You Go First — The Frontline Employee Value Proposition
“How do you attract and retain this level of talent in a fast food restaurant?”
If I had a nickel for the number of times I was asked this question.
My answer … I was on a constant pursuit to provide more value in my employee experience than my competitors. We were constant students of our current workforce and the workforce we wanted to employ in the future.
The value proposition for our frontline workforce came down to three simple questions.
What promises are we making to them?
Are those promises important to them?
Are we keeping those promises?
Simply put, an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is your promise to your employees. It isn’t words on a wall or fluffy phrases in an employee handbook or onboarding session.
It’s measurable, actionable and it’s your side of the handshake.
Years ago I went on a deep dive into my organization (and many others) to define this in a way where we could communicate it and hold my talent and HR team accountable to it. Most importantly, I wanted my entire team to know I took my side of the bargain seriously.
I knew this had to come first … and it had to come from me. I couldn’t hold my organization’s people accountable to results, core values and goals until I held the organization accountable. We had to go first.
Someone always reaches out their hand first to shake hands … and it had to be me. If the employee/employer relationship is a handshake, what am I promising?
So I started asking a lot of questions. I threw all assumptions out the window.
What does the frontline employee want from their employer?
Specific to my organization, why do my my best people stay? Or, worse, why do they leave?
Through a number of team exercises and interviews, I found it.
Once I had my EVP on paper, I challenged my team to ensure this was front and center in the interview and onboarding process. It’s quite a different first day experience when a new employee learns what they can hold your organization accountable to vs. your discipline policy.
See the difference?
You. Go. First.
But it doesn’t stop there. We created ways to measure how the organization was performing against our promises. We talked about it constantly. Every piece of our EVP had tactics and ways in which we measured our progress. If we weren’t performing to our EVP, we weren’t performing. Period.
Below is a top level EVP as an example — the piece shared to employees. Underneath we had a set of disciplines and systems … but you get the idea.
No Ceiling — You can start anywhere and go as high as your talents and abilities will take you. Define your path and we will work to get you there.
Personal Growth & Feedback — We are committed to growing the whole person — personally and professionally. It isn’t easy, but it’s what we do best.
Listening — We value open and honest communication. We listen to our team as their ideas always make us better.
Support — Life can be tough. When you need help our team will be there to lend a hand or a shoulder.
Diversity & Inclusion — We desire a culture where everyone can work toward the best versions of themselves. The best teams are multi-faceted because when everyone is in, everyone wins.
Challenge — We set aggressive goals and we work together to achieve them. Along the way we coach and acquire the skills and relationships to get there.
Business Health — We commit to protect the stability and security that we have worked so hard to achieve.
We here at The Frontlines are partnering with frontline employers all over the country to get promises on paper through deep, meaningful work. If we can help support you in this work, email me.
~~ Lauren Silich, CEO & Founder
