The document discusses conducting stay interviews with top employees ("A-People") to understand an organization's implicit employee value proposition and culture. Key findings from interviews at one unit found the value proposition centered around an international, challenging and stimulating work environment that facilitates continuous learning, trust/collaboration, and work-life balance. This "young, dynamic" culture was seen as attractive due to opportunities for experience and learning. However, the same factors could demotivate others. Aligning culture and hiring is important for engagement. Managing culture changes during strategic shifts also impacts engagement and requires balancing turnover versus cultural adaptation.

1. Perceived Employee Value Proposition
and Organizational Culture quick check
- Employee Value Proposition: Rationale of a Pilot;
- Employee Value proposition: Highlights;
- Employee Value Proposition and Unit’s Culture;
- BACK UP: Structure of the BPHR Internal Know Your Customer Program
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BPHR– D.Famà, July 2015

2. A clear understanding of the Value Proposition perceived by the employees of a unit / organization could
increase the capability to retain/ attract “A-People”: this is a critical organizational capability in our competitive
environment. At the same time, this analysis provide useful elements to start to mark the unit’s culture we
would like to reinforce.
We define the Implicit Employee Value Proposition: the perceived value to stay in aunit against the
competitors’ perceived value as employer.
To this purpose, the method used to identify it has been a very short Stay Interview (3 questions), involving the
unit’s “A-People”.
The “A – People” are the employees that , due to their contribution to the business and to the colleagues
(performance, potential, behaviors), are the kind of person we would like are more represented in our
organization. To identify this target population, the useful Talent mapping methods (potential / performance)
could be used.
Usually this sub population amounts to the 5-10% of the overall employee population.
•Three questions had been used for the Stay Interview (*):
1. What are the key aspects of working into the unit now, that have for you the most effective retention
effect? In other words, what are the key factors that make you say: <<this is one of the most important
things that make me happy to continue to work here now >>
2. What could increase for you the retention effect to work into the unit? What can make for you more
enjoyable and attractive being working and continue to work into the unit?
3. What kind of events, conditions etc can otherwise push you to consider possible market opportunities
more attractive?
(*) Reference: “Rethinking Retention in Good Times and Bad”, R.P.Finnegan, 2009
Employee Value Proposition: Rationale of a Pilot
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3. International environment that, notwithstanding is profiling us as a niche in Italy, make us more open to the changes, avoiding traditionalist
mind set, able to measure the success on the base of the delivered effort and capabilities (no “unearned income” due to the dominant
market position)
Challenging and excitant work environment , continuously evolving, where a continuous learning is possible and promoted/ recognized
Autonomy and promotion of the individual contribution(in the context of the assigned role and the required controls)
Work environment that facilitate a professional growth faster than in other local competitors(for example, here is possibleto have the
opportunity to manage relevant customers having less formal seniority than required into greater competitors)
Diffused mutual trust and open collaboration
Concrete possibility to meet a right work – life balance level
Increase the opportunities for more responsibilities (business and managerial)
Translate in concrete opportunities the being part of an International organization (for example: participation to projects, temporary or
permanent job rotations in other countries)
Continuously assure the coherence between internal recognition system and local market (role/ performance)
Lack of autonomy and promotion of the personal contribution
Unclear or no challenging local strategy/ project, reduced openness to innovation
Work environment becoming relationally tiring
Lack of coherence of the recognition system against role/ performance/ market
1. Factors supporting the retention of “A –people” (what we have to continue to do)
2. Opportunities, able to increase the retention of “A –people” (what we have to do better)
3. Risk Factors, able to jeopardize the retention of “A –people” (what we have to avoid to do)
Employee Value Proposition: Highlights
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4. 4
Employee Value Proposition and Unit’s Culture (1/2)
The key words that make specific and attractive the analyzed unit to our best employees are:
• international
• challenging, stimulating
• open to innovation and change
• open to the personal contribution
• facilitating relevant experiences , fast professional growth and continuous learning
• based on mutual trust and collaboration
• caring the work life balance of best performers
The resulting image is: “young, dynamic, challenging”.
Something worth to work for, due to its impressive and continuous opportunities to learn from experience and
experienced people.

