What are the benefits and challenges of having a global EVP versus a local or regional one?

Your global EVP is your EB umbrella. One message unifying all to sing the same song feeding local plans. It's your flagship when it comes to messaging and the gives and the gets of your organization. It will mainly focused on the brand visibility/awareness, it is the hook grabbing attention of your targeted audience driving them to more localized experience where possible. It offers you the opportunity to showcase your awareness about cultural difference, showing the diverse community you have and how you act as a global employer. How to use it? Awareness /Careers site - Global EVP Consideration - Local EVP leveraging the overall arching system of the global one. It can become glocal in some cases. Conversion - Local EVP

Global and local EVPs play different roles for letting people know more about the experience that the company will provide them, and both are important for an employer branding strategy. First, we should design the Global EVP linking with what is a common ground and also relating to the company's values and beliefs. This is going to be the basis for the Local EVP once they will be inspired by this direction and can find a path that is aligned with the global vision.

Benefits: Consistency: Ensures uniformity in messaging and values across diverse locations. Talent Attraction: Increases appeal to top talent seeking international opportunities. Cost Efficiency: Streamlines HR processes and reduces duplication of efforts. Challenges: Cultural Differences: Requires adaptation to local cultures and preferences. Logistical Complexity: Management across different time zones and regulatory environments. Competitive Landscape: Adjusting to varied market conditions and competitor EVPs.

The word I use here, is 'bloodline'. The Global EVP is the pulse of the organisation, and is the one true set of values that almost ALL your employees FEEL when they work for your company. It's not about what they do... that's local. It's not about who they sit next to... that's local too. It's not about their leader... also local. It's about feelings, beliefs, energy and purpose that unites an employee network and its business - regardless of whether you are underground, overground, wearing a suit, or a hard-hat. When you have done that, *then* you can start to articulate the what, how and functional elements of your employer brand in local environments and skill group settings.

Yes, a global employer brand is important. But the local flavor is key. On a global level, I can support my counterparts in the countries with the frame of what's important, but the reasons-to-believe have to be found on a local level. The thought, that a prospective candidate might feel a little bit of discomfort because in Panama we might highlight growth opportunities as #1 whereas in Germany we might highlight our purpose as #1 reasons to join DHL, seems a little bit far-fetched, what do you think?

Crafting a local or regional EVP is like customizing our story for different places. It's like making our global message fit in with the local vibes and flavors, so it feels just right for the folks there. The challenge is to blend in without losing our global groove, making sure everyone hears a story that sounds like it's meant just for them. It's like weaving a tapestry that ties together the big picture with the unique threads of each community.

Benefits: Relevance: Tailored to local cultural norms and workforce expectations. Attraction: Attracts talent familiar with local market dynamics. Retention: Increases employee satisfaction by addressing local needs. Challenges: Consistency: Difficult to maintain consistency across global operations. Scale: Scaling benefits across different regions may be challenging. Integration: Ensuring alignment with global corporate values and goals. Balancing local EVP benefits with global alignment is crucial for organizational success.

I believe a strong Employer Brand campaign platform should be able to bridge that gap: Look at ours for a second. "Your future, delivered" is broad enough that you can break it down as needed. For example, for a graduate, you can interpret the future part and talk about their personal growth. But, for a different target group you might want to interpret this on a broader scale, like what DHL is doing for the world with our GoGreen, GoTeach, GoHelp and Disaster Response Teams, for example. This guides us all in the right direction, while giving enough space for tailored messages.

India is a diverse country with a distinctly different culture compared to the western countries. I mention about the western countries as most of the companies that have established operations here are from there. Given this distinction, it is important that we develop a regional EVP so that the cultural aspects can be catered to. Messaging has to be designed to connect well with our audience, which necessitates building a local/regional EVP even for global brands.

This is becoming more and more irrelevant. Global and Local EVPs are passe. Functional Value Propositions are in. The world has changed, and people are working remotely. The region's influence on culture is diminishing. Candidates are seeking relevance in the EVP. In a hyper-personalized world, candidates do not wish to see a generic EVP that does not speak to their role or career. Employer Brand specialists need to go deeper to build out functional value propositions that connect deeper with the talent segment that we speak to. In a global talent market, choosing to work remotely, this principle is now coming to the fore. The functional value proposition can connect across regions while being true to the profession.

Having a global EVP and more localized approach is key to a successful messaging framework that will resonate with your audience. Depending on your resources, you can: - Have a global EVP while giving TA and employees the flexibility to contextualized it according to their voice and audience, or - Global EVP and develop TVPs (targeted value propositions) according to your different audiences (eg candidate personas) and markets Your employer brand, in my opinion, should be flexible enough to act as North Star in guiding your messaging without dictating it. Otherwise, you risk it sounding diluted, stale, and may not resonate with the majority of your audience.

