After rapid expansion, Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD), the world’s leading AI-powered workforce agility platform, came to us to help define their Employer Value Proposition (EVP).
The challenge – making it matter
Having more than doubled in size through a number of strategic acquisitions, CSOD found themselves with a disparate workforce of more than 4,000 employees, spanning 27 countries. Their people had conflicting allegiances to their legacy employers, and there was a need to galvanise them behind a single proposition.
This is where we came in.
They had already invested in a new executive leadership team to take them to the next stage on their growth journey. Unification of message was a key priority for them all. A big step on that journey was to agree a compelling Employer Value Proposition. What was the deal for their people? What was the give and the get? It was over to us.
We needed to discover what set them apart in a fiercely competitive talent marketplace. To realign and energise their people, we needed to craft a global EVP positioning Cornerstone as a future-focused force and world-class employer.
The approach – making it unique
We researched…
We kicked off by fully immersing ourselves in Cornerstone to understand the reality of the employee experience. What made them unique? We went straight to the people. This was the only way to create a truly authentic EVP that was going to make real impact and last.
The results were in. The research was clear. With undeniable key themes, supported by reasons to believe, we had genuine insight to create a custom-made proposition to resonate with and rally the newly expanded workforce. Happy days.
We got creative…
This is where we added the magic, starting with the actionable EVP statement.
It spoke directly to the innovative nature of their industry, helping customers prepare their workforce for the challenges of tomorrow, complimented by the collaborative nature of their employees. But we didn’t stop there, we developed powerful and differentiating EVP commitments that resonated with each of their target audiences. To bring it all to life, we crafted an extraordinary visual identity to support the EVP narrative, with an EVP mood film that unleashed the EVP with a bang.
We made it happen…
- We launched the EVP and employer brand through Cornerstone Spark, an inclusive 24-hour ‘follow-the-sun’ experience in the metaverse, hosting live regional events to accommodate all employees across every time zone. We also hosted an in-person event in Hyderabad, India.
- The Cornerstone Spark event was made up of five interactive sessions, one of which was dedicated to announcing and launching the EVP. For this session, we wrote, filmed and edited a podcast-style video, the ‘Tomorrow. Together’ Podcast, featuring CSOD’s Chief People Officer and Vice President of People Experience, who:
- Revealed the EVP headline and supporting narrative
- Showed the EVP mood film
- Discussed the supporting EVP commitments, what they mean for Cornerstone’s employee experience, the initiatives they were implementing to support them and how this will help take them forward as one united company.
- Beyond the launch, to ensure the EVP continues to be consistently communicated, we equipped Cornerstone with comprehensive resources, including a global EVP playbook, talent attraction guide, localisation guides, and a detailed communications plan to embed the EVP into their daily communications effectively.
- When developing the localisation guides, we worked with local TA teams and employee groups to identify the talent challenges in each region, in conjunction with the wider industry and competitor landscape to ensure all the themes of the EVP could be dialled up and down depending on the requirements of each region.
The results – making our mark
3,198 Cornerstars attended the EVP Keynote (70% of the global employee population)
261% increase in Employer Resource Group memberships
125% year-on-year surge in career site page views in May
On Glassdoor, the ‘Recommend to a friend’ score increased from 65% in January 2024 to 70% in June 2024. September saw the most five-star employee reviews of 2024.
Following Cornerstone Spark, 90% of employees said they agree or strongly agree with the statement “I have a deeper understanding of the messaging and future for the business”.
The ‘Tomorrow. Together.’ Podcast continues to release new episodes, providing all Cornerstars with an update on how CSOD have and will continue to live up to the EVP commitments they have made.
And, months after the launch, Cornerstars are still enthusiastically championing each other by awarding badges. High-five to that.
Got a project? Let’s talk
We’d love to hear more about where your organisation is heading, and chat about how we can bring your culture to life to drive attraction, engagement and inclusion.