What is Employee Value Proposition (EVP)?

EVP means Employee Value Proposition, i.e. how much value you can deliver to a candidate. Employee Value Proposition is the thing that makes your company stand out from the competition. It includes objectively valued things like salary and time off or an employee benefits program, but also includes more tailored, personable traits of your company like culture, values, and social responsibility. Nowadays, every company needs to work hard to create and maintain an attractive EVP, meaning that any brand wanting to stay on top will need to keep an eye on the competition.

Obvious EVP examples include salary and time off, but they can cover a wide range of company traits, all of which may appeal to some candidates more than others, with the general goal of attracting the person that is the best fit for the role and the team. So, while some EVP examples are straightforward e.g. bonuses, some are more nuanced, and contribute to the overall impression your company makes to any job-seekers:


Company values and responsibility

Are you a company that talks about environmental responsibility but has nothing to show for it? People are more and more aware of the way companies ‘greenwash’ themselves to appear virtuous but have no metrics or certifications to back it up. Do you champion diversity in your job spec but make no accommodations for candidates with disabilities, seen or unseen? Some employee value proposition examples in this space include certification as a B corp or making sure that any diversity you claim to value is clearly apparent in your executive team.

Tech

No new hire wants to arrive and be met with red tape when it comes to getting hold of the tech they need to do their job. As well as proving that you are invested in their productivity, having the correct tech shows that you understand, respect, and support the demands of each individual role and know how to empower your hires to do their best work.

Branding

Branding is as much for your would-be employees as your would-be customers. Is your presence online, offline, or out-of-home slick and able to keep up with competitors? Are you following trends, leading the way, or falling behind? Your new hire may well already be a customer, so making sure you’re always working to be a respectable, reputable name in the market is key. Some employee proposition examples of how branding impacts hiring include slick designed online application portals, like those that effortlessly pull key information from CVs and don’t ask candidates to do it twice.

Rewards and recognition

Everyone likes to be recognised for a job well done. Whether it’s tangible rewards, an employee benefits program with various perks or an in-company kudos-sharing platform, make sure that your business is about celebrating people who give it their all, and not just those who shout the loudest. As well as boosting morale, this can strengthen your company culture and that can even make hiring easier if your current team is keen to refer others to join.

With so many things to consider, a business usually has to decide which areas are most important not just to them, but to any potential talent — a company’s employee value proposition may not match the definition of job-seekers at large. Here are some employment benefits that are prized in 2025:

Work-life balance

Scoring ahead of even salary when it comes to employment benefits is a company’s ability to deliver quality of life. 29% of Australian workers consider flexible working hours important for any future work roles. Work-life balance can also include things like mental health support, time off in lieu, and parental leave.

Healthcare coverage

Of course, it’s vital for any business to invest into the health of its employees, and workers also consider this a key metric when starting their job search. It’s valued rather more highly by more mature job-seekers, but even younger employees value it almost as much as flexibility.

Salary

For all the fun culture your company may have, the bottom line for many employees will always be salary. Are you benchmarking your pay grades against competitors? Are you working to exceed rather than just match them to secure top talent? Are you playing hardball at the offer stage during negotiations? Salary will always firmly remain a make-or-break decision for would-be employees.

Remote working

Post-lockdown, employees around the world have recognised the value in being able to work from anywhere. As employers increasingly try to move back to the old ways of working, offering remote options for workers can really give a company the edge.

Career development opportunities

You’re not just hiring a candidate for the current role, you’re hiring a team member who, hopefully, will stick with you for the long run. After all, there are multiple benefits for a business that upskills rather than hires, not least, employee satisfaction at knowing that you’re as invested in their growth as they are.