Crafting a Compelling EVP – Driving Employee Engagement for Success

The Geelong HR Roundtable covered a much anticipated topic – EVP and Employee Engagement.

“Engagement is broken.” That was the powerful opening message from Deepak Singh, People Experience and Culture ambassador from Mission and Rhythm, at the recent Geelong HR Roundtable held on 1 May, 2025. This highly interactive session brought together regional HR leaders to explore how a well-crafted Employee Value Proposition (EVP) can re-energise employee engagement and help organisations thrive.

Why Is Engagement Broken?

Deepak challenged attendees to rethink how we approach employee engagement. He emphasised that engagement isn’t about surveys and scores – it’s about action. According to Deepak, productivity and happiness are the twin engines of engagement. When people are truly engaged, they have better experiences, and from those experiences come stronger performance and business outcomes.

He encouraged attendees to stop solely measuring engagement and instead focus on doing.

While many in the room had conducted engagement surveys in the past year, far fewer had implemented meaningful actions based on the results. Deepak’s advice? Combine data (quantitative results) with real employee feedback (qualitative insights) and align actions with business priorities. Then, keep it simple – choose one or two key priorities and train leaders to act on them.

What Makes a Great EVP?

Keynote speaker Will Innes, Principal Consultant at TQ Solutions, shared his insights into building a strong EVP. He explained that an EVP is both an Employer and Employee Value Proposition—an organisation’s holistic offering to current and future employees. A compelling EVP addresses five core pillars:

Organisation
Work
Career
Wellbeing
Connection

A strong EVP should be:

Data-informed
Authentic and aspirational
Inspirational
Dynamic

Will’s framework, called the 5Ds, highlights that an EVP is a value exchange. It’s not just about what an organisation offers—it’s also about what employees bring to the table. He reminded us that every hiring conversation is an opportunity to explain not just what the role involves, but why someone should join your organisation. Striking a balance between authenticity (80%) and aspiration (20%) is key.

How Can EVP Improve Employee Engagement?

According to Will, EVP should be more than a branding exercise—it should shape the employee experience:

Branding: Your EVP should be woven into everything – from recruitment campaigns to team meetings and internal comms.
Design: Embed your EVP into the organisation’s operating model, job roles, and responsibilities.
Transformation: Think of EVP as a lever for organisational change, not just a marketing tool.

How Is Work Changing?

Will also looked ahead to the future of work and the impact of AI, multigenerational teams, and evolving employee expectations:

Organisations: AI is reshaping how businesses operate. Which teams are embracing it, and who risks being left behind?
Work: The way we work—tools, workflows, structures—is transforming.
Careers: Upskilling is critical. The World Economic Forum points to the importance of AI, power skills, and human skills.
Wellbeing: Stress is on the rise. Organisations need strategies to manage overload and fear.
Connection: Is AI helping or hindering relationships at work? Transparency is vital.

The biggest skill for the future? It’s not IQ or EQ—but AQ: Adaptability Quotient.

Will wrapped up with a reminder: organisations must meet people where they are in life. That might mean using personas or designing benefits and messaging that resonate with different life stages.

Final Thoughts

This thought-provoking session left attendees with practical steps to enhance their EVP and drive genuine engagement. In a world of mass distraction and AI transformation, standing out to top talent – and keeping them engaged – requires clarity, authenticity, and action.

What is the Geelong HR Roundtable?

The Geelong HR Roundtable is hosted by Maree Herath and the Harvest HR and People Solutions team.

It’s a session designed for HR Professionals, Executives, Manager and anyone interested in “people solutions” in the workplace.

The 2-hour sessions provide an opportunity for the Geelong region’s HR Community to come together, share ideas, gain insight and HR thought leadership.

When is the next Geelong HR Roundtable?

Tickets are on sale now for all events!

HR Tech Transformation: Leveraging HRIS for Streamlined Success. August 6th 2025

Taking Charge of Your Wellbeing: Practical Strategies for Mental Health at Work and Keeping Psychologically Safe. October 9th 2025

To find out more about upcoming roundtables, visit our Events Page.