A water utility's employer value proposition is 'great benefits,' yet operators leave for overtime-rich contractors. How should HR rebuild the EVP?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Operators are not leaving because they forgot about the dental plan. They are leaving for money-plus-hours they can see. Rebuild the pitch around predictable schedules and certification pay—the stuff they actually walk for.
Full Explanation
An employer value proposition of 'great benefits' fails when operators leave for overtime-rich contractors. HR should rebuild the EVP around schedule predictability and certification pay that operators actually value. Retention messaging must track revealed preference: people are walking toward money-plus-hours and predictability they can see, not toward a thicker benefits brochure.
Increasing brochure page count while keeping the same schedules ignores the attrition driver. Matching contractor overtime hour-for-hour without changing the operating model may be unaffordable and still leave unpredictability unaddressed. Emphasizing pension only at campus events speaks to the wrong audience and wrong career stage.
Exam caveat: rebuilding EVP does not require matching every contractor dollar if the city competes on a sustainable mix of pay elements and schedule design. The concept is value props grounded in what scarce talent actually leaves for.
Operational check: exit-interview and stay-interview for schedule and cert-pay themes; redesign shift patterns where operations allow; propose certification differentials; pilot and measure 12-month retention; and retire 'great benefits' as the lead message if data show it is not decisive.