Let the global EVP be the umbrella of core key messaging, brand purpose & consistency But strike a balance so you can deliver the messages that your local target audience wants to hear

I think time and effort should be spent on identifying what can be customized as per local needs and what is non negotiatible for the organization. To my mind, below are non negotiable: Values - The organization's core value will not change as per geography. This has to be portrayed exactly similar to the global approach. Core talent philosophy- If this is diluted, the way employees experience the organization changes across geographies. Below aspects can be customized: Benefits: These can be customized as per regional nuances and the needs of talent pool in that specific country. CSR: The way corporate responsibility is undertaken and talked about in the EVP has to be meaningful to the society that the organization operates in.

Honestly, the principles and philosophy should be of one global organization - the nuances would be in design and execution to make it relevant, effective and hence impactful in the respective geographies.

When it comes to global marketing, there is the so called glocal approach. It is a combination of global and local. This is an ideal scenario when we want to preserve the core of the EVP while allowing space for local adaptations. One of the main challenges with a global EVP is that when translated into the local language, it might lose its initial intent and accuracy. In order to address that, we need to avoid literal translations and instead aim for keeping the original meaning of the message.

A balanced EVP offers numerous advantages by integrating global consistency with local relevance. It strengthens your global brand identity while allowing adaptability to regional nuances, fostering a sense of belonging among diverse employees. This approach enhances employee engagement, as individuals feel their unique needs and cultural contexts are respected. It also improves talent attraction and retention by presenting a unified yet flexible value proposition. Ultimately, a balanced EVP drives organizational cohesion and ensures that your core values resonate universally, yet personally.

A global EVP ensures that the company’s core values, mission, and employee experience are consistently communicated across all regions. This creates a unified employer brand that employees, candidates, and external stakeholders can easily recognize, It simplifies messaging for multinational organizations, helping them maintain a consistent employer brand image across borders.

As digital space is an open platform where social media plays a vital role, everything becomes interconnected and the approach needs to be balanced between Global & local EVP. It should reach out to the target audience as "one voice, one message" may be in different formats according to the geography and market. This helps in better employee engagement and understanding of organizational culture, values, business strategy and goals across every region.

The key, operative word here is 'balance'. Having only Global evp might fail to connect with talent in certain geographies. Too much localisation might dilute the essence of the brand. My experience has shown that having a centralized Global Employer branding team with governance measures in place helps achieve the balance.

When balancing a global and local EVP, consider the importance of cultural sensitivity and local market dynamics. Tailor your communication strategies to resonate with regional values and expectations. Invest in regular training for local leaders to ensure they can effectively convey the global EVP while adapting it to their specific context. Additionally, gather continuous feedback from local employees to refine and improve your approach. This ensures your EVP remains relevant and impactful across diverse regions, fostering a unified yet culturally aware organization.

Global EVP *Benefits*- - Unified Brand: Consistent global identity attracts talent worldwide.(Example: Google) - Cost-Effective: Saves time and resources compared to multiple local EVPs. - Inclusive Culture: Promotes global unity and shared values. (Example: Unilever) *Challenges*- - Cultural Disconnect: May not resonate with local preferences.(Example: U.S. vs. Asia) - Complex Implementation: Difficult to tailor to all regions. Local/Regional EVP *Benefits*- - Cultural Fit: Tailored to local values and needs. (Example: Starbucks) - Stronger Engagement: Speaks directly to local employee expectations. *Challenges*- - Brand Fragmentation: Multiple EVPs weaken global identity. - Higher Costs: More expensive to maintain and localize.

One thing that is often missing in audience segmentation in EVP work is intersectionality. There is a terrible tendency to oversimplify segments by geography and role or function. There is much richness to be found in recognising multiple characteristics that unite audiences. For example, if you only look through the lens of geography, you can miss the fact that a large proportion of your organisation are mums regardless of where they live in the world. I would encourage all organisations to take a more holistic multidimensional approach to their segments or audiences and harness the common insights and needs when defining and activating your EVP. Celebrate the similarities across geographies based on human needs

Let's take for example Company X, a multinational tech firm that creates an EVP with global and local elements. Globally it promotes innovation and sustainability, while locally, it adjusts the benefits, like parental leave in Europe and career development opportunities in Asia, catering to regional values. This strategy boosts the employer brand, attracts talent, and boosts employee engagement. Employees feel valued on both global and local scales, fostering a unified organizational culture. This approach spreads awareness for the company across markets and supports the company's strategic objectives, creating a loyal, diverse, and motivated workforce.