Will a recruiting campaign help H&M enlist new employees?

For the fifth-straight year, H&M is rolling out its Place of Possible (P.O.P.) recruiting campaign, talking up H&M’s pay, benefits and flexible hours for U.S. employees as well as opportunities for advancement and personal fulfillment. A statement on the campaign noted the Swedish-based fast-fashion chain’s move last November to upgrade benefits for part-timers. The changes included greater flexibility around minimum weekly hours, a new scheduling app and six weeks of paid parental leave for eligible part-timers. H&M is also communicating the chain’s commitment to social responsibility and sustainability, qualities that appeal to Millennials. “This year's campaign builds on the intrinsic H&M value of ‘we are one team’ and takes a deeper dive into the idea of community at H&M as represented by the phrase ‘me, us, we and you’,” H&M said in a statement. “Whether a teammate has been here for a few weeks, or since the retailer first opened in the United States 19 years ago, the values of the brand are what tie all H&M employees together. This is H&M and H&M is community.”

H&M is the place of possible. Hear our team’s story and apply to be a part of our H&M family today at https://t.co/vy0TYPh77O! pic.twitter.com/5hvysL7yVV

— H&M USA (@hmusa) September 18, 2018

In past campaigns, H&M has installed recruitment displays across its U.S. stores, including signage that read, "Your birthday being a paid holiday is possible." Online video testimonials from current employees, college tours, as well as billboards and advertising in malls with such slogans as, “Five weeks vacation is possible” and “Going Green in Black is Possible.” The initial campaign supported an aggressive expansion that has seen H&M’s U.S. store base rise from 363 in 2015 to 549 currently. Store growth has slowed somewhat in recent years as online sales have been emphasized, although 42 stores opened in the U.S. last year. The initial effort also arrived as the U.S. labor market was further tightening and Walmart, Target, TJX and Gap all raised wages to attract talent. Employee advocacy campaigns have become more common across industries to aid in recruiting talent, although the strategy has been more common for retailers to encourage employees to talk up brand initiatives rather than workplace culture on social media.

• Want To Be A P.O.P Star? H&M Launches Latest Employer Branding Campaign – H&M
• Our Workplace – H&M
• H&M to hire thousands through recruiting campaign – USA Today
• H&M’s effort comes as retail workers have made significant progress toward higher wages in a tightening labor market – CNBC