I have long been a proponent of organizations understanding their Employment Value Proposition (EVP) because of the tremendous benefits that can be gained in terms of attracting qualified talent, employee retention, and employee engagement. In fact, EVP is so powerful that it impacts almost every aspect of Human Capital Management, including all the HCM practices, such as talent acquisition, talent management, and learning and development– and HCM technology.
Defining an EVP is not an easy accomplishment because it requires a comprehensive and objective assessment of every facet of the organization from both the organizations’ and employees’ perspectives. It also requires collaboration and agreement on what constitutes the organization’s EVP and both internal and external communication of the EVP. I say it is not an easy accomplishment because according to Brandon Hall Group’s 2015 EVP survey, 67% of organizations surveyed do not understand the components of their EVP and only 15% have a well-defined and communicated EVP.
So I was particularly pleased when Cliff Stevenson, Principal Analyst for Workforce Planning, and I, Principal Analyst for Talent Acquisition, were chosen to lead the workshop – Engaging Employees Through a Powerful EVP at Brandon Hall Group’s HCM Excellence Conference 2016 at the beautiful PGA National Resort and Spa at Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
We had the honor of introducing Brandon Hall Group’s new EVP Framework and getting organizations’ first-hand reaction to it and understanding how EVP plays a role in their organizations. We also wanted their input in terms of what drives those pillars within their own organization. I was really looking forward to a meaningful discussion.
The BHG EVP Framework, based on significant research conducted by Brandon Hall Group, not only clarifies the components, or pillars, of every organization’s EVP, it guides organizations on how to express or think about each pillar from both the employee and organization perspective. The pillars are Opportunity and Growth, Alignment and Results, and Collaboration and Innovation.
The framework also shows the critical success levers, or critical success factors, that need to be in place in order for the organization’s EVP to be effective. And it demonstrates that an organization’s EVP is impacted by an organization’s – technology, culture, governance, and measurement.
The workshop was dynamic! Our room was overflowing with attendees and we heard from many organizations about the programs they have implemented to drive their EVP. One attendee emphasized that at her organization, “diversity of thought is encouraged” to drive innovation. Another attendee spoke about encouraging employees to take risks and possibly fail to drive innovation. Another person commented that it is not only necessary to communicate the EVP, but that “actions speak louder than words” and that “it’s what an organization does” that really tells that organization’s EVP story. And one more spoke about the importance of “understanding the purpose of an organization” in order to assess its EVP. I could go on and on. We had so many great comments.
A white paper along with Brandon Hall’s EVP framework will soon be released. We are very hopeful that this framework will help more organizations embrace, define, and convey their EVP because if they do, it will pave the way for high-performance.
Daria Friedman, Principal Analyst, Talent Acquisition,
Brandon Hall Group
