You can't sell a secret.

You can’t sell a secret!

Have you heard the rumour? In this talent short market an EVP (Employee Value Proposition) is no longer in vogue. That’s right it is outdated and has been upgraded to a HVP or Human Value Proposition. Let me explain.

Over the past few months, I have had many meetings with CEOs and CPOs to understand their most challenging problems, you know the ones that keep you awake at night. You won’t be surprised to read that the most glaring problem is talent in all forms i.e., sourcing, attracting, hiring, and retention. So, it makes sense that an organisation's EVP should be a high priority. After all an EVP is a marketing tool that convinces people to join your organisation or encourages them to stay. However, in this market it’s no longer enough. Here’s why.

Employees are not commodities. In the past EVPs were made up of one size fits all benefits like gym memberships and fresh fruit or purchasing extra annual leave which are all still relevant and important however, they are not enough, and they are not winning the talent race.

Employees, and prospective employees, are humans and humans need to feel special.

I learned two valuable lessons when I was running my restaurants. One was to remember your customers names and the other was that you can’t sell a secret. In remembering people’s names, we make them feel special. Why? because our name is unique to us and when we use somebody’s name, we make them feel good. The other key lesson was to make sure that customers knew everything we had to sell. After all, if we don’t tell them about it how will they know they can buy it.

How does this relate to EVPs and HVPs?

Well, in my conversations with Executives I have realised that some organisations are still listing benefits (one size fits all style) and expecting employees to be excited by this. Or worse they don’t have anything at all and there are many organisations that fall into this category. Instead, the best businesses are taking the time to get to know their employees as humans. They are curious and want to know what is important to them and what makes them tick as an individual (they are remembering their name and making them feel special).

The best is also sharing great stories. Stories of how humans are supporting, encouraging, and genuinely caring for other humans in their organisations so that they can be their best. They are realising that you can’t sell secrets and these stories must be shared. If they don't have stories to tell, well they better start creating them or continue to fall behind.

Great examples that stood out for me in my conversations with CEOs and CPOs recently were

• Employers who take the time to help humans be the best they can be. They take the time to understand what motivates and inspires you. They focus on your strengths and help you get better at that.
• Learning opportunities that not only relate to improving your skills to do your current job, but they also enable you to move around and experience other roles within the organisation. Even better when they offer opportunities to learn a hobby or something you are passionate about that is unrelated to work.
• They have a clear and concise vision that is easy to understand. You know the problems your customers have and what your organisation is doing to solve those problems. Regardless of your role you know the customer problems, and you have a genuine connection to the work you do because of this.
• They have a greater purpose and are in business to make profit for good. This may be through their ESG strategy or in giving back through charity partners as an example. Regardless they are thinking of others and putting this at the forefront of everything they do.
• They focus on leadership development and building strong leaders not just for their organisation now but for them to go onto be great leaders elsewhere in their business and in the world later. Some refer to this as a ‘no ceiling’ policy. These are companies that are in business for a greater cause than just the work that they do.
• Companies that value your family as much as you do. They offer time off to rejuvenate, be with family and of course hybrid or flexible work arrangements to suit your needs. After all, not everyone wants to work from home and not everyone wants to work five days in the office. This is unique to the human.
• They are addressing the post-covid condition that is grappling so many people which is loneliness. As much as people want to work from home, they are also craving social connection and want to feel part of something and part of a team. Humans are readapting and rediscovering what this looks and feels like. Great employers are helping them discover and overcome this.
• They are screaming about all of this from the rooftops. Their socials, website, internal communications etc. are filled with stories, videos, images, and words, all with their secrets about what truly makes them great and why their humans are special.

So, when I hear “our EVP is our top priority right now”, I can’t wait to learn how you are looking beyond the one size fits all and turning your EVP into an HVP. After all humans love genuine stories that truly represent your culture. If you don’t tell them about it, then how can you expect them to buy into you? Remember make your current and future humans feel special and don’t keep secrets.