How to develop an employer value proposition

Everywhere you hear about skills shortages in almost every industry these days. This is why it has become a major challenge for many companies to find and retain qualified professionals.

Many positions remain unfilled year after year because we are now in an employee market rather than an employer market.

Good employees can virtually choose where they would like to work. This poses a major challenge for companies.

For companies, this means that they need to stand out from other employers in order to attract qualified candidates and retain them in the long term.

An important lever here is the Employer Value Proposition (EVP). This refers to positioning, which also includes a company’s unique selling points.

What is an EVP and how do you develop an Employer Value Proposition for your own company?? These are the questions we will answer for you in this article.

What is the EVP?

The EVP essentially describes what makes a company unique and attractive as an employer. It’s all about convincing potential employees that they should choose the company over the competition. It is also called a value proposition.

The EVP is an important part of the employer branding strategy because it answers questions such as “What do we offer our employees??” or “What do our employees get out of working for us?”.

The EVP can include various aspects, such as.B. The corporate culture, working conditions, benefits or career opportunities. It is of great importance that the EVP is authentic and honest, because if a company presents itself differently than it actually is, it will have difficulties retaining employees in the long term.

How to develop an EVP?

It is good to know what an Employer Value Proposition (EVP) is and why it is important, but it is even better to act on it and develop one for your own company. How to proceed?

Step 1: Analysis of the current situation

Before you start thinking about your employer value proposition, you should first make a location assessment for your company. Some aspects are particularly important.

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of your company?
• What values shape communication, leadership and cooperation?
• Does your company have a unique selling proposition? If so, how can this be emphasized in particular?
• What represents the brand essence of your company?

The current state of your company needs to be carefully examined, because this is the only way to set clear goals for the target state or the target company. Formulate the vision.

Step 2: Research& Survey employees

To build an attractive employer brand, it’s significant to thoroughly understand the employee perspective. In order to understand the thoughts and opinions of employees, there are various questions that can help to gain insights into their views and ways of thinking. The questions can vary depending on the focus.

By soliciting employee feedback and opinions, the company can determine which aspects of the employer are most important to employees. This feedback can be used to further develop and optimize the Employer Value Proposition (EVP).

However, it is also important to note that the employee survey is only one part of the employer branding process. The company should also actively look after its employees and take their feedback seriously. This is the only way the company can ensure that the EVP is authentic and honest, thus attracting and retaining the best employees in the long term.

Possible questions include:

• What employer benefits are known and appreciated?
• How satisfied are employees with salary and career opportunities??
• How well do employees feel engaged and integrated?
• Which attributes most aptly describe the corporate culture??
• Which features create identification? What hinders?

When interviewing employees, it is very important to focus on their individual perspectives. This is the only way to get a realistic picture of how employees perceive the company and which aspects are most important to them. It is therefore important to ask open questions and give employees room to freely express their thoughts and opinions.

In addition to standardized questions, it can also be helpful to give employees the opportunity to contribute their own suggestions and creative ideas. In this way, further information can be obtained that is relevant for the development of the employer value proposition. Because employees often have valuable insights and ideas that are not visible from the outside and can therefore offer great added value.

Step 3: Define target group correctly

To build a successful employer brand, the company must first define what target audience it wants to attract. Although it may seem simple at first glance, this still requires a certain amount of effort to implement. Because each target group has different expectations and aspirations that need to be taken into account.

Therefore, it is important to gather detailed information about the desired target group in advance. Only then can certain aspects be highlighted in the employer value proposition that are specifically tailored to the target group. This is the only way to develop an EPP that is tailored to the needs and wishes of the target group. Companies can address and win over potential employees by means of a targeted approach and communication.

Step 4: Conduct competitor analysis

When creating an employer value proposition, it is important to keep the competition in mind. Companies must not only define a value proposition, but also represent it internally and externally in order to differentiate themselves from the competition. This is the only way they can hold their own against the competition and attract and retain highly qualified employees in the long term.

It is important to stand out from the competition and develop an EVP that appeals to and convinces potential employees. This is the only way to be successful in the battle for the best talents and to grow in the long term.

The following questions can be helpful here:

• What values are communicated by the company to the outside world?
• How does the recruiting process work?
• What do employees report about the company?
• Is there a recognizable employee loyalty?

Analyze your competition and you can take away a lot for the development of your own EVP.

Step 5: Determine your own corporate vision

This step is about developing concrete formulations for one’s corporate vision. What does an example look like?

Some aspects that should be present in any case:

Compensation

• What rules apply to wages and salaries?

Advancement opportunities

• What does the career plan of each individual employee look like??

Working environment and cooperation

• What should the work environment look like? Are there possibilities for retreat?

Areas of responsibility

• What are the job responsibilities of each employee? Employees want to be needed. If employees develop the feeling that their area of responsibility has no connection to the company, a

Possibility of identification correspondingly low

Benefits

• In addition to general compensation, various fringe benefits can play a role (car allowance, local transportation tickets and much more)

Corporate culture

• Communication, error culture, feedback culture, leadership culture, transparency and cooperation are the key words here.

Step 6: The right channels

Once the Employer Value Proposition (EVP) and its key points have been defined and formulated, they must be communicated both internally and externally. Targeted communication is crucial for reaching and convincing potential employees.

It’s important to skillfully match channels and audiences to keep costs down and achieve desired goals. There are several communication channels that can be used to disseminate the EVP and reach the target audience.

• Social Media
• Career sites
• Career fairs
• Internal communication channels (e-mail, intranet etc.)

After developing the Employer Value Proposition (EVP) and implementing it in the various communication channels, it is important to check the effectiveness of the measures. Measurements similar to those used at the beginning of the research may be helpful. By comparing the results, successes can be highlighted or potential for improvement identified.

To achieve long-term results, it is advisable to conduct regular employee surveys and measure the fluctuation rate in the company. In this way, companies can monitor the success of their EPP over a longer period of time and, if necessary, make adjustments to ensure that it continues to be successful.

It is important to continuously monitor the effectiveness of the EPP and adjust it if necessary to achieve the desired goals. This is the only way companies can attract and retain highly qualified employees in the long term.

Conclusion

In today’s digital world of work, it is no longer just the job of job seekers to present themselves well. Companies must also strive to present themselves as attractive and stand out from other employers.

The goal is to highlight the advantages of one’s own company and thus attract and motivate qualified employees. In this context, the Employer Value Proposition (EVP) is a promise to potential employees that is underlined by a balanced mix of “hard facts” such as compensation, career development and additional benefits and “soft facts” such as work culture, work environment and work-life balance.

A strong EVP is an indicator of a healthy, growing and profitable company, where employees are highly committed to their work and can develop their potentials. Successful positioning as an attractive employer can help attract and retain qualified talent over the long term. Good luck in developing your employer positioning!

Torben Schacht is Managing Director of Starkenkompass GmbH. Starkenkompass GmbH develops and distributes a digital tool for collecting, visualizing and developing the strengths of people, teams and companies.