Need a Good Recipe for Your Employee Value Proposition?
Pity the poor guy who, when he asked his boss, “What’s in it for me?” was told, “Do your job and you might get to keep it.”
“Gee, thanks. I was kind of hoping for something more than that.”
After more than three decades of sacrificing employee morale through reduced benefits, layoffs and outsourcing in the name of cost savings, corporate leaders in Florida and across America are beginning to realize once again that a healthy corporate culture is not defined by a motto hanging over the front door. Rather it is a result of having an Employee Value Proposition that is evident in recruiting, selection, and development of the company’s most valuable assets.
What is an Employee Value Proposition (EVP)?
Quite simply, it is, “The unique set of attributes and benefits that will motivate target candidates to join a company and current employees to stay.” Restated, it might also be defined as “The sum of the compelling reasons that employees are drawn to and remain with an organization.” The key in either definition is that the EVP is a combination of things that motivate people.
An EVP is like a beautifully baked cake
“Ooh. That’s beautiful. What flavor is it?” The icing and the decoration are the marketing for the cake. Its beauty and texture represent what’s inside. When a slice is removed, it should rival the exterior of the proposition in looks and in taste. Think of every slice as a cross section of the layers of an organization, held together with an icing that makes the whole thing enticing, satisfying and leaves them wanting to come back for more.
The substance and infrastructure is the cake. The EVP is the icing that covers the cake and holds all the layers together.
It has to be real–a way of life lived by example for others to buy, or bite, into
You can put icing on a hat box, but that doesn’t make it a cake. It has to be cake right at the very heart. The major stakeholders, the executives, and the managers must be and provide what the icing promises. Anyone can think up a value or a motto, but it’s only print on pasteboard until it becomes a way of life lived by example for others to buy into.
Every person has a purpose
They need to know that purpose and how their performance affects the company, its product, and its customers. People find their value in purpose, in knowing that their contribution has significance and very real impact.
Every idea has merit
Just because a person has a low-level job doesn’t mean they do not have brilliant ideas. Respecting their ideas creates a sense of personal value that is enduring. Accepting their ideas may not always be practical, but the key for the employee is knowing that their ideas are given serious consideration. Bring them into the discussion. Listen. Question, and collaboratively scrutinize, the obstacles and opportunities that implementation might present.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T is more than a song, and it will
get you more than a dance.
EVP does not come in a box
If it did, it would have a formula of ingredients that fits every company. Real leaders have the ability to discern the right mix of ingredients to create a culture that has compelling flavor in every layer and in every bite. That requires a genuine regard (unlike General Patton) for employees as a company’s most valuable and precious asset that needs to be appreciated, protected, and preserved.
If that ability is not in a leader’s heart or on his calendar, there is not a policy or procedure or incentive in the world that will offer the sense of value that every employee desires or that will compel them to loyalty and longevity.
To learn more about engendering employee value, please contact us. We can help you find the right recipe!
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