Your EVP Strategy for 2026: We Aren't in Kansas Anymore, Toto

We really need to talk about where EVPs are heading in 2026, because honestly, I think a lot of companies are about to get caught with their pants down. 

I know there are a lot of EVP naysayers out there. And I get it. Rigid, overly polished promises that say ‘everything is awesome’ are still polluting our airwaves. I’ve been banging on for years about the need to get real. Get flexible. And get clear on what EVPs actually are (spoiler alert: when done properly, they’re more than a boring, overly complicated document that no one ever refers to once you’ve taken 6 months [far too long] and sums of cash [usually large ones] to create them).

The traditional employee value proposition playbook is crumbling and it’s about bloody time.  Not because employees suddenly became unreasonable (they didn't), but because the gap between what companies promise and what they deliver has never been more visible. What I call ‘Emperor’s new clothes’ EVPs are being exposed for what they are - figments of senior leaderships’ wishful imaginations. And as they parade around, shrouded in their cloaks of cultural emptiness, their employees giggle and sneer at them with faintly audible sarcastic whispers of ‘Yeah, right!”

“Authenticity” is a word that is used in this space ad nauseam, and I think it’s about to have a reckoning. 

Employees have unprecedented access to information about what it's really like to work somewhere. Glassdoor, Fishbowl, Reddit threads, leaked Slack messages. AI deep research. Your carefully crafted EVP is competing with Fiona from Finance telling Reddit that your "unlimited holiday" policy is actually frowned upon because in your contract, where holiday has to be quantified, it’s the bare minimum. So, if you’re let go your prorated, unused holiday payout could be less than what you’re expecting. 

This means your 2026 EVP needs to be defensibly true. An element of aspiration is absolutely fine as long as your people are experiencing the progress. Not "we're working towards it". Actually, it's demonstrably real.

If you're claiming flexibility, your senior leaders better be visibly using it. If you're touting learning opportunities, people should be able to point to specific examples without thinking hard. If you're saying 'people first' then you need to be clear that this doesn't mean there will never be layoffs. It means that when there are (invariably), you'll treat people fairly and ensure they're looked after (obviously only if this is actually the case. If not then leave it well alone).

The AI conversation is rightfully still centring around "will I lose my job?" It’s also evolving to "will this job let me work with interesting problems?" That's massive for EVP positioning.

Employees increasingly care whether they're doing work that AI can't replicate. I see this as a shift from IQ to EQ. AI can do the former but I’m not sure it will nail the latter anytime soon. The roles that involve genuine creativity, relationship building, real emotional nuance and intelligence? Suddenly more attractive. The roles that are essentially well-paid data entry? Less so. 

Your EVP needs to articulate what makes the work inherently human and valuable. Sorry but, "competitive salary" doesn't cut it when people are wondering if their role will exist in two years.

If you're not offering flexibility, your EVP needs a compelling alternative. "We value work-life balance" whilst demanding five days in-office isn't going to fly.

Then we have the generation shift. Gen Z are rejecting the hustle culture entirely, and they're not quiet about it. They're also increasingly comfortable walking away from roles that don't align with their values. This doesn't mean they're lazy (it probably means you’re lazy for thinking it). It means your EVP can't rely on implicit career progression promises or vague "exposure" benefits. They want clarity on development, genuine commitment to wellbeing, and honest conversations about compensation. I actually admire their cojones and wish I had their King Kong-sized ones on these matters when I was their age. 

So, what can you do when set against this backdrop? 

Audit your current EVP against reality. Not what you wish was true, what employees would say is true. The gap between those two things is your credibility problem.

Talk to people who recently left. They'll tell you what your EVP is really like without the political and/or risk-averse, self-preservation filter.

Stop trying to appeal to everyone. Be something to someone. The best EVPs are specific, even polarising. "Not for everyone" is infinitely more compelling than "great place to work."  

Finally, make sure your EVP can evolve and be flexible for other areas of the business - especially if you’re a large organisation. If you’ve 30 managers then you’ve 30 micro-cultures where the value exchange will always be different. It’s delusional to think everyone will experience your business in the same way. You want a culture, not a cult. A sales person in the US will experience things very differently to an app developer in Romania. You will be able to find core themes - how they’re applied in different departments and markets will need to be fluid. 

The world's changing fast, and an EVP locked in stone will age badly - if it hasn’t already died.

I strongly urge you to get with the times, throw out old-school EVP thinking and build in agility, flexibility, hard-truth reality and proposition components that people actually give a shit about.