There’s a moment in every great campaign when the message transforms from words into something you feel. It stops being a tagline and starts being a truth. That’s how it should work with your Employee Value Proposition (EVP). You can’t just write it down, frame it, and hang it in the break room. You have to live it, breathe it, and show it in every interaction, every benefit, every moment of the employee experience.
You’re not just competing for customers — you’re competing for the best people. And the best people don’t just want a job, they want to add value — and feel valued — in a place they belong. A study by Workforce Software underlines this message, revealing that 43% of deskless and frontline employees feel undervalued by their employers, while more than 35% believe their contributions to the business go unrecognized.
Here are nine ways to define your EVP and bring it to life, ensuring it’s felt in every corner of your organization.
1. Start with Your Purpose
Purpose is the difference between a company and a cause. It’s what gets people out of bed in the morning, proud to be part of something bigger than themselves. Purpose isn’t something that’s dreamed up by a marketing team—it’s built over time by honoring what matters most to your organization and your people.
Take Patagonia as an example. They don’t just sell outdoor gear—they’ve built their entire company around environmental stewardship and sustainability. Their EVP is deeply tied to their mission: “We’re in business to save our home planet.” This purpose permeates every aspect of the company, from the products they create to the activism they support. Employees feel a direct connection to this mission, which drives both engagement and loyalty.
Bringing it to Life:
- Make sure your mission isn’t just words on a page. Show employees how their work contributes to a bigger cause and makes an impact.
- Create programs that allow employees to engage with the company’s purpose directly, whether through volunteering, advocacy, or innovative projects.
- Celebrate and share stories where purpose has been the driving force behind the company's successes, making it clear that everyone plays a role.
- Make purpose part of decision-making. If you say you care about sustainability, prove it with every business choice.
- Make it personal. Create space for employees to connect their own passions to the company’s larger goals.
2. Flexibility is the New Corner Office
There was a time when prestige was measured by the size of your desk and your view. Now, it’s measured by the freedom to work where, when, and how you want. Bottom line: the world has changed, and your EVP needs to reflect that.
Airbnb is a great example of a company unafraid to pivot in the face of change. In 2022, they fully embraced remote work, allowing employees to work from anywhere. It's almost 2025, and the best workers don't want to be tied to a single location—they want their work to fit into their lives, not the other way around. Airbnb’s EVP offers this freedom, and they’re thriving because of it. Not only are their employees happier but the company's financial performance also reflected the initiative's success. In Q3 of 2022, Airbnb reported its highest revenue ever at $2.9 billion, an increase of 29% year-over-year, driven by demand for flexible travel options and long-term stays, which align with their work-from-anywhere policy.
Bringing it to Life:
- Flexibility shouldn’t be a perk—it should be the norm. Allow employees to shape their workdays and locations around where they’re most productive.
- Focus on outcomes, not hours. What people achieve is what matters, not when they punch in.
- Make sure flexibility is real. Respect their time, encourage balance, and provide the tools for remote success.
3. Growth is not a Ladder, it's a Journey
The modern worker doesn't want to spend years climbing step-by-step up a hierarchical corporate ladder. They want to explore their options, expand their knowledge, and evolve as a professional. Your EVP should reflect this by offering promotions, potential, and a clear roadmap on how an employee can get from A to B.
Initiatives like the Unilever's Future Leaders Program give employees the freedom to explore different departments and discover their passions. Former CEO, Paul Polman. Polman saw growth as a collection of experiences, not just a linear path. This philosophy became part of Unilever’s long-term EVP and continues to attract top talent today.
Bringing it to Life:
- Invest in continuous learning. Whether it’s classes, mentorship, or stretch assignments, give employees the tools they need to grow.
- Create an internal marketplace for opportunities. Let employees move sideways or diagonally, not just up.
- Celebrate development, not just promotions. Growth is about learning, not just titles.
- Tailor growth paths to individual goals. Recognize that growth means different things to different people. Some employees may want to explore lateral moves to broaden their skills, while others may seek deep expertise in a specific area. Offer personalized development plans that cater to these unique goals, ensuring every employee feels their career path is uniquely theirs.
- Encourage cross-functional exposure. Develop job rotation or shadowing programs that allow employees to experience different functions, departments, or even regions.
