Lead us into temptation

(or why a strong EVP matters more than ever right now)

At Heavenly, we’ve long advocated that great brands are built from the inside out. Starting with a clear purpose which informs a strong culture which is then broadcast outwardly to the world at large through the products and services being communicated. Yet it’s often challenging to marry the ‘what’ of what you’re selling with the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ you sell it.

So, today’s sermon is on the power of having a strong employer brand.

Readers won’t need reminding about the changes afoot in the world of work, largely impacted by the working flexibility that arose during the pandemic and the continuing debate around remote, hybrid or return-to-office.

But the logic of where or how we work is, in many ways, much less important than the magic of why we do what we do. And amplifying that sense of purpose to attract like-minded people who are motivated to sign up to the same cause.

Fans of acronyms will recognize this concept as an EVP. And in the bun-fight to recruit and retain the best talent, a strong Employee Value Proposition is a valuable way of providing a compelling short-hand in answer to the questions ‘why join’ and ‘why stay’.

EVPs are proven to work. According to Gallup, organizations with more engaged employees realise 2.6 times earnings per share growth rate, 18% more productivity, 51% less employee turnover and 27% less absenteeism.

It’s fitting that this Hymnsheet should be celebrating the value of getting employees to sing from the same one. Creating that degree of consistency is, of course, easier once you’ve cracked your reason for being. But this is tough to do. And, in our experience, many organizations find it difficult to capture that EVP in a pithy, ownable and imagination-capturing way. Thankfully, Heavenly is at hand.

To us, it’s a question of temptation: making your organization attractive enough to attract – and keep – the best people on your team. This is our methodology for doing just that. To make it memorable, we call it ‘TEMPT’ and this is the logic behind those letters.

• T for True – we unearth a fundamental truth in what your organization does. A good EVP needs to be believable, benefit-led and bullet-proof. Honesty truly is the best policy. Your EVP will be scrutinised, so it has to hold water.
• E for Efficient – we’re big fans of brevity at Heavenly, so short is always sweeter. Can we express the EVP in a few words or a pithy sentence: short, simple, understandable.
• M for Motivating – is it aspirational to the purposefully-minded. Does it have the makings of a movement. Something that can fire the imagination, unite and inspire. You might not think you’re changing the world, but your EVP can present your proposition in a way that you are.
• P for Potent – can you do lots with it. Does it have the potential to impact your organization in many and various ways. Your culture and behaviours, your service ethic, how you hire and how you retain talent, the way you communicate with each other.
• T for Tailored – last but in no way least. Is your EVP unique to you: is it ownable, distinctive and differentiated. Is it aligned with your brand, and does it help you stand out in your category and beyond.

Our work has included helping a Premier League football club champion integrity and fairness in the game by going back to their articles of association and a commitment to act as ‘Defenders of the Faith’. Or a global marketing e-commerce company attract and retain people who want to ‘shape the way the world shops’. Or a nation brand that’s proud to celebrate ‘original thinking’ in how its team promotes tourism, culture and inward investment.

What these EVPs have in common is that they’re all very simple, very relatable and very distinctive. But most of all true. And effective in attracting people who share the same vision of what each organization is and does.

Going forward, it’s clear that every organization will have a distributed workforce, to some degree. And an EVP is a vital component in creating consistency across the team. So, if creating a motivating and magnetic culture is on your mind, can we lead you into temptation to talk to us about our TEMPT methodology and what it could do for you.