Transportation
Laying the Strategic Foundations of The CSL Group's Employer Brand
Transforming CSL's employer brand into a true competitive advantage in order to attract and retain talent as the maritime industry faces labour shortages.
Structuring the Employer Brand
A leading maritime player whose history dates back to 1845, The CSL Group operates in an industry where qualified profiles are scarce and roles are highly specialized. The company had been occasionally carrying out employer initiatives, but wanted to move toward a more structured and strategic approach. Our team took charge of developing its employer brand, drawing on the real-life experiences of the people who work there.
Audit and Diagnosis
The process began with working sessions alongside the CSL team, aimed at mapping the history of the initiatives already deployed and the data collected. We then conducted an audit and an analysis of the entire employer ecosystem: documentation, career pages, social media platforms, internal communications, etc. This in-depth review made it possible to identify, together with the client, the strengths to build on and the areas to be improved for each lever, as well as the opportunities to pursue.
Cross-Checks and SWOT Analysis
A detailed review of internal documentation and surveys, combined with an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, then made it possible to categorize and cross-reference the organization's advantages across its three segments, each having its own distinct realities: crews in Canada, crews in Australia, and administrative staff. Five major themes emerged from this exercise, validated by converging indicators. This information was summarized through a SWOT matrix and cross-referencing, thus indicating which levers were to be prioritized.
Moving Toward an Employer Value Proposition
From this analysis, a four-pillar employer value proposition architecture was taking shape, built around the employee journey and tailored to the realities of shipboard or office environments. This strategic foundation was validated and finalized during a co-creation workshop, before being translated into a brand signature, a brand identity, and a concrete action plan.
Developing Personas for Recruitment
We also proposed supporting the initiative by developing personas, a project carried out alongside the employer brand work, in order to help CSL’s recruitment team identify talents capable of filling the most critical positions. We designed the methodology and questionnaires, pinpointed the key roles to be documented, then launched the market research and surveys. The resulting findings further enrich talent acquisition strategies.
