Revamping the EVP: What Employees Value in the Age of AI

Revamping the EVP: What Employees Value in the Age of AI

The World Economic Forum projects that GenAI will impact up to 40% of global working hours over the next five years.

While AI dominates strategy decks globally and 80% of businesses expect to achieve unprecedented levels of growth, still, 8 in 10 employees juggle workloads that go beyond their capacity to deliver. Many are trying to keep up by using AI tools without formal training or support – automating reports, summarizing calls, analyzing trends, and generating faster responses on their own.

There is a growing disconnect between how AI is introduced in the workplace and how people actually experience it. AI is showing up in boardroom presentations but not in team workflows. There’s no upskilling path, no AI policy, no guidance. 

The opportunity cost of a poorly implemented AI strategy is a risk you cannot afford to ignore!


A circular infographic titled "Why the EVP Must Catch Up" from Hacking HR. At the center is an icon of a human head with circuit-like lines, symbolizing AI integration. Four colored circles surround it, each representing a key point: Top left (Red circle): "Redefine Growth" – Icon of an upward arrow on a bar graph. Text: "Show employees how AI opens new paths to grow, learn, and lead." Top right (Yellow circle): "Clarify AI Governance" – Icon of balanced scales merged with a circuit board. Text: "Be transparent about how AI is used and where humans stay in charge." Bottom left (Yellow circle): "Redesign Work" – Icon of a gear with a checklist. Text: "Use AI to eliminate busywork and protect time for what truly matters." Bottom right (Red circle): "Personalize Flexibility" – Icon of diverging arrows. Text: "Let people shape how they work, learn, and evolve—on their terms."

Why the EVP Must Catch Up

The Employee Value Proposition (EVP) communicates to employees what they can or will receive in return for their commitment to the organization. It's your promise to your workforce and ultimately determines why people decide to work for an organization and stay with it.

Millennials and Gen Z, especially, are far from resisting AI; they are looking for meaningful ways to apply it. They expect a clear connection between their work and the company’s purpose, how AI will impact their work, and where they can grow with it. But they also seek a better work-life balance—workplaces where sustainability means removing friction, reducing overload, and creating the space to focus on work that matters.

A promotional banner for the "AI Experience Summit" hosted by Hacking HR. The background is a deep blue with a subtle network of connected dots and lines, symbolizing digital and AI connectivity. The Hacking HR logo appears at the top center. Below it, large white text reads:
"The AI Experience Summit"
Followed by smaller text:
"Harnessing the Power of AI to Redefine Work, Enhance People Capabilities, and Drive Business Success"
At the bottom center, a white pill-shaped box contains the event date and time:
"June 3–5, 2025 | 7:00–11:00 AM Pacific Time"
Join us in the upcoming AI Experience Summit!

The EVP of the AI era requires fundamentally redesigning the deal between organizations and their people based on four key pillars:

1. A New Definition of Growth and Purpose

An EVP must outline the company’s direction and how roles fit into that future. How will AI change work in the coming months, and what opportunities will open for your people?

2. Clear Expectations and Governance Around AI

If you want to build trust, be clear on how AI is used, what is automated, what is still human, and what things will look like in the mid-term. Very few organizations have addressed these questions. When there is no policy, no training, and no space to ask questions, employees fill the gap with assumptions. 

3. A Redesign of How Work Happens

AI is supposed to free people so they can focus on meaningful work (creativity, innovation, problem-solving). These are the changes that people value. However, with more tools, the digital busywork is causing employees to spend almost half their day on tasks that do not add value. How is your organization designing work to protect employees' capacity and energy?

4. Flexibility That Feels Personal

Flexibility and autonomy must be reimagined and go beyond how many hours are clocked or where work is done. It should include room for experimentation, learning pace, career path, workflow design, and how feedback is delivered, a move toward personalization rooted in motivation, readiness, and context, instead of thinking in terms of generic personas.


