What EVP means to me - Emma’s view
We asked our Co-Founder, Emma to explain what Employee Value Proposition (EVP) means to her and how it’s developed over her wide reaching career. Here, Emma shares her insights.
“I have taken an unconventional approach to my career path. From a scale-up research firm, to architecture, then central government and now owning my own employer branding agency. Looking back, what's linked my journey is EVP — it's the reason I segwayed from one industry to another. It’s the reason I chose different employers, and all my roles have been about improving the everyday happiness — the employee experience.
EVP encompasses all the great stuff of employment that an organisation offers its employees. Company culture, community, growth opportunities and shared values, to benefits — a company’s EVP is its secret sauce that attracts top talent and retains happy people. I know now that it doesn't happen by chance and takes deliberate curation and may change over time. Done well — EVP forges a win-win relationship between employer and employee.
Workplace Design
Back in the day I worked for an architecture firm called HOK. Here, I witnessed how a well-designed physical workspace, flexible approaches, and a carefully thought-through workplace experience contributes to employee satisfaction, happiness and productivity. I took this learning into Parliament when I was responsible for the move out of the Palace of Westminster to allow for refurbishment. And I saw first hand, as Winston Churchill once said, that "we shape our buildings, and afterwards, our buildings shape us"...
Shaping Cultures in the Civil Service
During my time in the Civil Service, I was responsible for shaping the ways of working and fostering an outcome-focussed culture. Here, I saw how motivated people became when we are empowered to decide how, when and where to work! By allowing people to work where they could be most productive – we saw the impact it had on engagement, retention and talent acquisition. My time in the civil service fuelled my passion for purpose-driven cultures. By highlighting meaningful work and social impact, the civil service's EVP attracted individuals who shared the same sense of purpose and were eager to contribute to a greater cause. I recognised that a strong employer brand communicates an organisation's purpose, values, and impact.
Start-ups
I've worked in several start-ups and scale-ups throughout my career and the sense of shared mission certainly is a secret source of culture and community. The secret to maintaining a strong culture and translating it into an EVP for a growing company is being very deliberate and focussed on this. Don’t expect it to just happen on its own.
EVP to Employer Branding
I established We are The Loves with JULES to create employer brands people love by bringing to life the unique EVPs of different organisations through beautiful, engaging creative outputs like film, photography and digital design. We set up We are The Loves to help organisations celebrate what they are about and what it's like to work for them. Helping companies reach the right people to work for them and improve engagement of the people who already work there. A well-crafted EVP has the power to attract, engage, and retain top talent while shaping the future of an organisation!
My journey has equipped me with a unique perspective on the relationship between employer branding and EVP. I've witnessed firsthand how the two are intertwined and how they underpin the success of organisations. I find it a very meaningful way to spend my working life!”
