A Different Kind of VP: Value Proposition
Not Vice President, nor Most Valuable Player, we’re talking about an alternative VP that you need to consider. EVP – Employee Value Proposition. You may be asking “What’s that mean to me?” EVP is NOT just another acronym you’ll use while messaging a friend or commenting on a social media post. In fact, unless you end up working in HR, you may never use it. How can something that you won’t use be so important to you?
Evaluating EVP, or an organization’s Employee Value Proposition, is an important step in your job search, offer acceptance, and satisfaction as an employee. It’s doubtful a company will clearly state, “This is our employee value proposition...” Essentially, in return for your work performance, an organization’s value proposition answers the following questions:
Why do organizations care about EVP? Employers want happy employees. A strong value proposition helps a business attract talented employees. An EVP that is effectively implemented increases employees’ job fulfillment and encourages employees to stay.
What to look for:
It can be overwhelming. Deciding which potential employers to explore, which jobs to apply for, and eventually, what job offer to accept.
Check out an employer’s job advertisement, or career website and you may notice basic benefits including insurance, paid leave, and retirement/401k. However, most job seekers simply expect these to be included in a minimum compensation package.
Assessing an employer’s value proposition necessitates taking your evaluation beyond the basics. Past the expected responsibilities, location, salary, benefits and education/experience requirements, candidates tell us that a company’s value proposition is very important to them. They want a company to “Tell me why I’d want to work here!”
An organization’s employee value proposition goes beyond the minimums to describe what that employer offers if you choose employment at their organization. You may be able to glean an overall theme from the organization’s mission and vision statement. The employment value proposition may also be shared in the job posting, on the employer’s website, during the interview, in an employee handbook, and/or in the job offer. Employers could include the following in their proposition of value to potential employees:
What may be valuable to one person, may be utterly unimpressive to another. It’s vital for you to review all possible employer offerings and determine what’s really on your “must-have list”.