Create a game-changing Employee Value Proposition

 

What is an Employee Value Proposition?

An employee value proposition (EVP) is a way of articulating what life is like within your organisation. We look at an EVP as ‘the deal’ between employer and employee: it describes what your people get out for what they put in. The get and the give. It’s a way of defining the benefits and capturing the all-important spirit of your business.

 

What makes a good EVP?

Every business is different, and a great EVP at one organization might really jar at another, but generally speaking, there are a few key elements that will make you successful.

A good EVP should be a genuine reflection of life at your organisation. It needs to reflect those special qualities that attract, engage and retain the talent you want. It should reflect the broader strategic goals of where your organisation is going, and most importantly, it should tell your people’s stories, and be uniquely you.

 

Immersion

Defining your EVP starts from the inside with employee research. So invest in qualitative and quantitative research to go beyond your employee engagement survey results and dig deep into your culture.  Ask your people to help uncover your organisation’s personality and describe its unique qualities, benefits and traits. You’ll need to get a good cross- section of your people across every location – we usually aim for 8-10%.

This will throw out some clear themes about what it’s like to work for you. Some will be great. Some could be better. That’s OK – defining a Proposition isn’t about painting a perfect picture.

When communicating your EVP think of it as:

  • 80% grounded in reality
  • 20% grounded in aspiration – you at your best

It’s recognisably you, but on your best day.

If you’re not sure you’ve got the right channel mix, now might also be time for an internal comms audit. You’ll get much better engagement and cut through if you’re using the right channels and tactics.

 

Creative

This is the fun bit! Using the research and what your people have told you, start to develop a written and visual articulation of what it means to work at your organisation. Think about some key messages, an employee promise, a rallying cry, a name for the concept, a tagline. Pick colours, font, a photography style and think about how to combine it all. For many clients, this often forms what becomes an internal brand. We usually develop two quite different concepts to help us understand what works and what doesn’t when we take it to the testing phase – your people know best!

 

Testing

As you develop your creative, make sure to test your findings with your people along the way. Use surveys, drop -in sessions, workshops – and make sure to reach a good cross -section of your organisation’s presence. Not only does it engage them in the journey, but it also helps you check you’ve gone in the right direction.

When it feels right to them, it’s time to launch.

 

Implementation

It’s time to develop a comms plan to launch your new EVP. Think about how you’ll use your full suite of channels and your environment to land the message. You could launch with a bang or with a bubble… there’s no right answer. What matters is that it works for your organisation.

 

Measurement

When you build your comms plan, be sure to create a measurement dashboard so you can truly track the impact on your organisation. Whether it’s retention, engagement or recruitment – think about the areas you most want to impact and what ‘good’ would look like. Set yourself some KPIs and track against them over a 6-12 month period. You’ll be amazed how much difference you can make in such a short period.

 

How to communicate an EVP

We’ve touched on this in implementation, but once you have an EVP, how do people see it? How do you let people know what it is? The simple answer is, that’s up to you. But these are the sorts of areas your EVP might touch.

 

Internal brand

Probably the most obvious place you’ll communicate your EVP is through your internal brand. Your tone of voice and the topics you decide to communicate will likely be driven by what matters to your people, so the EVP is a great framework for this. The look and feel you created for your EVP should be felt through all internal channels – from internal social networks, to your intranet, to what’s on the walls in your buildings. It should really make your people feel part of something.

 

Employer brand

For many people, attraction, recruitment and onboarding is their focus when it comes to their EVP. The way that you present yourself externally forms a big part of your EVP – and an attractive employer brand can work wonders. This usually surfaces on your recruitment section of your website – but why stop there? Make sure your job adverts and job descriptions are telling the same story. You want people to get a sense of who you are at every touch point.

 

Social presence

Your EVP is most likely to surface on LinkedIn. Whether that’s you posting content from behind the scenes of your business, or your colleagues sharing their stories. User- generated content is an amazing thing, and we’ve seen EVPs go viral across Instagram and Twitter because their people connected with it so much. Think about how you can stoke the fire and get your people shouting about your EVP for you.

 

Why work with us?

At Home we put your employees at the centre of your business strategy. We empower you to give them what they need to strive to be the best, to champion your brand, and to perform above and beyond. We are experienced in equipping leaders with the strategies they need to empower and engage their employees. We deliver insight, and work with you to create the ideal proposition that you can then launch and deploy.

Our strategy will help build trust and secure long term workplace fulfilment, as well as invigorate your recruitment programme. Find your next brand champions and reward existing ones. We’re here to help you achieve that and so much more.

Want to know more?

If you’d like to talk to us about defining, improving or launching an EVP, get in touch - tell us where your favourite cocktail bar is and we’ll be there faster than you can say employee value proposition.

Kate Lines

Client Services Director

+44 [0] 7786 935 195

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Hattie Roche

Co-Managing Director and Strategy Chief

+44 [0] 7850 491 827

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Carol Whitworth

Founder / Inspiration & Innovation Director

+44 [0] 7710 163 499

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