Life & Work

Strategies that attract top talent to your firm

Wednesday September 27 2023

Stakeholders are a key component in building an indelible employer brand. PHOTO | SHUTTERSTOCK

“Capturing the employment value proposition is a memorable employment brand that states simply what makes your organisation a great choice.” Rob Silzer and Ben E. Dowell.

Why do certain companies do very well in the “war on talent” than others? This is another way of asking what makes your company unique and better than others.

What is the human competitive advantage that makes your company beat the competition to attract and retain the best talent?

The Society for Human Resource Management has defined an employee value proposition (EVP) as “part of an employer's branding strategy that represents everything of value that the employer has to offer its employees.

Items such as pay, benefits and career development are common, but employers also highlight offerings that are currently in demand—like technology, remote work and flexible scheduling”. Other similar words to the concept of EVP comprise of Talent Value Proposition (TVP), Employment Value Proposition, Workforce Value Proposition, Employee Benefits Package, Employment Brand and Employment Value Proposition (EVP).

This is how an organisation brands itself to the potential highly qualified talent. Proper employee branding is the lifeblood of any successful organisation.

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Having very well understood what is EVP then we can proceed to enumerate the means and ways of engineering and achieving a successful workplace value proposition.

Consistent communication is of one the infrastructures through which interested parties can get to know the existence of one’s organisation.

This is how customers get to know the products and services that a company offers. It is through magnetic communication that a company gets to pass its culture to potential talents.

By now we all know the power of social media in carrying out the type of culture that an organisation espouses.

An organisation has to resolve how it wishes to be perceived by the outside world. How do you represent yourself through Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and Linkedin?

Stakeholders are a key component in building an indelible employer brand. The owners of the organisation must craft a positive image that they want employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers and vendors, investors, partners and alliances, regulators and government agencies, community and society, competitors, media, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), unions and employee associations and special interest groups to have.

It is through favourable stakeholder engagement that can produce an effect that attracts and retains top performers.

Metrics and analytics experts will always quip that what gets measured gets to be achieved. This means a good employee value proposition has to undergo various monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

Within the organisation, there has to be a clear and well-understood policy on career opportunities and development. Some employees will be excited about the presence of a well-established career growth plan

Employee wellness has become an imperative to consider when joining and staying an organisation. Employees desire to be happy where they work because that is where they spend a lot of their time. That is why wellness talks have become quite popular.

Covid-19 has taught us quite a number of things that we were taking for granted. The employer has to care for his or her human resources. There is controversy and debate about whether this is an appropriate term. Wellness can also be seen in how leaders practice emotional intelligence.

Research and development is an integral part of boosting a positive employee value proposition. This is how to understand one’s audience.

Nothing succeeds very well without the availability of lovely testimonials and success stories. The employer has to parade employees who have been very successful because of his/her organisation. Present and past employees are the true ambassadors of the brand. Employees are the true barometer of the organisations. Employees are the ones who have the power of the word of mouth.

Competitive remuneration strategies will always keep employees satisfied or happy to stay longer. When employees leave, that is serious capital flight. Recruitment is very expensive. How often are salaries reviewed? Are there performance-based incentives? What healthcare plans are on offer? Are there retirement plans?

Why should organisations invest a solid employee value proposition? It leads to top talent attraction which is good for the company’s performance. It in turn generates high retention rates because of the reduced recruitment expenses. It promotes the employer’s reputation.

A well-designed EVP means that there is improved stakeholder engagement. Organisations flourish due to human competitive advantage. When stakeholders are satisfied, it definitely leads to consistent customer satisfaction through quality goods and services.

It has been countlessly that culture eats strategy every time. A well-done employee proposition will curb a toxic culture because there is a higher rate of accountability.

Magoma is an HR. Specialist & Trainer, [email protected]