What is the meaning of employee value proposition (EVP)?
According to Brett Minchington, author of Employer Brand Experience, an employee value proposition (EVP) is everything an organization offers in return for the skills, experience, and energy employees bring to work each day. It’s more than just perks; it’s the complete picture of why someone would choose to work for you, shaped by what current employees actually value and what future talent is looking for.
In simple terms, your EVP is your side of the deal. What do employees get in exchange for their contributions? That could be compensation, sure; but also benefits, learning opportunities, flexibility, leadership, purpose, and how it all fits together to create a meaningful employee experience.
It’s what people weigh when they get a job offer, and what keeps them engaged (or nudges them out the door) once they’re in the role. Whether someone’s considering joining your team or deciding whether to stay, your EVP helps answer the question: Is this worth it?
“A strong employer value proposition provides a compelling but realistic view of the benefits of joining the organization while also leading to a connection that encourages employees to stay.”
— Elysca Fernandes, Director of HR Research and Advisory Services, McLean & Co.
Elements of employee value proposition (EVP)
To attract and retain top talent, your EVP needs to go far beyond just a paycheck. Today’s candidates are looking for meaningful, personalized experiences across their employee journey, and they’re not afraid to keep searching until they find it.
According to SHRM’s 2024 Talent Trends report, over 3 in 4 organizations have experienced difficulty recruiting for full-time regular positions in the past 12 months.
That makes a strong EVP more essential than ever. It’s not just about offering a job; it’s about offering a compelling reason to choose your organization, stay, and grow. Some of the most important elements include:
Compensation
Fair, competitive compensation is expected. But a strong EVP also includes bonuses, performance incentives, equity or stock options, and a clear path for ongoing compensation growth.
Benefits
Comprehensive benefits continue to rank high. Think health insurance, paid time off, mental health support, retirement plans, and parental leave… but also emerging priorities like fertility benefits, caregiver support, and financial wellness tools.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
EVPs that prioritize DEI show a commitment to creating a company culture where everyone feels respected and represented. That includes inclusive policies, equitable advancement opportunities, and clear accountability from leadership. (See: DEI inclusive language glossary)
Career development
Employees want to grow. Your EVP should offer clear learning and development pathways, from tuition reimbursement and certifications to internal mobility programs and mentorship opportunities for existing employees. Modern EVPs also support skill-building across roles, and not just for promotions. It’s also for long-term career flexibility.
Work/life balance
A positive working environment includes flexible schedules, hybrid or remote work options, mental health days, and tech that supports asynchronous collaboration. These elements are especially important in a digital workplace, where personalization and work-life integration matter more than ever. A thoughtful EVP also considers the full employee journey, from onboarding to advancement. Intelligently connecting these stages to support individual needs and organizational goals is a key part of workforce orchestration, which ensures a seamless and supportive employee experience.
Workplace perks
While not the core of an EVP, perks can still make an impact. Wellness programs, team-building activities, free meals or snacks, employee discounts, and recognition programs all contribute to a sense of belonging and appreciation.
“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.”
— Anne M. Mulcahy, former CEO of Xerox
Importance of employee value proposition (EVP)
Your EVP isn’t just a line in a job description. It’s one of the most important tools you have for attracting and keeping great people. In a competitive market, it’s what helps your company stand out as a place worth working. Not just for the salary, but for the experience of being part of something meaningful.
EVP is more than just monetary compensation
The best talent isn’t just looking for a paycheck. They’re looking for a place where they feel valued, supported, and heard. When you get your EVP right, it shows up in the way people engage with their work and with each other. It creates the kind of culture where people are motivated to stay, contribute, and help the company grow because they know their contributions matter. That’s what makes a strong EVP such a powerful part of the employee experience.
Businesses that effectively deliver on their EVP can decrease annual employee turnover by just under 70% and increase new hire commitment by nearly 30%.
Examples of positive EVP
A positive employee value proposition makes your company stand out amongst all other companies for finding employees and retaining the ones you already have. It shows you are concerned with their well-being, want to create a positive work environment, and better their employee experience while representing your company values.
