We helped Human Resources and Brand Management work together to understand the culture of their organization and engage all employees to “live the brand.”

Situation

NewAlliance Bank, a thriving community savings institution with 90 branches in Connecticut and Massachusetts, was formed in 2004 when New Haven Savings Bank united with Savings Bank of Manchester and Tolland Bank (and later with Westbank). NHSB, SBM, Tolland and Westbank had all been “hometown” banks with their own distinct personalities before the merger, and six years later they had yet to come together as an integrated organization.

Perceptions of rivalries among the regions, between headquarters and the branches and between long-time employees and new hires frustrated leadership and associates at every level — and also had an impact on the customer experience.

Solution

Launching a new brand promise–We enable people to thrive–was already a priority for the Bank’s HR and Marketing Communications teams. We collaborated with them on a comprehensive employee engagement initiative. Over several months, we:

Undertook a Bank-wide cultural assessment to identify opportunities for embedding the brand in operations and processes;

Conducted brand behavior workshops to define specific and relevant brand-demonstrating behaviors that demonstrate commitment to the Bank’s brand attributes;

Authored and tested a “living the brand” curriculum that incorporates targeted brand content into new and existing training programs;

Compiled a Brand Behaviors Definition document to provide employees with a consistent vocabulary for evaluating actions and decisions; and

Rewrote primary HR communications, from job descriptions to performance evaluation forms, to better demonstrate the new brand culture.