Understanding Culture, EVP and Employer Brand

Understanding Culture, EVP and Employer Brand

© exaqueo 2017 Please contact for print or reuse admin@exaqueo.com

SAY HELLO TO NATASHA AND ANDRE hello!

They’re part of the 71% of the labor market looking for or open to a new job.

Harris Poll, 2016 © exaqueo 2017

WHO ARE THEY?

Name: Natasha Age: 25 years old Gender: Female Location: Lives in Austin, TX Job Title: Sales and Marketing Associate About: Single. Loves to run, read and has family living in three different countries.

Life goals: 5 years: wants to be managing a team 10 years: married with first kid 15 years: leading a division, two kids in school

Š exaqueo 2017

WHO ARE THEY? Name: Andre Age: 40 years old Gender: Male Location: Lives in Boston, MA Job Title: Technology Director About: Married, three kids (3, 5 and 9), loves coaching soccer, gardening and flexible schedules.

Life goals: 5 years: wants to have launched his first software startup on the side 10 years: partially funded college plans for all three kids 15 years: running his own tech consulting business on his own schedule Š exaqueo 2017

Natasha and Andre are both looking for jobs.

Andre’s company is about to go through layoffs and he fears his division might be cut. Natasha struggles with the lack of innovative thinking and creativity from her colleagues and is looking for a reason to leave.

Š exaqueo 2017

They both want to find the right fit for their next job. But how?

We’ll get to that later.

Š exaqueo 2017

IN THE MEANTIME...

Meet Sample Company Inc. They’re actively hiring.

HQ: Winston Salem, NC Make lab and medical equipment $10B company 32,000 employees Global company with locations in 7 countries

© exaqueo 2017

COULD SAMPLE COMPANY INC. BE THE PLACE FOR NATASHA OR ANDRE?

© exaqueo 2017

Perhaps.

We won’t know until we understand... © exaqueo 2017

Culture

the way people work and behave in an organization

Employer Value Proposition (EVP)

what employees say they value most about working and how the organization's employment experience measures up

Employer Brand

based on the EVP, how an employer brands and markets the employment experience to attract and retain best-fit talent

Here’s a secret: you’ll see people talk about employer, employee or employment brand.

They’re actually all the same thing. Here, we’ll use employer. © exaqueo 2017

LET'S START WITH CULTURE

Culture is the way we behave.

The way we work.

The norms.

The traditions.

What’s expected of us.

© exaqueo 2017

In organizations, culture often is described first by values.

They’re like rules that guide the choices we make and work we do. Consider the values at Sample Company Inc.

Work Smart

Be Respectful

Communicate Well

Strive for Impact

Sounds great. But what do they even mean? Š exaqueo 2017

WORK SMART What the value means:

Examples of the culture in action:

We have an opportunity to make a real difference—the smarter we work, the greater the difference

• Equipment is tested a specific number of times before it goes to market • Manufacturing facilities have daily feedback sessions—employees at all levels are encouraged and rewarded for suggestions to improve quality, efficiency and safety • If an idea is tested and doesn’t work, it’s abandoned in a reasonable amount of time

© exaqueo 2017

BE RESPECTFUL What the value means:

Examples of the culture in action:

Our work requires patience and care on every level, and that means we have to be respectful of our work and each other

• Employees show up for meetings on time • Employees don’t use coarse language or raise their voices in meetings

© exaqueo 2017

COMMUNICATE WELL What the value means:

Examples of the culture in action:

If we don’t communicate we can’t innovate, so we consider what we say, how to say it, and the meaning it imparts

• Employees regularly share ideas and plans in advance of meetings so there are no surprises • CEO is known for inviting employees to lunch in small groups to test ideas and better understand issues • Emails and communications to large audiences go through multiple drafts and reviews for clarity

© exaqueo 2017

STRIVE FOR IMPACT What the value means:

Examples of the culture in action:

Our business is about breakthroughs so we look for the impact we can make in everything we do

• New designs for equipment have to lead with a case study of impact to the market • The company is well known for its commitment to corporate social responsibility in every country in which they operate • The company measures the impact of its equipment on scientific breakthroughs and regularly promotes as part of its PR strategy

© exaqueo 2017

No wonder everyone’s talking about culture fit these days.

When organizations are clear about their values, and what the values look like in practice, it’s easy to see if you’re a fit. It’s easy to see if you work the way the company works. That’s culture.

© exaqueo 2017

But culture’s the big picture.

The guiding light.

There’s still the every day.

The paycheck.

The boss.

And your life outside of work.

© exaqueo 2017

That’s where an Employer Value Proposition (EVP) comes in.

© exaqueo 2017

UNDERSTANDING EMPLOYER VALUE PROPOSITION (EVP)

There’s a never-ending list of things employees value about work.

Some little, some big.

