Let's step into their shoes for a moment.
Fresh out of engineering college, you have two offers.
One from a big-name tech giant.
Another from a mid-sized, lesser-known startup.
The big brand promises learning opportunities and perks.
The startup shows you exactly how you'd contribute from Day 1, introduces you to your future mentor — even shares their coaching style — and helps you visualize how your work will shape real products.
Which one would you pick?
More often than not, today's graduates and lateral hires are walking away from the big brands — even those once on their dream lists — and choosing workplaces they've barely heard of, but where they feel they'll belong.
The Data Says It All:
- 74% of Gen Z in India value work-life balance above all else (Dataquest)
- 83% actively seek flexible workplaces
- 80% prioritize career growth over just salary (Times of India)
- 60% avoid companies perceived as harming the environment (Yahoo Finance)
- 77% of Gen Z students want to work in tech — but not at just any tech company (NASSCOM)
The EVP Problem
It isn’t that big brands don’t offer great pay, perks, or even solid learning opportunities.
The issue?
Their Employee Value Propositions (EVPs) sound like they're stuck in 2015.
"Career growth, flexible work, diversity, global exposure."
Sounds familiar? Vague. Generic.
And worse, every competitor is saying the same thing.
A Better EVP is Deeper — Not Just Broader
Companies don’t need to just “add” buzzwords to their EVP.
They need to make sure it’s rooted in lived culture, not just attractive language.
A simple lens to evaluate:
Why This Matters Right Now
It's appraisal season.
Engagement drops. Attrition spikes. Recruitment gears up.
This is exactly when an outdated EVP can cost you your best talent.
The good news? It doesn’t have to be a long-drawn exercise.
It simply calls for an evolution — a deeper, more adaptive, and values-integrated EVP framework.
Not just a tweak, but a meaningful shift.
In fact, you may not even need to reinvent it completely.
Most of what you need is hidden in:
- Conversations between recruiters and recruits.
- Coffee chats between old-timers and new joiners.
- Feedback that rarely makes it into formal surveys.
Read between the lines.
Listen carefully.
And you’ll discover what your people value most — often, it's already in your culture but lost in translation.
Ready to evolve your EVP?