People First – An Emphasis on Employee Value Proposition

These are the turbulent times when everything under the sun is under pressure. The pressure is to change the normal way of working. The work, the business, all need to run to survive but in a new normal mode. Everyone needs to cope up with the challenges of the new normal. In this scenario, employees have taken the pivotal role of continuing their work from anywhere, any mode, so that the organization does not suffer. The education sector, not being an exception, is following the same norm. The faculty members of Adamas University are also handholding the students in this difficult time as well as supporting the management to run the organization smoothly. To value the employees, Adamas University has launched the program People First. By this approach, Adamas University is helping its present employees to pass on in this difficult time.

The concept of People First has come up from one of the important strategic areas of HR, which is Employee Value Proposition (EVP). This concept is used to attract and retain skilled employees. By definition, EVP means, the comprehensive offering by the employer to his employees, present as well as prospect. The EVP implemented with the People First approach involves a proper mix of characteristics, benefits, and ways of working in the organization. This one is an unwritten contract between Adamas University and its workers that, University will provide value to its employees, and in return, the employees will be loyal to the University.

The terminology has been taken from the well-known marketing terminology – Customer Value Proposition. There is always a conflict as, to whom the employer focuses more, customers, or employees. As a result of the debate, customers need to be served by employees. So, without putting them first, nothing can be achieved by the employer. Sometimes employers focus more on the customers to get business, but they fail to retain the critical element – the employees, which actually, let them achieve success.

The concept of EVP evolves around filling and retaining the skill gap in the ever-changing business scenario. In higher education institutions this is more evident, as here, highly skilled employees are the cornerstones, which need to be filled as well as retained. The private higher educational institutions like Adamas Univesity, which value research as well as education on the same scale to rank higher than the others, EVP stands out to make them count. Earlier, the scale to measure the employee impact was by higher compensation provided to the particular employee. But in higher education institutions this is not the key element to attract employees. The latest research by LinkedIn showed that the prospective candidates not only are looking for the compensation packages provided, but also to the brand, and the perception they build on how the enterprise will look after him regarding his career advancement, intellectual appetite, and other needs.

Organizations always strive to become “Employer of the Choice” for the talents they are hiring. The EVP is one of the elements to win this talent war. During the tough times of the organization, employees hold hand of the entity to lead it through the turbulent waters depending on their leadership. But if the employer leaves the hands of employees, then brand building gets hampered. And if once the brand-building gets affected, then it will have a far-reaching impact. The concept of People First has successfully implemented this process, of valuing employees, and thus helping to make the brand Adamas a truly global brand.