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Blocket develops its employer brand together with Oddwork

Blocket is one of Sweden’s most loved and well-known brands. But what is it like as an employer? From a well-kept secret to engaged ambassadors, Blocketeers, with a sparkle in their eyes. The need to take the employer brand, culture and employer branding strategy to the next level arose when Blocket decided to accelerate growth with the goal of doubling revenue by 2023. As the procured employer branding partner, Oddwork has had the pleasure of developing the strategy and following the journey up close. Come along!

GOTHENBURG, 7 SEPTEMBER 2020

Blocket was founded in 1996 in Fjälkinge by Henrik Nordström and was then mainly a regional marketplace for second-hand goods in Skåne. Today it is a positive and loved force across society that makes it easier for people to make smart, economical and sustainable everyday decisions, and that is fundamentally changing how we consume, for the better.

BLOCKET’S EMPLOYER BRANDING AMBITIONS

When Blocket launched its new 2X strategy with the goal to DOUBLE REVENUE BY 2023, the company saw the need to take its employer brand, culture and employer branding strategy to the next level. Maria Nylén, Chief People & Culture Officer, and Martina Göransson, Chief Marketing Officer, have driven this journey and felt that what Blocket is like as an employer had been a well-kept secret, something they wanted to change. We sat down with them to hear how Blocket’s employer branding journey began and what results they are seeing.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO START EMPLOYER BRANDING WORK FOCUSED ON CULTURE, EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYER BRAND?

– Everyone at Blocket is convinced that what will make us successful as a company is THE POWER WE SEE IN OUR VALUES AND OUR CULTURE! We can have plans and strategies, but it is our employees, our Blocketeers, who make things happen, who develop, improve and change. By creating drive, inspiration and engagement, we knew we would reach our goals and become the company we want to be. Martina and I have previous experience from other companies where values were what moved mountains, competitors and monopolies. We know what employee engagement and values can achieve! This is also anchored in the entire management team at Blocket, not least with our CEO Pernilla Nissler, says Maria Nylén, Chief People & Culture.

HOW DID YOU GET BLOCKET’S EMPLOYER BRANDING JOURNEY STARTED?

– Maria and I both joined Blocket a year ago, and Blocket had just started activating the values that exist internally today. We saw the potential and said let’s go, and then we went for it! It is about starting small, with the everyday and the simple. What each individual can change and develop every day. That is when culture and values become real and something people understand, something that can help and guide, says Martina Göransson, Chief Marketing Officer.

WHAT HAVE YOU FOCUSED ON?

– We have mainly focused on INTERNAL EMPLOYER BRANDING. By creating a company where our employees take pride in how things are done, we create ambassadors who meet both customers and users with a sparkle in their eyes, and who can describe our services and what it is actually like to work at Blocket with strong voices. We felt that what Blocket is like as an employer had been a well-kept secret, and we wanted to change that by activating the values, creating engagement and making employee engagement a clear and decisive driver of our results.

WHAT RESULTS HAVE YOU SEEN?

– We have seen big changes. Our internal engagement levels have increased since we really started our journey and have reached new highs during the coronavirus pandemic; we have more followers than ever on social media, lots of applications for our advertised positions and targeted open applications, and much more. And we can see that THE HIGH ENGAGEMENT LEADS TO IMPROVED BUSINESS RESULTS. So in summary, a great sign that we are on the right track!

WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS MADE YOU SO SUCCESSFUL?

– That we started internally, from within. That we set a shared goal that engagement is crucial, together with culture and values. During the coronavirus pandemic, our values have made it easy to make difficult decisions. It is important to be clear and ALWAYS WALK THE TALK.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WORK WITH ODDWORK?

– Blocket and Oddwork share the same values. Lots of energy, clear processes and high engagement.

WHAT DOES BLOCKET’S EMPLOYER BRANDING JOURNEY LOOK LIKE GOING FORWARD?

– Going forward, we will review our values and continue activating them internally. There will be a strong focus on the candidate experience, a new career site and onboarding processes. Then an additional external focus. Employer branding is always an ongoing journey!