How We Use Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to Attract Top Talent

Employee value proposition (EVP) is a statement by a company outlining the unique value it offers to its employees. Here’s how EVP helps us hire top-tier digital marketers.

You may have heard of an employer brand, but are you familiar with the employee value proposition?

While the employer brand represents the external perception and reputation of a company as an employer, the employee value proposition (EVP) takes a more intrinsic approach.

The EVP focuses on the commitment or promise of value made by employers to their employees, in exchange for the employees’ commitment and delivery to the business.

A well-defined EVP is key for any organization seeking to communicate the perks and benefits they will offer to its greatest asset: its people.

Let’s dig into what all EVP entails, how we leverage it for our business, and the positive results EVP has helped us achieve.

What is an EVP?

An employee value proposition is usually referred to as the collective benefits and rewards that employees receive from their employer.

This includes tangible elements, such as compensation and benefits, and intangible elements, such as the culture of the organization, the type of career support offered, or the work arrangements within the organization.

In our EVP at HawkSEM, we extend this to include our company mission statement and the organizational values that we stand behind (more on that below).

Regardless of how you outline yours, it’s important to remember that the EVP is based on a two-sided exchange between the employer and the employee.

The benefits of using EVP

We use our EVP to communicate the unique benefits and value an employee can expect to receive by working here.

This helps us attract and retain top talent by highlighting aspects like career growth opportunities, company culture, compensation, and work-life balance.

Current and potential talent should use the EVP to understand what the company offers and assess if it aligns with their personal career goals and priorities.

As benefits, total rewards, mission, values, and overall culture evolve at HawkSEM, so will the EVP.

Our agency is dedicated to communicating any updates to this commitment so we can ensure our team members (aka our Hawks) continue to feel aligned with our mission and goals.

Tangible EVP components

Tangible components of an EVP are concrete and measurable benefits that an employer offers its employees.

HawkSEM offers a comprehensive set of tangible benefits and rewards — we’ve outlined a few of them below.

Core benefits:

• Unlimited PTO policy
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Health insurance benefits through an ICHRA plan
• Free telehealth services
• Paid parental leave
• Paid holidays
• Monthly internet and streaming services stipend
• Annual health/wellness reimbursement

Compensation:

• Merit and promotion-based salary increases
• Annual salary reviews
• Client upsell, referral, and retention bonuses
• Employee referral bonuses

Intangible EVP components

Intangible components of an EVP are more qualitative and non-monetary in nature, but they’re just as valuable as tangible benefits.

That’s because these benefits focus on important factors like employee well-being, recognition, professional development, and overall company culture.

Well-being and recognition

We believe that well-being programs should promote physical, mental, and financial well-being, and recognition programs should thoughtfully acknowledge an employee’s contributions to the organization.

Together, they make up some of the most important factors in employee engagement. HawkSEM supports both initiatives through:

• 100% remote work policy
• Flexible hours and schedules
• Unlimited PTO policy supporting mental health days, vacations, and religious holidays
• Free telehealth services for general medical and mental health needs
• Annual health-and-wellness reimbursement
• Interest-based Slack channels with frequent conversation starters and relevant activities (like our recent Steps Challenge)
• An online virtual team-building platform to engage distributed teams
• Monthly gift cards as part of our peer recognition program
• Personalized gifts to celebrate personal milestones

Professional growth and development

Job satisfaction is no longer only about monetary benefits, especially in an ever-evolving industry like digital marketing.

Digital marketers who aren’t learning and expanding their skills are more likely to leave, so HawkSEM offers a variety of formal, informal, group-based, and self-directed continuous learning opportunities, including:

• Online digital marketing courses
• Management boot camps and work summits

• A comprehensive Resource Index that links to resources for existing services, processes, departments, etc.
• HawkAcademy: Coursework taught by experienced instructors and industry professionals to support personal growth and development
• Quarterly check-ins and annual performance reviews
• Monthly department meetings and newsletters
• Ad hoc training sessions and workshops
• Career growth opportunities by promoting leads from within

Culture and purpose

In addition to personal and professional growth opportunities, you often hear about company culture as a driving factor for employee retention and happiness.

Culture can be difficult to define, but it can be made tangible through specific values and practices that reflect the work environment.

If culture is the “way we do things,” purpose can be considered “what we stand for,” or why we exist, as explained in AIHR’s Redefining Your EVP online course.

Values are “how we show up” through our behavior. This alignment is what creates an authentic employee value proposition.

Purpose is the reason why someone wants to join and stay at a company. Values create a sense of community and make the EVP visible through the shared behaviors and promises of the organization.

Culture pulls these together into the lived experience of the employee.

An employer can foster a sense of shared purpose and direction amongst its employees by establishing a clear mission statement that articulates the what, how, and why of the organization.

For example:

HawkSEM’s mission is to drive client growth through creative and impactful digital marketing strategies that challenge the status quo. With a focus on transparency, innovation, and measurable results, our remote team of marketing professionals thrives in a flexible work environment that empowers them to deliver their best work. As industry leaders, we stay ahead of trends, setting new standards in performance marketing while helping businesses achieve maximum ROI and long-term success.

With this mission statement, our F.L.I.G.H.T. values, and a comprehensive set of compensation and rewards, we aim to attract digital marketing professionals who align with our purpose and resonate with our unique (and award-winning) company culture.

The takeaway

Sure, an employee-company relationship can simply be that a person does their job in exchange for a paycheck.

But to foster the kind of company we want — one that attracts the best folks in the industry, cares about their personal and professional growth, and makes both employees and clients feel valued — we know it takes more.

By creating an employee value proposition along with our company values and mission statements, we aim to show that we offer something special, along with compensation, that’ll make us stand out from other agencies.

Curious about how our digital marketing pros can take your strategy to the next level? Let’s chat.