Every time your company invests time and energy to attract and recruit new talent, it enters into a psychological contract with those candidates. At the interview stage, if the outcome is to be successful, it is critical to ensure the terms and conditions of employment are transparent and clearly understood.

If your company’s practices and policies are not aligned with what you promise verbally during the interview and most certainly before an employee commences, you will not be in a position to deliver on those promises and fulfil the employee’s expectations, a scenario which is potentially a recipe for disaster.

Research repeatedly shows that employers and jobseekers favour the same top three EOC attributes in the workplace.

EOC shared attributes: Employer and employee

• Reputation for looking after/valuing employees
• Career development and progression
• Provision of challenging and engaging work

However, a significant number of gaps exist further down the list between candidates’ and employers’ views on other key employer of choice attributes.

EOC attributes: Employee

• A fun, positive and vibrant work environment
• Attractive salary and/or financial incentives
• Performance rewards and recognition
• Fair pay for a fair day’s work
• Good manager/boss they like

EOC attributes: Employer

• Recognisable company brand
• Challenging/engaging work
• Definitive and strong company values

On closer examination, it is clear there is a major disconnect where jobseekers rate their personal experience in the workplace above any company brand or values, and so it follows that a range of options need to be made available by employers to cater for the diverse and differing needs of individuals to constitute an acceptable and meaningful Employee Value Proposition (EVP).

Employers of choice are leaders of change and recruitment specialists at Beilby regularly research the market to ensure that existing and future EVP and related benefits match or exceed market expectation.

Beilby general manager David Gallagher listed the following examples:

• Changing traditional working hours dramatically to offer flexible working
• Options for employees to ‘buy’ additional annual leave
• Awarding long-service leave earlier than required by legislation
• Awarding loyalty leave
• Contributing toward graduate programs, funding trainees and cadetships
• Enhancing carer subsidies such as carer’s leave
• Offering retainer contracts to retired employees to support T&D and mentoring.

He also reminded employers that from 1 January 2010, employees will have the right to request flexible working and in-house guidelines, policies and training programs on the subject need to be finalised in good time.

“With the war on talent likely to increase early in the new year, we strongly advise companies to review their current EVP offerings to ensure job-related benefits act as tool of attraction as well as retention,” he added.