A Logo for the Logo-Makers

Coca-Cola. Victoria’s Secret. Gillette. Brooks Brothers.

Desgrippes Gobe has developed brands that appeal emotionally to its consumers. Now, it’s developing a Human Resources program that would generate the same reaction among its current employees and potential recruits.

Desgrippes Gobe’s small size (50 persons), entrepreneurial environment, and talent pool have propelled the New York-based firm to the list of the top ten brand image creation firms in the world.

Despite these successes, the CFO and the HR manager commissioned focus groups and surveys which unveiled significant issues that needed to be addressed. Desgrippes Gobe realized that its employees were faced with increasing pressures without accompanying rewards and recognition. The general feeling was that one employee received different perks than another, depending on one’s manager.

Meanwhile, managers complained about the absence of established recognition and reward policies. Finally, there was no overall strategy to implement benefits or communicate effectively to the staff on human resources efforts.

Desgrippes Gobe’s employees felt unsupported in their struggle to maintain a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives. The seeds for the Work/Life Benefits Program were planted to combat these concerns.

Launched at the beginning of 1999, Desgrippes Gobe’s Work/Life Benefits Program was immediately championed by Marc Gobe, President and CEO of the firm.

“The principles I have tried to bring to the work environment and our employees center around freedom and recognition,” he says. “Our survival directly depends on our employees and I want them to have the freedom to explore new ideas as well as the recognition of the immense value of each team member’s contribution.”

Focusing on this theory, the Work/Life Benefits Program was designed to provide managers with the means by which they could consistently and fairly recognize and reward their employees. The program also demonstrated to employees Desgrippes Gobe’s open culture of respect and commitment to each individual’s professional desires and personal needs.

The program is grouped into several different categories:

1. Recognizing Your Contribution to Desgrippes Gobe’s Success,
2. Giving You the Tools You Need to Enhance Your Career,
3. Providing Flexibility to Meet Business Goals and Personal Needs,
4. Helping You Take Charge of Your Time Away From Work,
5. Helping You Finance Your Personal and Family Needs, and
6. Supporting a Healthy and Balanced Lifestyle.

An in-house designer is currently developing an identity and a logo for the program that will bring to life the Human Resources department’s efforts and communicate its essence.

SOURCE: Desgrippes Gobe, New York, October 22, 1999 and Todd Raphael, Online Editor, Workforce. For more information, contact DG’s Principal of Finance and Administration, Carolyn Berke, at (212) 979-8900.