Bright Ideas by ColorVizion Lab is the go-to newsletter for people leaders transforming the talent experience. We answer the tough questions people leaders face daily—with straight talk and real solutions. Desiree Booker, CEO of ColorVizion Lab, answers this week’s question.
❔Hiring has stopped, how do we make our employer brand a retention tool?
As we close out the first quarter of the year, the numbers don’t lie. Hiring has slowed, budgets are tight, and many companies have shifted from growing to cost-cutting.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have been among the first on the chopping block, with organizations deprioritizing diversity efforts to cut costs or avoid controversy.
But there’s a cost to backing down.
Take Target, for example. After scaling back its DEI efforts in response to external pressure, the company faced consumer backlash, boycotts, and a 57 percent stock drop. Other companies that rolled back their commitments are seeing similar reputational and financial consequences.
Because people remember who stood firm and who folded.
➡️This then results in two critical reasons why retention should be every company’s top priority:
- Replacing talent is expensive. Hiring, onboarding, and training come at a high cost. With budgets tightening, companies can’t afford to lose top performers. The focus must shift from attracting talent to actively retaining it.
- Employees are watching, and they won’t forget. People want to work for companies that align with their values. How you respond to social issues, including DEI commitments, sends a clear message. If you want to keep your best employees, you have to show you’re committed to building a workplace where they feel valued, supported, and secure. Especially when times are tough.
As a people leader, you’re the bridge between leadership decisions and employee experience. Your team looks to you for clarity, stability, and direction.
A well-communicated EVP is a trust-building mechanism that strengthens engagement and gives employees a reason to stay at the company during times of change.
So, how do you ensure your EVP isn’t just words on a slide deck but something employees actually feel every day? Let’s talk about it.
🤔Is your EVP actually working? Ask these questions.
A strong EVP summarizes employees’ lived experiences at the company. If what you say about working at your company doesn’t match what employees feel, you’ve got a problem.
So how do you know if your EVP resonates with your people? Start with these questions:
✅ What’s our core promise to employees, and is it crystal clear?
Your EVP is a commitment. Can every leader, manager, and employee explain what makes working at your company unique?
✅ How does our EVP set us apart from competitors?
If your EVP sounds like every other company’s, it loses its meaning. What makes your employee experience different and better?
✅ Are we communicating our EVP at every employee touchpoint?
From onboarding to performance reviews to internal comms, you should reinforce your EVP at every step. If employees only hear about it during hiring, it won’t be effective.
✅ What do employees actually value most here?
You might think it’s compensation or career growth, but have you asked? Get clear on what truly matters to your people.
✅ Are we delivering on what we promise?
An EVP that doesn’t match reality is worse than no EVP at all. Where are the gaps between expectation and experience?
✅ Are we evolving with workplace trends?
The world of work is changing fast – remote flexibility, AI, well-being initiatives, etc. Can your EVP adapt to current times or is it stuck in the past?
Sure, your EVP is a recruitment tool, but it’s a retention strategy. And if it’s not answering these questions, it’s time for a refresh.
🎙Communication strategies and channels that bring your EVP to life
If employees don’t feel your EVP, they won’t believe it. So how do you communicate it in a way that actually resonates?
Desiree Booker, CEO of ColorVizion Lab, shares three actions for people leaders.
1️⃣Co-create, don’t dictate
Your EVP should reflect what employees actually experience, not just what leadership wants to believe. Here’s how to let employees help shape it.
- Host listening sessions to hear what parts of your EVP truly matter to employees.
- Pull direct quotes from these conversations and use them in internal and external messaging.
- Adapt the tone of employee feedback into company-wide communications so it feels natural, not corporate.
2️⃣Tell stories, not statements
People connect with personal anecdotes, not corporate jargon. Share employee experiences in ways that feel authentic and engaging:
- Feature employee testimonials in town halls, on the intranet, and in company-wide emails.
- Create short-form video content that highlights real stories from employees.
