You could lament the Great Resignation, fretting about the millions of jobs going unfilled as workers evaluate their pandemic-induced options. Or you could focus on the Great Celebration: how the pandemic brought out the best in people-first corporate cultures, one selfie at a time.

Which story would you rather read—and tell? S&P Global went with the latter.

Storytelling is one of the most potent ways of conveying a corporate culture. Principles acted out in real-life anecdotes highlight your shared experience over time. They tell a tale that will prove much more memorable than a collection of bullet points.

Whether delivered as videos, social media-ready story banks, books or exhibits, such narratives reinforce what makes your organization more than just a place to earn a good living. Stories show employees, communities and customers alike how the place you choose to work makes a difference. S&P Global used first-person narratives during the pandemic to celebrate the value of personal storytelling.

S&P Global

In late 2019, S&P Global undertook a new challenge. What was the best way for the company to answer the question that 23,000-plus employees, jobseekers and customers worldwide ask on a daily basis: “Why S&P Global?”

Combining 160-plus years of the firm’s heritage with its leading products, services and people-focused initiatives, S&P Global’s People Promise began to take shape. The first use of this value proposition? A custom-built careers page.

The webpage had to be designed from the ground up, and a multi-nation filming and photography tour was planned with the aim of capturing authentic stories that show what it means to work at S&P Global. However, shortly before bags were packed and tickets booked, the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

With a newly designed website but no content to fill it, S&P Global and History Factory had two options: retreat to stock photography and generic imagery, or find a flexible solution that could accommodate pandemic restrictions and best practices. In collaboration with History Factory, S&P Global decided that it would enable its people to capture their own culture stories in their own words.

To keep a consistent and user-friendly approach to the project, team members were able to use a simple point-and-shoot app designed for users to easily film themselves and upload footage for a production team to edit.

Self-directed storytelling in practice

In Islamabad, Ayesha works for S&P Global Market Intelligence. As the first woman in her family to receive a university degree, she salutes the company for its support of women in their careers. She is a role model for her two daughters, who join her in her video to tend their family flower garden.

John Paolo, based in the Philippines, demonstrates his commitment to flexible work hours and workouts. He captures on video his headstand on the waterfront in between sessions helping S&P Global colleagues remain as productive and fulfilled as possible during the pandemic.

Lindsey works for S&P Dow Jones Indices. Her story of success in finding mentors to further her career is framed with images of the lower Manhattan skyline and surfing off the Atlantic Coast.

In just one month, more than 60 people around the world submitted 2,000-plus video clips documenting their unique experiences as S&P Global people. As a result, more than 25 feature videos and dozens of photos were created for the new careers site.

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