Your EVP is the Key to Transforming Your Workplace
Here’s How to Activate It:
Imagine an organization where every employee wakes up inspired by their work, deeply connected to their team, and clear on their company’s mission. Now imagine they also have a crystal-clear understanding of the company’s commitment to them—how they will be supported, empowered, and given the tools to thrive.
This Is the Power of an Activated Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
Your EVP is more than a recruitment slogan—it’s the foundation for creating an engaged, supported, and high-performing workplace. However, too often, EVPs are underutilized, serving as slogans rather than strategies.
You’re already working hard to build a workplace where people thrive. Let’s take it a step further by activating your EVP to its full potential, ensuring it creates alignment, fosters belonging, and strengthens organizational resilience. From return-to-work initiatives to well-being programs, your EVP should be woven into every facet of the employee experience, ensuring it’s not just understood but lived.
At Blu Ivy, we specialize in turning EVPs into transformative tools that inspire employees, strengthen leadership, and deliver measurable business outcomes. Let’s explore the common roadblocks, what needs to change, and how we can help you activate your EVP for real impact.
Meeting The Moment: EVP Activation in the Era of Return to Office
As organizations navigate the complexities of return-to-office mandates, the need for a strong, activated Employee Value Proposition (EVP) has never been greater. Many employees feel apprehensive about returning, citing concerns around work-life balance, flexibility, and a lack of clarity on how their roles align with the organization’s mission.
We understand that navigating return-to-office mandates is a balancing act. Employee resistance, combined with evolving expectations, can feel daunting. Activating your EVP gives you the tools to rebuild trust, strengthen alignment, and create meaningful connections during this transition.
A recent survey found that 62% of employers have faced resistance or unwillingness from employees to return to the office in 2023 (Statista). This resistance not only impacts productivity but also erodes trust and retention.
How can organizations address these concerns?
By activating their EVP internally to:
Foster Clarity: Ensure employees understand not only the company’s mission but also what commitments the organization is making to support their growth and well-being.
Reinforce Belonging: Use the EVP to create a sense of purpose and connection as teams reconnect in physical spaces.
Support Flexibility: Align EVP promises with updated policies and programs that recognize the continued demand for hybrid options and work-life balance.
By embedding the EVP into internal communications, leadership messaging, and day-to-day operations, organizations can bridge the gap between employee expectations and the evolving workplace environment. This alignment not only eases the return-to-office transition but also strengthens the long-term employee experience.
Why Your EVP Is the Foundation of a Thriving Workplace
Your EVP should act as your organization’s North Star—a guiding force for employees and leadership alike. It’s not just about attracting talent but fostering a sense of purpose and pride. When properly activated, an EVP aligns cultural values with operational goals, ensuring that employees feel connected to your organization and motivated to contribute their best every day.
Take Target’s EVP, “Here for Good,” as an example. This isn’t just a slogan; it’s embedded into their internal communications, employee programs, and leadership training. By making the EVP tangible, Target increased employee pride and retention, turning their EVP into a lived experience.
Your EVP should do the same, but it requires intentionality. From onboarding to leadership development, here’s how to transform your EVP into a force that strengthens your culture and drives results.
Bringing Your EVP to Life: 5 Steps for Internal Adoption
Step 1: Reintroduce Your EVP to Employees
The Challenge:
Employees may not recognize or understand the EVP, or they might see it as disconnected from their daily work. Without regular reinforcement, EVPs often fade into the background, losing relevance and impact.
How to Get It Right:
Reintroduce your EVP in a way that feels relevant, engaging, and personal. Employees need to see how it connects to their roles and how it was shaped by their input. Ongoing visibility and storytelling ensure it remains front and center.
How Blu Ivy Helps:
Engaging Campaigns: Videos, stories, and visuals to reintroduce your EVP in fresh, inspiring ways.
Employee Spotlights: Real stories of employees embodying the EVP, creating emotional connections.
Interactive Events: Town halls, scavenger hunts, and creative workshops to make employees feel part of the journey.
A Standout Example: Sodexo
Sodexo revitalized its EVP, centered on the pillars of Belong, Act, and Thrive, by embedding it into every stage of the employee journey. From interviews to onboarding and manager one-on-ones, the company ensured the EVP was not just a statement but an integral part of the daily employee experience.
Sodexo’s U.S. Talent Experience team created scalable content and interactive experiences that resonated with employees across diverse roles and locations. By aligning the EVP with real employee experiences, they fostered a sense of belonging, purpose, and opportunity to thrive. The result is a workforce more engaged and connected to Sodexo’s mission and values, demonstrating the power of an activated EVP in transforming culture and engagement.
Step 2: Empower Leaders to Bring the EVP to Life
The Challenge:
Many leaders view their role as operational rather than cultural. Without clear guidance, they may miss opportunities to embed the EVP into their management practices, leading to inconsistencies in how employees experience the organization’s values.
How to Get It Right:
Empower leaders to become culture carriers by embedding the EVP into their management moments that matter. Equip them with the tools, insights, and strategies needed to deliver EVP promises in ways that inspire and engage their teams.
How Blu Ivy Helps:
Leadership Workshops: Interactive sessions designed to share what the EVP means in terms of promises, the value of consistency in messaging, and how leaders can translate the EVP into lived experiences for their teams.