ALT-text:

Infographic titled “5 Strategic Outcomes of EVP Redesign” from Hacking HR. The visual consists of five vertical boxes, each labeled with a key outcome, an icon, a keyword, and a short description:

Box 1 (Light purple):

Title: “Stronger Talent Retention”

Icon: Horseshoe magnet attracting particles

Keyword: “ATTRACT”

Description: “A clear, future-focused EVP helps retain top talent seeking balance and growth.”

Box 2 (Light pink):

Title: “Higher Workforce Readiness”

Icon: Clock with a right-pointing arrow

Keyword: “ENABLE”

Description: “Help employees understand how AI supports—not replaces—their expertise.”

Box 3 (Peach):

Title: “Healthier Productivity”

Icon: Lotus flower

Keyword: “SUSTAIN”

Description: “Redesign work to reduce overload and enable energy for meaningful contributions.”

Box 4 (Orange-red):

Title: “Organizational Transparency”

Icon: Eye with a magnifying glass

Keyword: “ALIGN”

Description: “Clarify tech decisions and give employees a voice in

5 Strategic Outcomes of EVP Redesign

The employee value proposition was designed for a different era where job descriptions were stable, skills had a longer shelf life, and technology supported tasks instead of reshaping them. Although work has become more fluid and roles are in flux, most EVPs still reflect old assumptions. 

There are five reasons why employers should redesign their EVP and consider it a strategic reset.

1. Stronger Talent Retention 

A clear EVP that defines how people can grow within your organization is a magnet for talent retention. Gallup’s latest survey shows that half the US workforce is considering leaving their jobs, and the leading cause is a lack of work-life balance and growth opportunities

2. Higher Workforce Readiness

While 81% of business leaders expect AI to be deeply integrated within 12–18 months, most employees don’t yet understand what this means for their roles. Instead of letting assumptions spread, make sure your EVP clearly defines how innovation is human-led and how AI is there to support, not replace, people’s expertise. When Bayer deployed AI agents in R&D, scientists' roles were redefined so that they spent more time on product development and high-value experimentation. 

3. Healthier Productivity

An EVP should reflect not just a focus on results but also a rethinking of how capacity and energy are created and protected. For example, if new AI-powered tools consolidate and summarize data insights, you must redesign how the data will be shared. AI adoption should lead to shorter meetings, fewer report cycles, and cross-functional access to AI dashboards

4. Greater Organizational Transparency

A revised EVP must clarify how technology decisions are made and communicated and how employees can influence those decisions. In one hospital, for example, pharmacists lost interaction with patients and colleagues after prescription automation was introduced. The EVP still referenced collaboration and growth, but the day-to-day experience said otherwise—a perfect example of how to destroy trust and fuel turnover.

5. Clearer Competitive Differentiation

Organizations that connect their EVP to their AI strategy put employees as co-creators of value. Dow, for example, deployed AI agents and trained frontline employees on how agents make decisions and linked performance recognition to collaborative human-agent outcomes. 


A promotional banner for the "AI Experience Summit" hosted by Hacking HR. The background is a deep blue with a subtle network of connected dots and lines, symbolizing digital and AI connectivity. The Hacking HR logo appears at the top center. Below it, large white text reads:
"The AI Experience Summit"
Followed by smaller text:
"Harnessing the Power of AI to Redefine Work, Enhance People Capabilities, and Drive Business Success"
At the bottom center, a white pill-shaped box contains the event date and time:
"June 3–5, 2025 | 7:00–11:00 AM Pacific Time"

How to Redesign the EVP for an AI World

A modern EVP must reflect how AI is changing work—what people do, how they grow, and what they expect. HR leaders need operational strategies that align experience with intention to make this shift real. Below are five ways to get started.

Define AI Use and Communicate Transparently

Employees want to know how AI is used in their day-to-day work, what is automated, and where they still lead. Ensure that every new AI tool is accompanied by guidance, transparency about data use, and accountability for results.

