company.
How do you define your employer brand in a few words?
Passionate, innovative and aware. We’re passionate, engaged and take pride in our brand and the profession. Our innovation takes on the form of evolution and further development of existing products and revolution when we introduce new ideas on the market. We’re aware of our strengths as well as our areas of improvement. I’d call it a form of humble self-confidence.
How do you think Kanal 5 & Kanal 9 is perceived by students? Is it accurate?
We have the advantages and disadvantages of a being a public media company with broad recognition. The students know who we are and what we do. However, a lot of the time, they don’t realize that we’re a large and professional company or just what it means to work for a commercial television channel. We’re a sales driven organization and do not have a large business development and strategy department for those looking into such opportunities. This is something we could be better at communicating.
How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?
We offer great development opportunities and we develop the talented individuals that work for us. We trust the employees to want to do their best and frequently as they’re closer to the market, they can make better decisions. We offer a lot of freedom and expect it to be treated responsibly.
Numerous department managers and I started as trainees and have worked our way up in the company. Everyone is new at some point and at Kanal 5 & Kanal 9 we often promote internally and support individuals in their new roles helping them grow and develop further.
What are your current internal and external Employer Brand priorities (strategic and promotional)?
Internally, we focus on our values and strengthening our corporate culture. By giving our employees decision power on a large scale, we need to make sure that we’re all striving in the same direction. We try to even over-communicate and secure that we’re all reaching towards common goals.
When it comes to external communication, we don’t tour campuses, but do our best to accommodate presentation requests. In contacts with people outside of the company, it’s important to be honest and only promise on what we can deliver.
Do you have specific deliverables that your employer branding programme needs to produce? And if so, what are those deliverables?
We have targets for our employee satisfaction on an overall level and on a department basis. We analyze the information carefully and use it to improve where needed. Although it is natural for employees to look for new opportunities after a while, we of course try to keep retention levels high and have a good understanding of former employees’ experiences. From the new hire perspective, it’s important for us to have high quality applicants so that we can fill our positions with the right people.
With the coming elections, what consequences do you expect for employers and job seekers?
And will this have an impact on your employer branding activities? As a commercial TV channel, we don’t air debates or news and we’re not highly influenced by the elections as such. The elections would only have an impact if the new government would intend to pass laws that affect our business.
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