4. Belonging Isn't Optional
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) has risen four spots in priority in this year’s State of Employee Engagement report, returning to the forefront of corporate strategy. Why? Company leaders are finally beginning to understand that diversity isn’t a box to check, inclusion is more than a policy, and belonging is a feeling. Put simply: If employees don’t feel like they belong, they won’t stay. The best EVPs go beyond diversity and inclusion to create cultures where everyone feels represented and valued.
Salesforce is a shining example of this approach. Chair, Co-Founder and CEO, Marc Benioff has been a vocal advocate for equality and inclusion from its inception. As a result, Salesforce regularly ranks as one of the most diverse companies in tech because they make sure belonging is part of the fabric of their organization. When employees feel like they belong, they give their best selves.
Bringing it to Life:
- Foster real conversations. Host open forums, listen, and act on feedback.
- Don’t just hire for diversity—promote for it. Make sure leadership reflects the diversity of the workforce.
- Build employee resource groups, and make sure they have a direct line to decision-makers.
- Embed belonging in everyday practices. Don’t wait for annual surveys to address inclusion. Make belonging an everyday practice by incorporating feedback into daily operations. For example, conduct regular pulse surveys, and allow employees to share how included they feel in real time. Responding to these insights promptly shows employees that their voices are not only heard but acted upon.
- Celebrate cultural milestones and individuality. Acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of your workforce by recognizing cultural milestones, personal achievements, and employee uniqueness. Whether it’s through company-wide events for cultural holidays or spotlighting personal stories of triumph and diversity, making space for people to share their identities creates a sense of community and belonging across the organization.
5. Without Real Benefits, Compensation Falls First
Gone are the days when it's all about money. Today's employee is looking for a full benefits package that goes beyond the standard health insurance and vacation package and feels tailored to them.
Take Shopify's “Life Partners” as an example. A suite of benefits that cover everything from mental health to financial wellness, the package allows employees a wide range of perks, including an option to take a sabbatical after five years of service. Additionally, the plan offers comprehensive support for physical and mental health.
Bringing it to Life:
- Customize your benefits package. Give people options—whether that’s mental health support, flexible parental leave, or financial planning resources.
- Think beyond the paycheck. Consider perks that resonate with people’s personal passions, from travel stipends to professional coaching.
- Promote mental health as a priority. Offer therapy, mental health days, and encourage an open dialogue around well-being.
- Offer flexibility in how benefits are used. Provide employees with a “benefits budget” or “cafeteria-style” benefits, allowing them to choose the perks that matter most to them. Whether it’s covering gym memberships, student loan repayment, or childcare assistance, this flexibility shows employees you understand their diverse needs and gives them more control over their benefits.
- Invest in long-term well-being. Look beyond short-term perks and think about long-term wellness. Offer retirement planning workshops, ongoing financial education, or even wellness retreats. By investing in employees’ future physical, emotional, and financial well-being, you create a culture where employees feel supported and valued for the long haul, strengthening their loyalty to the organization.
6. Create Balance to Avoid Burnout
The best companies understand that the line between work and life can get blurry, and developing a great EVP is a good way to show you a holistic view of your employee's life. With burnout. With 46% of HR leaders citing "employee burnout" as being responsible for up to 50% of workforce turnover each year, it's no wonder that well-being has topped the chart in this year’s State of Employee Engagement report.
HubSpot is a standout example, offering unlimited vacation time and actively encourage employees to take it. Why? Because they know that happy, rested employees are productive employees. HubSpot’s EVP doesn’t just prevent burnout—it creates a culture where people can thrive.
Bringing it to Life:
- Stop rewarding overwork. Celebrate those who take time off and come back recharged.
- Set clear boundaries. Respect evenings, weekends, and personal time.
- Offer mental health resources, and make sure senior leaders participate in wellness initiatives.
- Provide flexible time off for mental health and family needs. Go beyond traditional PTO by allowing employees to take time off specifically for mental health or family caregiving without needing to classify it as vacation or sick leave. By offering this kind of flexibility, you acknowledge the different challenges employees face in balancing work and life, creating a more supportive, humane workplace.
7. Recognition Fuels Loyalty
You can't buy loyalty—but you can earn it. The most successful business leaders know that recognition isn’t just about bonuses or promotions; it’s about making people feel seen, valued, and appreciated.
