Employer Brand... EVP... Employee Engagement... Employee Experience 🤯
I often hear business owners and leaders talk about how they want to enhance their employer brand, and with good reason. But I also find that there can be a lack of clarity around what that actually means in practice.
I find that the terms employee experience, employee engagement, employee value proposition, and employer brand can sometimes be used interchangeably. BUT they are all different. They are interconnected and interdependent. But different.
🌟 EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE (EX) is what people encounter and observe throughout their employee journey at an organisation. It encompasses everything from the physical environment, culture, leadership, technology, learning and development opportunities, rewards and recognition, and the overall well-being of employees. EX is about deliberately designing an environment and a set of experiences. It’s a step back from both employer brand and EVP, in that designing and delivering a great EX allows you to articulate what makes your brand or proposition unique and special.
🌟 EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT is the degree to which employees are committed, passionate, and enthusiastic about their work and their organisation. It reflects how employees feel about their job, their manager, their colleagues, and their employer. Engaged employees are more productive, innovative, loyal, and customer-focused.
🌟 EMPLOYEE VALUE PROPOSITION (EVP) is the promise that an organisation makes to its employees in exchange for their contribution and performance. It describes what an organisation stands for, requires and offers as an employer. It includes the tangible and intangible benefits that employees receive, such as compensation, career development, recognition, autonomy, purpose, and work-life balance. It is the articulation of ‘the deal’.
🌟 EMPLOYER BRAND is the reputation that an organisation has as a place to work and its attractiveness to potential and current employees. It is the way that an organisation differentiates itself in the labour market, enabling it to attract, recruit, retain and engage the right people. It should align with the organisation’s values, vision, and goals, and communicate them clearly and consistently.
A positive EVP and EX drive employee engagement, leading to a strong employer brand, which in turn attracts and retains more talent, and creates a virtuous cycle of improvement.
Therefore, you cannot work on your employer brand without considering your EVP, EX and employee engagement. They are all part of the same equation, and you need to balance and align them to create a consistent and compelling employer brand.
What do you think? How do you define and measure these terms in your organisation? How do you leverage them to attract and retain the best talent? I would love to hear your thoughts and insights in the comments below.