- Use peer-to-peer storytelling, letting employees share why they stay and what they love about their work.
3️⃣Go beyond the usual channels
Traditional methods like emails and all-hands meetings are great, but today’s workforce engages in other innovative ways. Here’s how to meet them where they are:
- Post on TikTok, Instagram Reels & YouTube Shorts: Highlight employee stories and culture in quick, engaging clips on company channels.
- Create Podcasts & LinkedIn Live Shows: Feature employees on company podcasts or host live Q&As about workplace culture.
- Partner with niche influencers: Work with career influencers or lifestyle creators to create content with employees and highlight what makes your company unique.
- Include employees in job posts: Embed employee video testimonials directly into job descriptions to show what the culture looks like in real life.
- Use internal AI chatbots: Create an interactive way for employees to ask questions in real time related to company programs, events, benefits, and policies.
The more creatively and authentically you communicate your EVP, the more employees feel included in decision making and the overall culture.
🧵How one company weaved their EVP into their employee experience
A global tech startup wanted to make sure “innovation” wasn’t just a buzzword in recruiting materials. They wanted it to be embedded in the way employees worked, learned, and grew.
From the moment someone joined the company, they could feel it in action. Here’s what they did:
Onboarding was more than paperwork
New hires weren’t left to navigate the company alone. Instead of an impersonal orientation, this company paired each employee with a peer mentor who helped them get comfortable – introducing them to cross-functional teams and encouraging them to pitch ideas early on.
Career development was front and center
This company embedded its values into performance management by tying career development to real impact, not just tenure. Employees could apply for skill swap programs to explore different roles, and high performers were given stretch assignments that let them test skills outside of their job descriptions.
Managers were also trained to evaluate and coach employees. Every performance review included a discussion on personal career goals and how the company could support them.
Risk-takers were celebrated
At many companies, recognition is tied to hitting KPIs. At this company, employees were encouraged to push boundaries. Leaders gave shout-outs and awards to the people who took bold risks, learned from them, and helped the company move forward even if the idea failed.
This initiative made it clear that leaders don’t punish failure, but instead see it as a sign of growth.
Leaders acted on feedback
A strong EVP isn’t static, so this company continuously refined its approach based on real employee experiences. People leaders built multiple feedback loops to track employee sentiments and make changes when needed, such as:
- Employee surveys and interviews: They had regular pulse checks helped leadership understand what was working and what wasn’t.
- Candidate and exit interviews: They asked new hires why they chose to work at the company, and asked departing employees what would have made them stay.
- Market benchmarking: They kept an eye on competitor employer branding using LinkedIn Talent Insights and internal research.
- Social media monitoring: They stayed tuned into employee sentiments on platforms like Glassdoor and LinkedIn.
However, feedback alone wasn’t enough. They closed the loop by sharing survey results and action plans with employees.
This reinforced that changes weren’t made behind closed doors, but were communicated transparently so that all employees could see how their input shaped the company.
📘How can people leaders strengthen employee engagement? Download our playbook!
ColorVizion Lab’s People Leader’s Playbook will help you better connect with senior leaders, execute your people strategies, and prioritize your own professional development in 2025.
Download your free copy today and share it with others in your organization.
📞 People leaders, what support do you need right now?
This newsletter is designed to help you excel in your role, so we want to know what challenges you’re dealing with at the moment.
Let us know your biggest question about leadership, employee engagement, or career development. Submit it here and we may dive into it in an upcoming newsletter!
📰 Story of the week: RTO mandates are making parents rethink full-time employment
Childcare costs are so high that many working parents are questioning whether full-time employment is worth returning to the office.
For those mandated to be in-office five days a week, the big question is: Will childcare benefits meet their needs?
📢Does your employer brand need a 2025 refresh?
With so many changes in our workforce, companies have to adapt their brand messaging to show their commitment to employees.
ColorVizion Lab can help your team build a talent strategy that embeds your values into employees’ everyday experiences.
🛠️Learn more about our services
📘Download the People Leader’s Playbook
