To ensure that your EVP generates maximum benefit and return on investment, it needs to be built around the real attributes that your company can offer employees in the context of attracting, engaging and retaining the talent you want. It also needs to be consistent with the strategic objectives of your organisation and clearly demonstrate its uniqueness.
Key Ingredients of an EVP
Authentic and aspiring to something bigger
The EVP must be authentic. That means, a large proportion of it must be true in relation to the way your business operates now. It should also contain elements that are not true now, but that the organisation aspires to and has a roadmap for achieving in the very near future. This is important for driving the evolution of your organisation and also to give employees, both actual and potential, something that they can ‘buy into.’
Articulated clearly and demonstrably embedded in the culture of the organisation
Just as important as the content, your organisation must be able to clearly articulate the EVP and illustrate that it is firmly adhered to and embedded within the culture and business processes at all levels within the organisation. Also relevant here is to communicate the EVP in language, and with a personality that reflects that of your organisation - making sure you let the unique and individual nature of your brand’s fingerprint shine through.
A foundational document
The EVP needs to form the foundation from which all other organisational processes are built. If operationalised well, the Employee Value Proposition is the driver of engagement, informs recruitment messages and communications, and is the basis of all strategic HR priorities.
How do you create an Employee Value Proposition?
There are a number of ways to ascertain exactly what your employees feel constitutes a great place to work and in which ways your organisation might be missing the mark.
Gather data and other relevant information
A good starting point is to tap into information you already have by engaging employees to give you their in depth opinion via focus groups, surveys and reviews. Just as crucial though, is for the business to really ask the hard questions about the ‘why’ of its reason for existing.
Conduct qualitative data analysis
Businesses that start with the ‘why’ have much better success than those which do not. The synthesis of the ‘why’ with the 'what' and the ‘how’ identified by employees, can lead to a sum that is much greater than its parts. Analyse all data and really dig deep, the answers to these questions will provide valuable information.
Create a working draft
Once you've distilled the essence of your research, create a draft of your EVP. Begin with the basics and build from there. This will lay the foundations for future success.
Test your Employee Value Proposition
Perhaps the most cruicial part of the process, and one which often gets the least attention, is the test phase. It is imperative to make sure you've interpreted and captured data correctly. The key to successfully implementing the EVP is that it must be tested in order for its credibility as a living value proposition to be proved. The purpose of testing is to ensure internal rigour and cohesion as well as external appeal. The testing also tells you which elements of the EVP need to be fine tuned in order for it to work ‘in action.’ Testing should take place with internal employees and external potential employees. Assuming that valid and rigorously collected data is used to create the EVP, it should correlate positively for 90% of the target population. However, to really pitch your EVP a head above the rest, it should always be tested for the other 10% too. Ensuring your EVP captures the marginal, or edge dwellers will provide valuable long term benefit to your people and to the culture and profitability of the organisation.
Edit and create the final Employee Value Proposition
This is the part of the process where you add herbs, spices and salt. Once the key ingredients are aligned, you can add the final touches to create the perfect balance.
Branding and design alignment with other organisational documentation
Making sure your final document forms a cohesive part of the greater whole, the final design and branding stage needs to be executed impeccably. First impressions count, and if there is chaotic design, or mismatched branding, this will not paint the right picture of your organisation.
Communicate and operationalise your Employee Value Proposition
Now that you have a living, breathing EVP, you need to implement it in a way that ensures you walk your talk. This is your opportunity to drive engagement, build trust, enhance interpersonal relationships and create a better, happier, more productive workforce. If you've approached the process with discipline and compassion, this is the moment where you can celebrate your success and watch your organisation rise to the top of desirable places to work lists.
Stay tuned for our upcoming conversation with Ruthanne Russel, EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer at Hill Holiday - one of the organisations behind The Human Era report. We look forward to hearing how Ruthanne has taken what Hill Holiday learned as part of the process of putting together the report, and implemented their learning internally.
Just in case you missed it, here's our free Values Based Recruitment White Paper. Enjoy!
