Hydrocarbon Processing - June 2021 - 10

Business Trends
with digital transformation underway, the landscape is beginning
to look quite different.
Companies in the hydrocarbons sector must get
closer to the pool of candidates that they want
to hire to meet their digital transformation goals.
Every candidate is a consumer, and almost all
consumers are inspired by innovation.
In the context of digital transformation, the industry faces
stiff competition from inspiring brands in rival sectors, such
as renewables and consumer-tech, as well as the Googles and
Amazons that all equally need bright, digitally minded hires.
If petrochemicals companies want to obtain a competitive advantage
to attract the best talent, do they now need to position
themselves as the SpaceX of the tech world?
If digital transformation is a top priority for the company,
then the short answer is, " Yes. " Particularly for today's college
graduates, the state of a company's brand can make or break
whether they will be attracted to working with that company.
One way to satisfy this need is to make the company more widely
relevant and position it as a leader of the future. For that, you
need a multi-brand approach.
Becoming widely relevant. Companies in the hydrocarbons
sector must get closer to the pool of candidates that they want
to hire to meet their digital transformation goals. Every candidate
is a consumer, and almost all consumers are inspired by innovation.
In fact, interest in the sector and innovation were the
second and third most popular reasons-after career progression-why
respondents to GETI 2021 said they chose to work
in the petrochemicals industry.
That said, the story of innovation can be a difficult one to
tell for a large, historically industrial petrochemicals company
with a single or few brands. So, a multi-brand approach to brand
strategy can comprise splitting the brand up to connect better
with consumers and positioning the business as a pioneering,
attractive employer.
This allows those companies to showcase their technology
partners and product innovations, helping candidates connect
the dots from what they experience in the world back to the petrochemicals
industry.
Thousands of petrochemicals applications can be found in
the home and everyday life-from the iPhone in our pocket to
the tires on our car-but few consumers stop to think about the
supplier of the raw materials. Petrochemicals companies can
gain substantially from making their brands more relevant by
coloring in that dotted line between their products and everyday
life to help potential hires better understand the business.
Some companies are doing this phenomenally well. When
you interact with them digitally through their website or LinkedIn,
for example, you gain a real understanding of the impact
of the products that they manufacture, as well as how they approach
corporate social responsibility (CSR), be it diversity
and inclusion, environmental programs, carbon recapture projects
or product lifecycle.
Society recognizes that all companies must be in the race to
10 JUNE 2021 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com
net-zero, so having planned CSR goals, progress and results visible
to all is very powerful-it is what connects with today's consumer,
and today's talent. There is no longer a question
about whether employees would rather work for a responsible
and environmentally friendly company: it is a given.
So, it follows that companies that fail to create a strong
digital presence and brand strategy to bring consumers
on their sustainability journey will be overlooked. So
many of us now make our buying decisions based on
our digital experiences and research, often without even
contacting the company. This situation is no different
for petrochemicals companies when competing to attract, hire
and retain the best talent in our very competitive digital world.
Sustainable credentials. Similarly, a multi-brand approach
can also help petrochemicals companies leverage the environmental
credentials of certain products to improve talent acquisition.
Many of today's college graduates are deeply interested in
improving the world around them and having a positive impact
on sustainability. A 2019 study by Fast Company found that
three quarters of millennials would accept a smaller salary to
work for a company that is more environmentally responsible.
At the same time, the petrochemicals industry is doing a huge
amount of work to improve sustainability and the lifecycle impact
of its products; yet those results are often buried in a CSR
report only ever to be read by investors.
By being able to demonstrate sustainable product innovation
through a multi-brand approach, petrochemicals businesses can
better connect with bright and curious minds through the values
that matter most to them.
If a multi-brand approach does not make sense in the context
of the business, the alternative is to have a strong angle on
the product applications that raw materials are developed into.
Where possible, choosing " on trend " product applications-
such as the petrochemical components in electric vehicles, for
example-will again drive a greater sense of relevance, while tying
the brand to innovation.
As with previous shocks to the sector, once the dust settles
from COVID-19, petrochemicals companies will want to take
stock of any damage to their brand. However, for those with
industrial digitalization ambitions, it will not simply be about
repair. As graduate hiring programs ramp up once more, now
is the opportune time to realign brands to attract the hires
needed for digitalization. A refreshed brand strategy will be
crucial for success, and not just one that can edge out other
petrochemical companies, but one that can compete for digital
talent on the global stage.
MICHAEL SANCHES is the Consultancy Director, Management
Consulting, and Global Sales Director for Airswift, leading the
company's consultancy practice across the Americas. He works
as a client partner to scope, improve or build contingent
workforce solutions and talent acquisition services that include
executive and professional search and selection via engaged
search, retained search and RPO methodologies; benchmarking;
talent mapping; market intelligence research; and managed solutions, including
MSP and RPO. Mr. Sanches has worked with executives, HR practitioners and
operational leaders across many sectors, including petrochemicals, refining,
midstream and pipeline, pulp and paper, wind and solar, biogas, nitrogen, and
mining and metals. As a client partner, he assesses recruitment and workforce
strategies, rationalizes supplier bases, implements change and develops employer
value propositions that speak to targeted talent and hiring campaigns.
http://www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com
Hydrocarbon Processing - June 2021

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