In an era of rapid transformation, businesses are rethinking how they attract and retain top talent in response to macro trends shaping the world of work. The rise of hybrid and remote working, shifting employee expectations around purpose and well-being, and the increasing importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion are reshaping employer-employee relationships. At the same time, economic uncertainty, AI and digital transformation, and skills shortages mean businesses must work harder than ever to engage and develop their people.

A well-crafted global Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is critical in this landscape. It must provide a unifying promise that resonates across the entire organization while also adapting to the unique priorities of different regions, business units, and talent segments. As businesses navigate these shifts, a compelling EVP is an essential strategic asset.

A global Employee Value Proposition (EVP) plays a crucial role in shaping how a multinational business attracts, engages, and retains top talent.

However, it must balance an inherent tension. On one hand, it needs to navigate the complexity of diverse cultures, functions, and locations - each with distinct motivations and expectations. On the other, it needs to distil these complexities into a clear, compelling, and unifying promise - one that resonates with target talent globally as well as every employee, to attract the right candidates and deliver a strong employee experience (EX).

A well-crafted global EVP ties together key elements: the core tenets of the People Strategy, the brand promise made to customers, and the values and behaviours that define and sustain the culture. At the same time, it needs to align with the business strategy and key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring it supports both long-term growth and day-to-day execution.

Through our work developing EVPs for multinational businesses with global teams, we’ve identified several recurring challenges:

An EVP must reflect the lived employee experience, and the benefits on offer, but this alone runs the risk of creating a generic, indistinguishable proposition from competitors.

To build a powerful and authentic global EVP, you need to identify and articulate the unique cultural strengths and ways of working that set the business apart, highlight the core reasons employees choose to work and stay, and align the EVP with the broader vision, purpose and culture to drive deeper engagement. You also need to consider global talent needs and drivers to create an EVP that resonates with your audience, and finally you need to consider how talent competitors position themselves globally, and ensure your EVP is differentiated.

For large multinational organisations with multiple business units or specialised talent needs, a one-size-fits-all EVP isn’t enough. When developing AstraZeneca’s global EVP, we created nine tailored EVPs for distinct business units - each aligned with the overarching global proposition but reflective of each unit’s unique strengths, culture, and talent priorities.

Communicating the core ideas and messages of the global EVP consistently across the business is essential to ensure buy-in and alignment. To do this effectively requires nuanced messaging and narratives that allow local translation and interpretation.

When we developed Meta’s global EVP we developed a messaging framework using insights generated from focus groups we facilitated with a range of talent segments and markets. The EVP allows flex to adapt to the needs of each region and segment, while creating commonality for messages and themes of Meta’s compelling global proposition.

A strong EVP is only effective if it is deeply embedded into the employee experience - from onboarding and leadership development to reward and recognition. It’s important therefore for the activation approach to be tailored to different regions, cultures, and leadership styles. This requires localised activation plans that account for cultural nuances in communication, leadership, and team dynamics.

Developing and embedding a global EVP requires more than just creating an attractive employer brand - it must be a strategic, data-driven, and a culturally adaptable process that embeds a unique and impactful employee experience. By addressing these key challenges, businesses can create an EVP that is both globally powerful and locally relevant, ensuring it delivers long-term value for employees and the business alike.