3 Essential Steps to Make an Impact with Your EVP

Whether or not you’re actively working on your Employee Value Proposition (EVP), the fact remains that your company does have one. Even if you haven't considered how your EVP aligns with your company's identity, it exists, it’s there. That’s why it's better for you and your company to intentionally design it, isn't it?

Match your EVP to your company DNA.

Consistency is key. You cannot praise one thing in your company culture and do the opposite in your Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Ultimately, by aligning your company culture and EVP, and by creating an environment that supports your values, you can create a more productive and fulfilling workplace for your employees.

💡 An example: If you call your company flexible, that's great! But does your EVP reflect this? What does flexibility mean to you? Starting between 8 and 9? Starting whenever your team wants? Or is the reality that you claim to be flexible, but employees do not feel comfortable starting their day later because you have not created such an environment?

Where do you start?

• Provide an overview of your company's status regarding the following essential elements:
  • Benefits
  • Compensation
  • Career development. Do you offer personal growth plans, or is organic growth more prevalent?
  • Work environment. Remote, hybrid, or office-based? Everything you offer regarding the work environment goes here (some examples: ergonomic chairs, healthy snacks…)
  • Company culture. What is your DNA, how do you want your employees to interact, and what is your and their purpose?
  • Work-life balance. What does this look like at your company? Do you offer flexible working hours, mental health walks, extra holidays, or other measures to promote work-life balance?
    
    
• After you’ve created an overview, you need to see if your current situation corresponds to the desired environment that you portray in your company culture. If there’s a mismatch, you have to determine if and how you wish to make changes.

The key here is to ensure that your EVP is intertwined with your processes and the structures you have in place. Employees will feel more connected to your company if they feel there is a strong connection between your culture & EVP.

You can repeat this exercise in a later stage as well, so you can always monitor if you're still on track or if your offering should be changed after some time. These are all important things to consider when you want to make an impact with your EVP.

Think about your employees as people, not only resources

Your employees are not just resources to manage; they are people with lives outside of work and other concerns. Keeping this in mind will help you humanize your Employee Value Proposition (EVP), as explained in Gartner's CHRO guide.

To ensure your EVP is where it needs to be, focus on three aspects:

• Define it around people, not just employees
  • Who Does Work
  • To achieve a shared purpose and deeper connections, it is crucial to help employees strengthen their community and family connections, not just work-related ones. Remember to take action, not just make purpose statements.
    
    
• Design it to provide an exceptional life experience, not just an employee experience
  • Where Work Fits
  • This means offering radical flexibility and personal growth.
    
    
• Deliver features and feelings that match employee needs, not just offering features
  • Why Employees Work for Us
  • Take a holistic approach to meet employees' social and emotional needs. Remember not only to provide offerings but also to make sure employees use them because they need them.

Communicate your EVP

As previously mentioned, a clear and well-executed Employee Value Proposition (EVP) can increase your employees' sense of belonging and turn them into strong ambassadors for your company. However, to achieve this result, you must communicate your EVP effectively. Make sure that everyone is aware of everything you are offering: this is where the intention behind an EVP comes into play. You can design a great EVP, but if you don't communicate it, it won't have the desired impact. While employees will immediately notice the monetary aspects, some of the intangible aspects might go unnoticed.

How to communicate it?

Our article started by explaining why it’s important to match your EVP to your company values and DNA. This is also the case when communicating about general policy changes or updates. Change management is better perceived when you’re being true to yourself.

So, once your EVP is clear and up-to-date, you can start communicating it.

Some examples:

• If your company has a low headcount and mainly works from the office, and you're not the type of company that likes extensive policies and papers, organizing a lunch and learn to explain the updates could be an interesting option.
  
  
• If your company prefers structure and is mainly remote, writing an explanatory note in your company wiki could be a preferred option.
  
  
• Another option that works just as well for an in-office setup as for a hybrid or remote one is to organize a small launch event, where you take the time to explain your research, why your EVP is what it is, and how you wish it to be embodied in the employee experience.

The way you communicate your EVP is completely up to you, but it should resonate with your DNA.

Your Employee Value Proposition is one of the most important things that define you as an employer. As we said before, whether you’re curating it and putting a lot of attention into it or not, it’s there. This is especially important in a post-pandemic environment that enforces a much more individualized employee experience and, thus, greater attention to the relationship between you as an employer and your employees.

To really stand out and make an impact within your company, you really should take the time to evaluate, curate, and communicate your EVP, and then make sure it is embodied and mirrored in the day-to-day work life of your employees.