Custom Playbooks: Tailored resources that help leaders curate the EVP as a framework for team-driven initiatives, ensuring it resonates at every level.
Strategic Audits and Roadmaps: Comprehensive assessments to evaluate leadership alignment with EVP values, paired with actionable roadmaps for enhancing impact and engagement.
Leadership Roundtables: Collaborative forums where leaders exchange insights, tackle challenges, and refine strategies for integrating the EVP into daily leadership practices.
A Standout Example: Mastercard
Mastercard’s Employer Brand, “Connecting Everyone to Priceless Possibilities,” is deeply embedded into its culture, fostering innovation, inclusion, and employee development. Programs such as innovation labs, reverse mentoring, and the Leadership Summit ensure employees feel supported and aligned with both the EVP and the company’s purpose. Employees consistently praise Mastercard’s leadership for its openness, approachability, and focus on well-being, showcasing the power of living the EVP internally to create a culture where employees feel valued and empowered.
Step 3: Embed Your EVP into Everyday Communication
The Challenge:
Your EVP might show up in big announcements or marketing materials, but it’s probably not part of daily conversations. Without that consistency, employees can feel like it’s a slogan rather than a meaningful guide.
How to Get It Right:
Your EVP needs to live in the day-to-day. From in-office wall paper and digital communications boards to Slack messages, the EVP should be woven into the language and tools your employees see and use most often.
How Blu Ivy Helps:
Integrated Messaging: Embedding EVP-aligned communication into MS Teams, Slack, internal newsletters, lunch rooms, HR office wallpaper, and announcements.
Employee Ambassadors: Identifying champions within the company to share how they live the EVP daily.
Recognition Programs: Celebrating employees who embody EVP values, reinforcing their importance.
A Standout Example: Unilever
Unilever’s EVP, “You’re More Than Your Job Title,” is consistently integrated into internal communication channels like their intranet, local office newsletters, and leadership emails. This holistic approach ensures employees feel connected to the brand’s mission while providing specific examples of how teams live the EVP globally.
Step 4: Align Programs with Your EVP
The Challenge:
Your programs may operate in silos, disconnected from your EVP. This creates a mismatch between what your EVP promises and what employees experience.
How to Get It Right:
Every program—whether onboarding, wellness, or recognition—should reinforce your EVP.
How Blu Ivy Helps:
Program Audits: Evaluating existing programs for EVP alignment.
Strategic Recommendations: Identifying branded opportunities for aligning programs with EVP promises.
Feedback Loops: Collecting employee insights to ensure alignment and engagement.
A Standout Example: MD Anderson Cancer Center
MD Anderson aligns its EVP with its mission to “Make Cancer History®.” Programs like their Leadership Institute emphasize values-based leadership, while employee support initiatives ensure EVP promises are reflected in tangible ways. This alignment reinforces belonging and purpose.
Step 5: Measuring and Managing EVP Activation for Impact
At Blu Ivy, we understand that EVP activation only delivers value when it’s measured, optimized, and aligned with organizational goals. While it can be challenging for CHROs to connect EVP efforts to tangible results, our proprietary tools and methodologies are designed to simplify this process and ensure meaningful impact.
By combining actionable guidance with our proven frameworks, we empower leaders to measure and manage their EVP effectively making it a driver of engagement, leadership effectiveness, and business outcomes.
Our Approach to Measuring Success
Real-Time Insights with the Employer Brand & Culture Index (EBCI): This proprietary dashboard tracks EVP performance, employee sentiment, and cultural alignment, identifying where the EVP resonates and uncovering areas for improvement.
Leadership Impact Assessments: We evaluate how well leaders integrate EVP values into key moments that matter, such as team meetings or career conversations, and provide actionable recommendations to strengthen their influence.
Linking to Business Outcomes: Our reporting connects EVP activation to tangible results like retention, productivity, and customer satisfaction, demonstrating clear ROI and supporting future investments.
Seamless Integration Across the Employee Lifecycle: From recruitment and onboarding to recognition programs, we assess how EVP promises show up and deliver a roadmap for consistent alignment.
Continuous Improvement for Lasting Impact: With quarterly reviews and trend analysis, we refine strategies to keep your EVP relevant, adaptable, and future proof.
The Value of Proactive Measurement
By integrating these tools and strategies, we ensure your EVP doesn’t just inspire—it delivers measurable outcomes that elevate employee engagement, enhance leadership effectiveness, and strengthen organizational performance.
At Blu Ivy, we don’t just measure success; we partner with you to manage and optimize your EVP over time, ensuring it drives meaningful and lasting results.
Your EVP Helps Talent Envision Their Future of Work With You
At Blu Ivy, we understand the challenges leaders face in aligning their EVP with evolving workforce needs. A well-activated EVP bridges the gap between employee expectations and organizational goals, creating workplaces where people thrive.
We’re here to partner with you, bringing the expertise and tools to inspire, engage, and retain your talent. Let’s take this journey together—schedule a consultation today.
About Blu Ivy Group
At Blu Ivy, we specialize in helping organizations harness the power of employer branding to attract and retain top talent. Our team of experts provides strategic advisory services, data-driven insights, and comprehensive employer brand management to ensure your organization stands out in a competitive landscape.
For media inquiries, please contact Stacy Parker at stacy.parker@bluivygroup.com.