Unless you are in HR you will be forgiven for never having heard of an EVP, but if you are job seeking or recruiting you should find out more. Many smaller companies have plenty of offer but struggle to describe it and lose the fight for talent to larger employers. Many job seekers don’t know what to look for in their next employer. An EVP will help.

An EVP is different to a company’s Employer Brand which focuses on the external personality a company presents to the labour market. An EVP is an internal promise that an employer makes to its employees in return for their skills, experience and commitment. Having a strong EVP will help you recruit and to retain the talent that you need. If you get it right, it means increased length of service and less time and money spent on recruitment.

How do you create an EVP?

This is best done in consultation with all employees. Ask your colleagues why they joined the company and why they stay? How do they describe the culture? How do people feel when they come to work? Does the company have core values? What is the feedback from exit interviews?

List all the elements of the reward package and benefits that you offer to your staff. Include everything – salary, bonus, company car schemes, cycle to work, gym membership, healthcare, free parking, safe cycle storage, showers, access to transport networks, air conditioning, free biscuits … it all counts.

Ask your customers and suppliers how they feel about you? How do they describe your approach to business?

This will help you to:

• Know your values. Be clear about your company values and how they translate into the working environment.
• Be honest and transparent about your core values, benefits, and the type of employee best suited to work at the company. Your EVP is not meant to be for everyone, only those that would best fit the business.
• Give examples. Back your statements up with evidence. If, for example, your organisation values people development, provide concrete examples of initiatives that support this.
• Highlight what makes your EVP unique. Your employee value proposition showcases your competitive advantage when attracting top talent. Use this opportunity to highlight what makes working at your company different from others within your market.

Who does this best?

If you are an employer that needs to strengthen its EVP. We are happy to guide you. Please Contact Us for more information.

It will be no surprise to hear that you can find great examples at Google, Microsoft and Apple with generous financial benefits and employee experiences. But your firm can do this brilliantly too.

Think about how you can describe your company, its reputation, your purpose, how you communicate, employee feedback opportunities, your reward package, benefits, car policy, long-term incentives, flexible working (part time / full time), agile working (office based / home based), onboarding process, training, opportunities for study leave or personal development, corporate and social responsibility, equality, diversity and inclusion, social experiences, family values, carers leave, maternity and paternity support and opportunities to progress.

If you work through the steps you will have deep understanding of what you offer and be able to articulate this through your internal communication, advertisement texts and ‘careers page on your website. Your staff will be less vulnerable to approaches from competitors and you are more likely to attract the staff you want.

And if all of this makes you feel that you need to work for a company that really understands its EVP please visit our Job Search page for current options.

And finally, here’s one example we like from a company in Norway who really understand what makes them special! Whereby