Some positive employee value proposition examples include:
Nebraska Medicine: Aligning brand, experience, and communication
Nebraska Medicine faced rising turnover and shifting employee expectations. To strengthen its EVP, the organization launched a cross-functional effort between HR and marketing, rooted in extensive employee listening. The result? A refreshed employer brand—“Together. Extraordinary.”—built to reflect what employees actually wanted: clear communication, better onboarding, more growth opportunities, and a sense of shared purpose.
Using the Firstup platform, Nebraska Medicine created an intelligent onboarding journey that engages employees across their first year, reinforcing key moments with personalized messages, videos, and benefits education. Since launching the new brand, the organization has seen a 16% drop in voluntary turnover, a 22% increase in external hires, and higher engagement across its workforce.
Johnson Controls: Turning feedback into a stronger EVP
At Johnson Controls, the employee value proposition isn’t just aspirational; it’s built around what employees actually care about. After listening closely through regular feedback surveys, the company shaped its EVP around five core pillars: purpose-driven work, career development, trust, environment, and well-being.
What sets their approach apart is how intentional it is. Employees aren’t just given opportunities. Rather, they’re shown how their work contributes to something bigger, like tackling climate change through smart building technologies. Career growth is backed by real programs and mobility options. And trust is built through transparency, inclusion, and consistent communication.
The result is a digital and physical workplace that supports the whole person, not just the job description.
JetBlue: Where appreciation takes flight
JetBlue’s employee value proposition (EVP) is deeply rooted in recognizing and valuing its crewmembers—the “heart and soul” of the airline. This commitment is evident through initiatives like the “Lift” recognition program, which enables crewmembers to acknowledge each other’s contributions in real-time, fostering a culture of appreciation and high performance.
To ensure effective communication across its dispersed workforce, JetBlue utilizes “On The Fly,” a custom-branded platform powered by Firstup. This tool delivers timely updates and recognition stories tailored to individual roles and locations, reinforcing each crewmember’s connection to the company’s mission.
JetBlue’s EVP is further strengthened by its core values—safety, caring, integrity, passion, and fun—which are integrated into every aspect of the employee experience. From comprehensive benefits and wellness programs to opportunities for professional growth, JetBlue creates an environment where crewmembers feel supported and inspired to deliver exceptional service.
“Being a good listener is absolutely critical to being a good leader; you have to listen to the people who are on the front line.”
—Richard Branson, Founder at Virgin Group
These companies communicate, via their EVP, what they are offering to their employees, and employees can review all those materials and statements when considering whether to apply for an open position.
Examples of negative EVP
The “Toxic Hustle” culture
At first glance, this EVP might seem appealing. It promises high pay, rapid promotions, and ambitious goals. But behind the scenes, it’s a pressure cooker. Employees are expected to be always available, burnout is common, and recognition rarely goes beyond compensation. Leaders focus on output without considering the impact on people. The message is simple: produce or move on. For many, it’s not worth the trade-off.
The “Stuck-in-the-Past” EVP
This EVP leans heavily on stability and tradition but doesn’t speak to the expectations of today’s workforce. Growth opportunities are limited, new ideas aren’t welcomed, and flexible work is either unavailable or frowned upon. Outdated technology and rigid policies create daily friction. Instead of helping people thrive, this kind of workplace keeps them stuck. Over time, top talent tends to leave in search of something more forward-thinking.
Belonging drives engagement
Building the employee value proposition for your company
If you want to attract the right people and keep the ones you already have, you need to be ready to answer the questions candidates and employees are already asking:
- Why should I work for you?
- What makes your company different?
- What’s in it for me?
- Why this role and not another one?
- What do I get here that I won’t find anywhere else?
A strong EVP answers those questions before they’re even asked. Here’s how to build one that actually works.
1. Start with where you are
What’s the experience like at your company today? Take a good look at what you offer and how it compares to others in your space. You can’t build something better if you don’t know your starting point.
2. Talk to your people
Use surveys, focus groups, and conversations to get real feedback from your team. What do they value? What makes them stay? What could be better? Exit interviews with people who left on good terms can also be eye-opening.
