Whenever a potential employee considers working for your organization, there are a lot of factors they will likely be considering—things like pay, benefits, company image, organizational values, and more. All of these things put together are the things that make up the EVP—the value that an employee derives from working there.
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As such, every organization has an EVP. At the end of the day, the EVP is the perception of employees and potential employees—and it exists whether the organization is doing anything to actively manage it or not. In an ideal world, the employer would be taking steps to ensure the EVP not only is positive and results in attracting more employees to the organization but also that the EVP is communicated clearly and in such a way to make it obvious how the organization stands out as compared to the other companies an employee may consider working for. Ideally, the EVP is also continually communicated to existing employees to positively influence employee retention as well.
The first thing an employer needs to do to better communicate the EVP is to determine what it already is (what the current perception is), and then compare that to what it would like to be communicating about working there. The ideal message is part of what will be communicated going forward; the rest should be tailored as needed (as a result of assessing the current EVP). For example, if the current EVP is that the organization pays well but forces employees to work extremely long hours, the organization may need to focus on ensuring potential employees know that long hours are only required in emergencies—not all the time. This may not have been something they would have otherwise communicated, which is why assessing the current situation is helpful. Communicating about the EVP is useful for recruiting efforts as well as for employee retention.
EVP: Indirect Communication
As we noted, the EVP exists regardless of whether the organization has taken steps to actively manage it. But there are ways the organization can try to influence that perception. Here are a few examples of things that can be done in advance (before directly communicating the EVP) that will impact company image:
- The employer’s website and other online presence should show what the company culture is like. For example, the social media pages can show the types of activities the employees participate in, the types of awards employees receive, and the types of things the company values (by way of what is shown and promoted).
- The company website should communicate about what the organization values. For example, does the organization promote sustainability? Or perhaps the organization helps in the community? Whatever it is that the organization values, this should be communicated directly and also shown through actions.
- The organization should present a united front. The HR and recruiting team can coordinate with anyone who is involved in advertising the organization to ensure the organization is being promoted consistently. Even when advertising products, you’re promoting the company, too, so it’s good to be on the same page.
In tomorrow’s Advisor, we’ll continue to outline more ways the EVP is communicated indirectly, and then we’ll talk about how to communicate it directly during recruiting. Stay tuned!