5. 5
E’ bello quel che piace - Gli elementi che emergono come qualificanti dalle Stay Interview assumono questo carattere positivo a
causa delle attitudini personali e dei valori degli intervistati.
Gli stessi elementi, agendo su caratteri differenti, possono generare reazioni opposte e quindi trasformarsi in fattori negativi,
demotivanti.
Un caso tipico è quello delle reazioni ad un fattore come la continua evoluzione degli assetti e degli scenari.
Durante le Stay Interview, la target population ha indicato questo fattore come motivante (favorisce un apprendimento continuo,
rende il contesto lavorativo sfidante, mette alla prova le tue capacità, stimola al raggiungimento di nuovi obiettivi, ecc.).
Del resto, da alcuni della restante popolazione della medesima unit, durante le interviste dell’Internal Know Your Customer
Program (vedere Back Up) sono state raccolte reazioni diametralmente opposte: rende il contesto operativo instabile, non
permette di capire se si sta operando bene, fa cambiare continuamente i parametri di successo, ecc.
L’engagement inizia dall’hiring match - In questo preciso senso, per ogni organizzazione, è importante assicurare l’allineamento
fra la propria cultura e quella del suo personale, sin dal momento della selezione (“Hire Hard, Manage Easy”): questa è la base per
ogni successivo risultato (positivo o negativo) in termini di engagement!
Inevitabilità delle crisi di engagement - Naturalmente permane, per tutte le organizzazioni, la sfida del cambiamento di strategia:
ad ogni turnaround si pone il problema di come ridurre l’inevitabile gap fra il nuovo Se dell’organizzazione e quello per cui erano
stati selezionati e cresciuti i suoi vecchi collaboratori.
In questo processo di adattamento è questione che necessita ulteriori approfondimenti se sia inevitabile (anzi auspicabile) un
turnover elevato, che porti ad un ricambio della popolazione, o in quale misura e con quale economia sia possibile lavoraread un
cambiamento culturale della popolazione aziendale.
Il fattore trascurato - In tutti i casi, di gestione quotidiana dell’engagement o di adattamento al turnaround, il problema della
evoluzione delle competenze è in genere il meno rilevante (nel senso di più facilmente risolvibile). Il vero ostacolo è in generale
l’adattamento culturale, ma raramente questo corrisponde al vero focus dei programmi aziendali intesi ad accompagnare/
facilitare/ supportare il cambiamento e l’eventuale (vedi il paragrafo precedente) adattamento.
Employee Value Proposition and Unit’s Culture (2/2)

6. BACK UP
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7. Internal Know Your Customer (KYC) Program - Concept
“Yearly One2One with 100% of Origination employees”
Std Agenda:
• Role related activities
• Business Vision (1 year): strategy and target understanding, customers, competitors, company portfolio, growth
perspectives, ….
• Professional Development Expectations
• Career Expectations
• Engagement level
• Perceptions about: organization, business process, management style
• Q&A vs the Business Partner HR (BPHR)
Purpose:
• Periodic monitoring of the team dynamic at every level;
• Proactive People Risk management;
• Consolidation of an independent BPHR view about any individual employee and the teams’ dynamic.
To be used during the usual People Management process (just to mention: PD, Payround, Promotions, Org
Changes, Succession Plans, Difficult Conversations, etc.), to the benefit of the company, the business and the
employees.
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8. Yearly Internal KYC Program
Phase1: Line
Manager Interviews
1Q
BPHR Target
setting with
Business Head
Org Changes
Training Plan
Internal Comm
Employee Surveys
Phase 2: Employee Interviews
2-3Q
People Risk Monitoring
Performance
Payround
Promotions
Talent Review
Engagement:
Improvement Plan
Internal KYC Program = the detailed info source (foundation) for the People Management System
Business/ BPHR Weekly = the engine of the People Management System
Weekly
Business / BPHR
Internal KYC Program – Process Sketch
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9. Internal KYC Program – Main October 2014/15 Outcomes
All are shared Line/ BPHR outcomes:
• Periodic Talent Mapping
• Main People Risk mapping and related risk reduction actions (or risk acceptance decision)
• Related Rewarding plans
• Continuous engagement monitoring
• Development needs identification and related Plans (Training, Role activity profile fine
adjustments, Job rotations, etc.)
• Internal Communication improvement actions
• Line/ HR alignment about difficult conversations management
• Highlight of the implicit Employee Value Proposition
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