Why Your EVP Must Respond To The COVID-19 Crisis

The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly changed the world in more ways than we could have imagined. In its most fundamental form, Covid-19 has been and continues to be a people-based crisis. It is necessary that employers realise there will be no return to ‘normal’ and how things were, and that the changes in values and personal priorities that became important to all of us during the pandemic will not disappear overnight. On the recruitment and employment front, what candidates look for in a prospective employer and what employees look for in their current employer has changed dramatically and will continue to be that way for years to come.

The best employers have already understood this and are starting to refine and rework their Employee Value Propositions to remain an employer of choice.  An Employee Value Proposition (or an EVP for short) are the offerings that an employer provides in return for the skills, time, experience, and efforts that employee brings to a role. An EVP represents how an organisation wishes to be perceived by their employees and the wider market and should act as the constant thread that runs through an employer branding process. Done well, an EVP is why people join an organisation and why people stay with one.

In the post-Covid world, EVPs have been pushed further into the limelight with leaders and organisations working to put their people priorities front and centre of their culture. If companies are not already doing so, they need to view everything from the perspective of the employee or the candidate. Employee wishes and needs will be pushed higher up the agenda and employees will need to feel valued to remain in their roles and they will need to believe that their values and needs align with an organisation’s values and EVP.

So how can companies craft an EVP that is relevant to the ‘new normal’ and that resonates with both internal and external top talent? Here are some of the recommendations of the Resourceful Pro Leadership Advisory team:

• Involve employees in the crafting and promoting on the EVP. Whilst over 60% of organisations have an EVP, it often never filters down to the shopfloor and to the employees. Communicate your brand values through your employees – the post-Covid culture will demand that your people genuinely know what you stand for.
• Accept that talent has begun to care about other things than just salary package or exciting projects/work – the modern employee will often be just as motivated by corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, or wellbeing.
• Change the terminology from an Employee Value Proposition to a People Value Proposition – shifting the emphasis and tone will demonstrate that you see people as people and not just employees.
• Share more employee testimonials, stories, case studies and videos. Candidates are three-times more likely to trust an employee than the company itself when providing credible information about organisational culture.
• Tailor the EVP so it aligns to all levels of an organisation and to fall of the diverse elements. Emphasise specific factors to specific audiences where possible – for instance, tech talent will care more about technology and equipment than sales talent may.
• Include kindness – encourage leaders to show compassion, clarity, and empathy.
• Adopt the successful (temporary) measures imposed during Covid – many organisations moved to a more trusting remote working environment for 3-6 months this year. Do not drop back into old habits of hierarchical old school leadership and micro-management once everyone returns to the office. Continue to put trust in people and offer them flexibility.
• Emphasise the emotional elements – an EVP’s messaging should connect with people on an emotional level as well as a personal one. Avoid generic staid messaging. Show a heartfelt commitment to improving the lives and wellbeing of the people that work there. And by wellbeing, this is more than just benefits – a human centric EVP will touch on the physical, psychological, intellectual, spiritual, and financial elements of wellbeing.

Getting an EVP or a PVP right not only helps to attract new talent, but it also retains top talent building the durability of an organisation. Now is the ideal time to reconsider an EVP if you are not already doing so. Start to think about what is and what will be important to employees? what do organisations have to change to keep people safe? has the organisation’s reputation grown or withered during Covid?

Resourceful Pro’s offering in this area focus on research. In-depth research crystalises how and why you should adapt, and it will allow your EVP to remain relevant and attractive as people’s attitudes and values change. Research will identify where talent is, how to communicate with that talent and how to evaluate the perceptions of your brand. Competitor mapping, perception studies, market insights & interviews and salary surveys will all enable you to discover the motivations, goals, preferences and opinions of candidates and existing employees. All of these should be vital ingredients in the creation on a new EVP.