Should we feature our experts on our web site? What if they get poached?

August 12th, 2013
Written by: Elizabeth Richards

One of the questions I asked during the development of our new web site was whether we should include all of our consultants on the “People” page.  Won’t that make it easier for other companies to poach them?  After all, they’re “our most valuable asset” (that’s a wink to those who read this earlier post).

After talking it over, here’s what we concluded.  Our consultants and their wealth of expertise and experience represent a huge portion of the TPO brand and most of our value proposition.  They are impressive on paper and in person.  So why on earth wouldn’t a company want to show off its brand and value proposition?

That brings us to the concern about poaching.  Poaching occurs when employees are dissatisfied with their manager and/or their employer.  If they are dissatisfied, you have bigger problems than whether to put the employees on your web site.  In the vast majority of situations, keeping employees engaged and involved in the business inoculates them against poaching.

On the other hand, keeping employees names and bios off or your site does not prevent poaching.  Why not?  Because it’s 2013!  Your employees are already on full display on LinkedIn (not to mention Facebook and in some cases Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms).  If poachers want to find your employees, they will–whether they’re on your web site or not.

You might also enjoy this post by TPO’s marketing advisor, Bob London, on the same topic: DRIVETIME MARKETING: Should Professional Services Firms Display Employee Bios on Their Web Sites?