Launching Your EVP Internally

In a competitive labor market with insufficient talent to fill vacancies and widespread skills shortages, an attractive EVP may make the difference as to whether prospective employees view your organization as an employer of choice. A strong Employee Value Proposition (EVP) should secure for the organization an engaged and motivated workforce who will be happy to advocate on your behalf and refer new talent to the organization.

According to the Corporate Leadership Council’s research, a well-executed EVP can:

• Improve the commitment of new hires by up to 29%
• Increase the likelihood of employees acting as sponsors from an average of 24% to 47%
• Decrease annual employee turnover by 69 percent

When you set out to create an EVP you need to understand how the organization is perceived; this involves gathering and analyzing data to build a robust EVP that will align with the organization’s HR strategy because it is employee focused.

Calling all stakeholders

When defining an EVP statement try to ensure that key stakeholders are involved; consider your data in terms of how the leadership team wants the employer brand to be perceived, how the organization differentiates itself from competitors. What is your USP and what will resonate with the talent that the organization seeks to attract?

It’s important not to restrict your thinking to the recruitment perspective, also think about your existing employees, what do they value in the organizational culture? Think about the employee experience and look at employee journey mapping as a technique for getting a handle on engagement. If employees really are your greatest asset you need to show you value them.

Any EVP statement needs to be authentic, based on what is right for the employees, not just modeled on what the competition is doing. Know your audience so you can reflect on the values and attributes that need to be highlighted in an EVP statement.

Consistency and authenticity

When it comes to going public with your EVP statement it’s a good idea to plan ahead and take your time. Ensure messaging is consistent and authentic because the whole organization owns the employment brand and if the messaging does not present an accurate portrayal of the EVP, then the point of any employer branding exercise is moot.

The hard truth is that you can ‘launch’ your carefully crafted EVP statement with all the fanfares you like but if the message is not an accurate reflection of what you offer then the organization will not be able to deliver on promises or reap the rewards of enhanced engagement.

Remember that the organization needs to deliver on the messaging, and keep on delivering; when you define and communicate an EVP you can’t sit back and hope for the best, keep checking that what people are told when they join is what they experience when they get their feet under the desk.

Make your EVP realistic about what you offer and also your expectation that employees deliver the best possible service and contribute to the future growth of the organization. Your EVP delineates your distinctive position and you need to communicate it with strong messages that will appeal to a skilled and diverse workforce. When you talk to staff about your EVP they should be enthused by it because it reflects their experience of the organization and its people and culture.