Engage Employees in EVP Co-Creation

People are already adapting AI to their workflows—often without formal support. Instead of designing in isolation, involve employees in shaping the EVP through surveys, pilot groups, and iterative feedback. Make sure that what’s promised aligns with what’s experienced. 

Personalize Growth with Skills and Data

Creating growth pathways means treating employees as individuals with a mosaic of unique strengths, aspirations, and skills beyond their job descriptions. AI tools can match them to short-term assignments or learning experiences, so people can see where they can grow, and managers get insight into who is ready for more. 

Make AI Enablement Part of the Employee Offer

If you expect employees to work with AI, give them the support and guidelines to do it well. Onboarding should incorporate AI training from day one, not just as a tool, but as a responsibility. Let entry-level employees manage AI systems and make decisions with them. This early exposure will help people build confidence and develop strategic capabilities faster. 

Balance Agility With Stability

As roles change with AI, employees need more than new tools; they need clear guidance. A modern EVP should offer structure during change. Introduce GenAI in stages and train managers to lead transitions, define where humans add value, and create onboarding flows to explain what is changing. This gives people space to adapt without being left behind. 

Protect Energy and Capacity

A modern EVP must move beyond surface-level care and address how work is structured. If your employees spend half of their time on low-value tasks like navigating tech systems, sitting in unnecessary meetings, or duplicating reports, burnout should not be a surprise. There are no well-being programs that will fill the gap of overloaded and fragmented work. 


What’s Your EVP Score?

A redesigned EVP must do more than sound good—it must reflect how people work, what they value, and where the organization is heading. These questions are helpful for HR leaders willing to evaluate whether their EVP fits the AI era. 

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A promotional banner for the "AI Experience Summit" hosted by Hacking HR. The background is a deep blue with a subtle network of connected dots and lines, symbolizing digital and AI connectivity. The Hacking HR logo appears at the top center. Below it, large white text reads:
"The AI Experience Summit"
Followed by smaller text:
"Harnessing the Power of AI to Redefine Work, Enhance People Capabilities, and Drive Business Success"
At the bottom center, a white pill-shaped box contains the event date and time:
"June 3–5, 2025 | 7:00–11:00 AM Pacific Time"

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Gabriel Mayrhofer

Hacking Employee Engagement @Neroia

4d

This article really hits the nail on the head when it comes to the disconnect between how AI is introduced in companies and how employees actually experience it. It’s crucial that organizations not only embrace AI but also invest in training, transparency, and clear governance. AI is meant to enable people, not replace them. In my experience, when companies put the right frameworks in place – including personalized growth paths and a clear understanding of AI's role – employees feel empowered rather than overwhelmed. It’s all about creating a balance where technology enhances, not hinders, the human aspect of work. The opportunity cost of poorly implemented AI strategies is something we can’t afford to ignore, especially as we move towards a more agile and AI-integrated future.

Vincent Chibanda

Human Resources Assistant at zambia ministry of fisheries livestock

4d

Exciting 🔥

Like
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Brian Lawler

I Help Business Owner's Fix Their Hiring Headaches, Attract Great Candidates & Build Winning Teams Without The Need For Expensive Recruitment Agencies | Book a Free Hiring Strategy Call Link Below

4d

In my experience, aligning your EVP to the key drivers of employee engagement, helps both retention and attraction of employees to your brand. Those key drivers being: Salary Personal Growth Career Growth Culture Work life balance These are the top 5 drivers, the order does change based on economic factors of the day, but aligning to these is key to keeping and finding great people for your business.

Pitso Msimanga

My job was a general worker. The time I was coaching. I was helping teachers to learn from them. That's why I say I was coaching start.

4d

Compensation, career development, work-life balance, company culture, and purpose and mission are the five essential elements of an EVP. When combined, they create a compelling narrative about what it's like to work for an organization.

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