Some tangible, some not.

So we have to find out what matters most.

© exaqueo 2017

It could be any of these things Amount of travel

Family-friendly policies

Available technology and tools

Healthcare benefits

Casual work environment Challenging work Colleagues Comm ute Company funding Company leadership Company products and services

Incentives for my work

Retirement Benefits Schedule flexibilit y

Learning and developm ent opportunities

Telecomm uting

Likelihood the company will IPO /already went thro ugh IPO

Work loca tion

Meaningful work Mobility My mana ger or boss

Company size

Prom otion opportunities

Company structure

Recognit ion for my work

Compensa tion

Repu tation of the company

Tuition reimb ursement

Work/life balance Workplace event perks Workplace food perks Workplace fun perks Workspace

Š exaqueo 2017

That’s why companies have to have an EVP strategy.

Sample Company, Inc. asked its best employees what mattered most to them and narrowed down the most common patterns to eight key elements.

"These are the things we’re going to be known for."

© exaqueo 2017

Amo unt of travel

Family-friendly policies

Available technology and tools

Healthcare benefits

Casual work environm ent Challenging work Colleagues Commute Company funding Company leadership Company products and services Company size Company structure Compensation

Incentives for my work Learning and developm ent opportunities Likelihood the company will IPO /already went thro ugh IPO Meaningful work Mobility My mana ger or boss Prom otion opportunities

Repu tation of the company Retirement Benefits Schedule flexibilit y Telecomm uting Tuit ion reim bursement Work loca tion Work/life balance Workpla ce event perks Workpla ce food perks Workpla ce fun perks

Workpla ce traditions Recognit ion for my work and customs Workspa ce

Sample Company Inc. cares about all of the elements.

But they have to be intentional about their EVP

Š exaqueo 2017

So they are most committed to these eight because they matter the most to employees and it keeps top talent engaged and productive.

Available technology and tools Healthcare benefits Meaningful work

Colleagues

Compensation

Learning and development opportunities

My manager or boss

Reputation of the company

But it's not enough to say

"this is who we are" as an organization and call it a day.

Š exaqueo 2017

1 in 4 high-performers will find a new job in the next 12 months.

1 in 3 don’t put in a full effort.

And we know finding new talent is just as hard.

Source: Bersin By Deloitte, 2016 Š exaqueo 2017

Organizations have to market the employer value proposition. They have to sell it and make it consistent.

WE CALL THIS EMPLOYER BRAND.

© exaqueo 2017

Just like famous brands you know, the employer brand sells what it’s like to join and work at your organization. It also reminds employees what’s expected of them in return.

The brand is the perception people have of the experience.

It’s up to you to determine how you market it

It sells the culture— the behaviors expected

And the Employer Value Proposition—what employees value most

It's what you're most known for © exaqueo 2017

At Sample Company, Inc., they’ve summed up their employer brand in one line

Breakthroughs start with me.

Then they use:

Stories

Images

Emotion

Conversation

To demonstrate what that means—what the culture looks like in action and how they deliver on the elements that matter most to employees. © exaqueo 2017

Great brands are about consistency and authenticity.

Every element of the candidate and employment experience has to deliver that intentional message and the organization has to commit to behaviors and strategies that deliver on just that.

Š exaqueo 2017

Every orientation class, every job description, every training class and every employmentrelated communication has to deliver the brand.

This means employee stories have to show evidence of the core values.

Careers sites have to promote the key elements of the EVP. Organization leaders have to deliver on what matters.

And every candidate and employee touchpoint is a chance to market that message.

Š exaqueo 2017

REMEMBER NATASHA AND ANDRE? hello again!

This is why culture, EVP and employer brand matter.

It’s how they can understand the reality of the employment experience.

© exaqueo 2017

not for me...

For Andre, Sample Company Inc. isn’t a fit. He values different things at this point in his life.

He isn’t focused on singular breakthroughs and he values flexibility and benefits over meaningful work and promotion opportunities.

© exaqueo 2017

perfect!

For Natasha, Sample Company Inc. is exactly what she’s looking for.

Opportunities to grow and the kind of manager she can learn from so she can be running her own team someday soon. She wants to set herself up for success in a careful and steady way.

And Natasha understands what the employment experience requires at Sample Company Inc. She’s ready to give back in return for the value of her employment. © exaqueo 2017

There is no employer of choice, best place to work, or most attractive company.

There’s your employer of choice.

Your best place to work.

The place that’s right for you. © exaqueo 2017

And that’s the story a great employer brand tells.

Define your culture.

Understand your EVP.

Build and market your brand. Š exaqueo 2017

If you’re authentic, you have no competition.

exaqueo | a workforce consultancy www.exaqueo.com admin@exaqueo.com 843.779.2392

© exaqueo 2017 Please contact for print or reuse