Voices in Leadership • 7 MIN READ
Rethinking the Employee Value Proposition in a Tight Labour Market
MAY 16, 2026
What employees want from work has shifted fundamentally. One CPO shares how she rebuilt her organisation's EVP from the ground up.
Why most EVPs are wrong
Most employee value propositions I have reviewed are aspirational fiction: a list of things the organisation wishes were true, rather than an honest account of what employees actually experience. They promise 'a culture of innovation' but describe a risk-averse bureaucracy. They promise 'career development' but have no structured career pathways. They promise 'work-life balance' but have a culture of always-on availability. Candidates have access to Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and friends at the organisation; they find out the truth quickly, and the gap between the EVP and reality is one of the most damaging things an employer brand can sustain.
How to build an honest EVP
Start by asking your current employees, particularly those who are highly engaged and those who are at risk of leaving, what they genuinely value about working at your organisation. You will get a more honest and more useful answer than any leadership workshop can produce. Then ask what they wish were different. Build the EVP around the genuine strengths and be honest about the trade-offs. Candidates who join based on an accurate picture of the role and culture are more likely to stay and more likely to perform.