Zappos founder, Tony Hsieh believed that “Your culture is your brand,” and wired diligently to ensure that employee recognition was woven into every part of the companies fabric. From formal peer-recognition programs to spontaneous “Wow!” moments, the leadership team continues to ensure every employee knows that their contributions matter.
Bringing it to Life:
- Build peer-to-peer recognition programs so employees can celebrate each other’s successes.
- Recognize small wins, not just big achievements. It’s the everyday contributions that build long-term loyalty.
- Make recognition personal. Generic praise falls flat, but specific, meaningful feedback makes an impact.
- Recognize each other’s efforts in real-time. Whether it’s a “shout-out” feature on Slack or a dedicated platform for recognition, providing immediate feedback makes appreciation timely and more meaningful, reinforcing a culture of ongoing appreciation.
- Tie recognition to company values. Align recognition with your company’s core values by celebrating employees who exemplify those principles in their work. For instance, if innovation is a key value, create a monthly or quarterly award for the most creative problem-solver. This ensures that recognition is not only personal but also reinforces the behaviors and values you want to see across the organization.
8. Write Your Employees Into Your Story
When it comes to sharing your EVP, ensure you're going beyond listing a bunch of benefits and tell a story that resonates with your people on an emotional level; one they want to be a part of.
LEGO is a great example. Built on a simple but powerful narrative: “We believe in the power of play,” their EVP goes beyond selling toys to children and becomes more about fostering the creativity, exploration, and imagination of its people. This resonates deeply with employees, who see themselves as creators, innovators, and builders of a future that goes beyond blocks.
Bringing it to Life:
- Craft an EVP that speaks to the heart, not just the mind.
- Share stories that embody your EVP, from leadership all the way down to front-line employees.
- Make your employees the heroes of the story. Show how they’re shaping the future of your company.
- Feature employee stories in your branding. Highlight real employee journeys and successes in your external and internal communications. Whether through blog posts, social media, or company newsletters, featuring employees’ personal stories brings your EVP to life and shows how individual contributions shape the broader company mission.
- Invite employees to co-create the EVP. Get input from your workforce when shaping your EVP narrative. Hold workshops, focus groups, or surveys to ask employees what makes your company special to them. As Ryan Tahmassebi, People Science Director at WorkBuzz, points out: "Surveys are a very powerful way of understanding what attracts and retains very specific role types, which means organizations can go beyond a catch-all EVP and talk specifically as to why, for example, a talented software engineer would want to go and work in Tesco’s technology team over the likes of Google or a startup. Tailoring the story is something I worked with them on, and it made a huge difference." The Bottom Line? By involving employees in the process of crafting your story, you ensure it’s authentic and resonates with the very people it's meant to inspire.
9. Be Transparent and Build Trust
Trust is the foundation of any great EVP. Employees want honesty, integrity, and transparency — without it, even the best perks fall flat.
Buffer, a fully remote company that practices radical transparency, publish salaries, shares board meeting minutes, and even discloses revenue for everyone to see. It’s a bold move that's not for everyone, but it works for them. Employees trust leadership because there’s nothing hidden and everything is out there on the table.
Bringing it to Life:
- Open up decision-making processes. Share why decisions are made, not just what they are.
- Be transparent about challenges as well as successes.
- Build trust by involving employees in shaping the company’s future.
- Provide transparent career pathing and compensation. Make career progression and compensation models clear to everyone. Let employees know exactly what it takes to advance, how pay decisions are made, and what their earning potential is. This level of transparency builds trust and helps employees feel secure in their growth within the company.
- Encourage open feedback loops. Create regular opportunities for employees to give feedback on leadership, decision-making, and the direction of the company. Actively respond to this feedback, and show employees how their input is influencing change. When employees see that their voices matter, it fosters a deeper sense of trust and belonging.
Your EVP is more than just a set of promises—it’s a living, breathing commitment to your employees. Bringing it to life requires authenticity, transparency, and a genuine desire to create a workplace where people want to be. The companies that do this well aren’t just attracting talent—they’re creating lasting loyalty, something no competitor can easily take away.
Get more expert advice and practical tips for designing an EVP that sets your organization apart and makes you a destination employer with our eBook, Designing an Effective Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
Want to dive deeper into the trends that mold the employee engagement levels of today? Download our State of Employee Engagement 2024/25 report to uncover key insights and practical guidance on how to tackle these challenges head on.