3. Personalize it
Your EVP shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. Different roles care about different things. A product apprentice might want mentorship and learning opportunities. An experienced engineer may be more interested in autonomy and growth. Speak directly to what matters most to each group.
4. Make it visible
Don’t let your EVP sit in a slide deck. Share it on your careers page, in job posts, on social media, and through employee stories—every place where your employer brand comes to life. When your team talks about why they work there, that’s your EVP in action.
5. Keep it current
Workplace expectations change. So should your EVP. Revisit it regularly to make sure it reflects what you offer and what your people need now.
6. Measure the impact
Pay attention to the numbers. Look at engagement scores, retention rates, and the quality of applicants. If your EVP is working, you’ll see it show up in the people who want to join and the ones who choose to stay.
Belonging drives engagement
“We are focused on making employees feel like they belong, and that they are a part of the mission. Being able to actually see who is engaging with what content, who are our most engaged employees, is big.”
How do you evaluate the effectiveness of your EVP?
Having an employee value proposition is one thing. Knowing whether it’s actually making an impact is another.
The best way to tell? Start with the data.
Using KPIs
You can use data-driven KPIs, of course! Monitoring key performance indicators can help you judge how your EVP is performing. A few you may want to consider are employee satisfaction scores, traffic to (and away from) the Careers page on your website, the ratio of visitors to applicants, how long it takes you to hire for positions, cost per hire, company turnover rate(s), employee advocacy percentages, and online reviews at sites like Glassdoor.com.
“Employer branding isn’t a “set it and forget it” process. Never stop monitoring your reputation and working to improve your employer brand. That way, your company message will continue to resonate with your target talent.”
By setting a baseline for your KPIs and monitoring them over time for your EVP, you will be able to tell how effective your employee value proposition is to potential employees.
What’s the difference between EVP and employer brand?
This one often trips people up, comparing a company’s EVP to its brand. They’re closely connected, but they’re not the same thing.
Employee value propositions
Your EVP is the “why.” Why would someone want to work for your company instead of the one down the street? It covers the full experience: company culture, financial rewards, benefits, growth opportunities, flexibility—all the things that matter most to employees.
Employer brand
Your employer brand is how that “why” shows up in the world. It’s your external reputation and how people perceive your company as a place to work. That includes current employees, job seekers, and even customers.
The two go hand in hand. A strong EVP helps shape a strong employer brand. And when employees share their positive experiences, they amplify that brand even more. That’s where employee advocacy really shines.
Employee value proposition (EVP): What does it all mean?
Your EVP isn’t just a line in a job description. It’s a critical part of how you attract and keep the right people. If it doesn’t speak to what job seekers actually want, they’ll move on… and so will your current employees.
Right now, it’s harder than ever to find the talent you need. According to KPMG’s 2024 CEO Outlook report, 63% of CEOs say a lack of the right talent will negatively impact their organization’s growth over the next three years.
That’s a problem you can’t afford to ignore.
The best potential candidates aren’t just choosing a role. They’re choosing a culture, a mission, and a future. And they want to work for a company that delivers. Building a clear, authentic EVP puts you ahead of the pack and shows top talent why you’re worth choosing.
FAQ
An example of a strong employee value proposition is: “At our company, we offer a collaborative and dynamic work environment, opportunities for professional development and growth, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our team members are valued and supported in their careers, and we strive to create a positive and inclusive culture.”
While there are many, the five main components of EVP include compensation and employment benefits, work-life balance, career growth and development, work environment and culture, and social impact and meaningful work.
A great employee value proposition is compelling, authentic, and relevant to the best candidates and employees that the organization is trying to attract and retain. To create a great EVP, an organization should focus on the key benefits and experiences that it can offer to its employees and should communicate these benefits in a way that is clear and concise.
To create an effective employee value proposition (EVP), an organization must understand the needs and preferences of the organization’s employees, identify the key benefits and experiences they can offer to its employees, communicate the EVP concisely and compellingly, and align the EVP with the organization’s overall mission, vision, and values.
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