Leadership
5 Ways to Strengthen Your Manufacturing EVP
Strengthen your employee value proposition in manufacturing and you’ll engage frontline talent, reduce turnover, and improve operations.
October 27, 2025
Why EVP Matters More Than Ever on the Shop Floor
Industrial manufacturing is under pressure. The sector is navigating automation, labor shortages, shifting worker expectations, and ongoing disruption to supply chains and workflows. Your people are in the middle of it all.
At the plant level, the stakes are especially high. Manufacturers are struggling to retain frontline talent and skilled trades, even as they invest in advanced technologies that require upskilling and cross-functional collaboration. What many leaders are realizing is that strategy alone won’t solve this challenge. Technology won’t either.
What will? A human-centered approach to the employee value proposition (EVP) that makes employees feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow within your organization.
Your EVP is more than a tagline. It’s the lived experience of working for your company. It shapes why people stay, why they give their best, and how they show up every day, especially in high-pressure, hands-on environments like the shop floor.
Our research shows that when employees believe their company delivers on its employee value proposition, 80% of them are highly engaged. Engaged employees fuel innovation, stay longer, and perform better.
Here are five ways to strengthen your EVP for industrial talent, built on Korn Ferry’s proven framework and tailored to the realities of manufacturing.
1 Assess What’s Really Working, and What’s Missing
Before you can improve your EVP, you need to understand what’s working, and what’s not. That means looking beyond HR policies or corporate values and tuning into the realities your workers face every day.
Our 2025 survey of chief HR officers revealed that over half feel they need to update their EVPs to create the right culture for future success.
What’s driving turnover? What’s keeping people loyal? Where do your best team members come from, and what keeps them engaged?
A full EVP assessment should include:
- Exit and stay interviews for frontline and hourly roles
- Shift-specific engagement surveys that capture differences in culture and leadership across schedules
- Supervisor feedback on morale, training effectiveness, and culture issues
- Market scans to understand how your compensation, benefits, and development programs compare against key competitors
Don’t stop with the numbers. Use listening sessions, plant walk-throughs, and worker feedback boards to gain insight into the emotional and practical experiences that shape your workforce.
In one plant, a lack of lockers and breakroom space may be driving disengagement. In another, shift overlap issues may make mentoring nearly impossible. The details matter, and they’re often invisible from the office.
A meaningful EVP starts with this kind of radical honesty. You can't fix what you don't understand.
2 Define What You Give, and What You Expect in Return
Every EVP is a value exchange. It defines what the organization promises to its people and what the organization needs in return.
In manufacturing, this balance has historically tilted toward hard work in turn for stability and fair wages. However, younger workers and those in skilled trades now expect greater clarity, increased investment, and more meaningful work.
Here’s what the “give” side might look like:
- Stable scheduling with some flexibility for life outside the plant
- Career mobility for those who want to stay in operations but expand their skillset
- Psychological and physical safety, not just “box checking” for compliance
- Clear pathways for training and advancement, even without a college degree
43% of industrial leaders say workers’ requests for flexibility are a workforce challenge. Offering flexible work arrangements as part of your EVP can be a quick win.
And the “get” side?
- Commitment to reliability, quality, and safety
- Willingness to learn and flex across new technologies
- Accountability for results, as part of a team
The EVP becomes most powerful when both sides feel that the exchange is fair and when expectations are clear. For one manufacturer, framing this exchange as a “mutual commitment to excellence” helped reset expectations and re-engage midcareer workers who felt overlooked.
Consider this: When people are given the tools, respect, and recognition to do their best work, they often exceed what’s expected because they feel the company is keeping its end of the deal.
3 Make Recognition and Growth Part of the Daily Experience
Manufacturing work is demanding. It’s physical, detail-oriented, and often invisible to those outside the plant. That’s why real, timely, human recognition is so powerful.
When team members feel that their contributions are recognized and valued, they’re more likely to stay, take initiative, and encourage others to do the same.
That recognition should come in many forms:
- Peer-to-peer shoutouts shared during shift meetings
- Supervisory praise tied to specific values or behaviors
- Recognition boards or visual metrics that celebrate quality, safety, or teamwork
- Spot bonuses or stretch assignments as a form of advancement
Recognition alone isn’t enough. It must be paired with growth.
Not everyone wants to leave the line or become a manager, but nearly everyone wants to feel that they’re moving forward.
Integrate growth into the EVP by:
- Offering bite-sized technical learning through mobile platforms
- Rotating workers through different lines, equipment, or products
- Inviting plant workers to lead improvement initiatives or mentor new hires
Helping people grow shows you believe in their potential. In manufacturing, where job identity and pride run deep, that belief builds loyalty that lasts.
4 Let Your People and Culture Tell the Story
The most credible stories about your EVP come from the people who live it.
Let your culture be seen by giving employees the mic, figuratively and literally. Whether it’s a machine operator describing how they learned a new skill, or a production team sharing how they solved a downtime issue together, these stories reveal what your EVP looks like in real life.
Manufacturing has an opportunity to reclaim its brand. Too often, external narratives focus on decline, danger, or difficulty. But inside your walls are stories of mentorship, creativity, inclusion, innovation, and grit.
Bring these stories to life:
- On your careers page, through real photos and frontline interviews
- In recruiting videos filmed on-site with real teams
- Through social posts and internal newsletters that highlight worker journeys
Let the authenticity shine through. Don’t polish the factory floor out of the picture. Show it as it is: alive, evolving, and powered by real people.
5 Measure What Matters and Adjust as You Go
A great EVP evolves with your people. It grows, adapts, and keeps listening.
Set metrics to track how your EVP is resonating:
- Retention by site, shift, and demographic
- Internal promotion rates
- Time-to-fill for critical roles
- Participation in learning or recognition programs
But also measure belief: Do workers believe in the company’s future? Do they see themselves in it?
Qualitative feedback tools, such as regular manager check-ins or shift-level listening posts, can help you identify early warning signs before they become problems.
When something isn’t landing, acknowledge it, adjust it, and then communicate the change.
EVP isn’t a branding exercise. It’s a leadership mindset.
EVP Is the Bridge Between People and Performance
A strong EVP makes your workforce more agile and engaged.
"A well-executed EVP isn’t a cost—it’s a competitive advantage," says Maria Amato, Senior Client Partner, Korn Ferry.
By showing people what they can expect and what’s expected of them, you create clarity. By recognizing and growing their strengths, you build trust. By measuring and adjusting, you stay human and relevant.
When your EVP moves beyond words to become something people feel every day, you build the kind of workplace people want.
Looking to get more out of your EVP? Korn Ferry can help you refine your employee value proposition, enabling you to better attract and retain the right talent and ensure they’re in step with your business strategy. Our EVP guide helps organizations effectively evaluate their EVP. Find our guide here.
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