Andrew LevyHead of Careers Brand, Uber@alevs34 / alevy@uber.com

How Uber built an EVP from scratch - with data, In-house, for free

1. What’s EVP and why does it matter2. Uber’s problem and what we did3. So I defined my EVP, now what4. What’s next for Uber5. Q&A & witty banter

Why you should put down your phone for a second (aka today’s agenda)

What is EVP anyway?

EVP = employee value proposition

EVP = your company’s unique offerings, associations and values as experienced by employees

What isn’t EVP?

EVP ≠ something you can proclaim. It exists already. It can be understood, described, and illuminated by data.

EVP ≠ company values ≠ executive perspectives

EVP ≠ static format. It can be public or private.

Why does defining your EVP matter?Know your reality: tell a consistent, truthful, accurate, and compelling story about work

Selling BS is wrong: own the truth and use it as the foundation for all careers content

Recruit better: candidate alignment with EVP increases recruitment efficiency and culture-fit hires

Keep people working: aligned employees have higher retention and satisfaction at work

Track progress and do something: build HR programs around what you do and don’t like, see how you did over time

Uber’s story: we had / have issues

1. Insane hiring targets2. Tenure. Uber’s a new company every

few months3. Inconsistent onboarding for recruiters4. Cultural values define everything5. …but values are written for internal eyes

only6. No consistent external story7. No budget (duh, that’s a given)

1. Screw hiring an agency, do it yourself2. Define stakeholders3. Run competitor analysis4. Crunch data you already have5. Jam and write EVP w/ brand team6. Review with stakeholders7. Infuse in everything8. Test in the market9. Measure, play, rinse, repeat

The solution’s simple if you approach it simply

How we actually did it

Data Sources1. Uber Team Survey (UTS) (Dec, 2015)

14% of recipients (780/5,733) responded to open-ended question

2. Glassdoor Reviews (all-time)550 responses (driver partners excluded)

3. Culture Survey (TCS) (Mar, 2016)49% of recipients (3349/6858) responded to open-ended question

For each of the 14 values1. ID key words that map to values

2. Count positive, negative, neutral mentions (overall, by org, by geo) in data

3. Sum number responses

4. Calculate Net Sentiment [#positive - # negative / total mentions] from data

5. Write EVP statements in brand voice using weighted net sentiment from combined data sources

Data says…employees are natural recruiters and brutally honest internally

Other interesting thingswe found out about ourselves

Employees positively experience…–Uber’s mission–The celebration of the cities we work in–Our risk-taking / test & fail culture–All-hands-on-deck / ownership culture–Keeping optimistic in the face of criticism

Employees negatively experience…– Inability to recharge outside of work– Increasing bureaucracy as the company grows

in size–Decisions made by rank, not by merit of idea

Overall…• We weren’t selling what employees love most about Uber• We were overselling the company’s growth story – a messaged stressed at the exec level• The [personal / company / local] impact angle and [personal] growth / learning aspect of work

is a stronger message according to data• There wasn’t a signal in the data to regionalize

Our EVP: the grand reveal

What we doEVP Pillar OneWe’re building something people use everyday. Whether it’s heading home from work, getting a meal from your favorite restaurant delivered to your door, or earning extra income for the next vacation, Uber is becoming part of the fabric of daily life.We’re making cities safer, smarter, and more connected. And we’re doing it at a global scale—energizing local economies and bringing opportunity to millions of people around the world.The impact is visible and measurable, and that drives us to keep moving forward.

How we do itEVP Pillar TwoThere’s no blueprint for what we want to build; the old way of doing things won’t lead us to the next great idea. Redefining the way cities move requires both determination and imagination. We reject the status quo, and we’re relentless in our pursuit of the most creative solution.

We’re breaking new ground. It takes both big swings and precise strokes, effort and expertise. We perfect the small details to pursue the big goals.

Who we areEVP Pillar Three

What we do and how we do it isn’t easy. It takes a certain type of person.

The type of person who wants responsibility and accountability in equal measure because they have the capacity to deliver. Someone who runs towards adversity, because knowing how to get up is more important than getting knocked down. Someone who seeks work that’s challenging, because the challenge is the reward.

We think and act beyond our job description because we believe in what we’re building. There are very few easy days of work here, but every day is worthwhile. Everyday we learn.

Why we love itEVP Pillar FourOur mission isn’t something that can be accomplished alone. The new idea and the inspiration to try again comes from the person at the next desk—the person who makes you want to be better and can also help get you there. We believe excellence is achieved through enthusiasm, and teamwork breeds success.

In any Uber office around the world, the energy is palpable and the excitement is contagious. As long as smart, driven people are working together on hard problems, we know we’re moving in the right direction.

§ Create a culture deck to test in the market, on social, with ads

§ Make videos in the voice of the employee, roll out with social retargeting campaigns

§ Refresh the careers website and job description creation process

§ Train everyone, train them again§ Do this whole process over

What’s next for Uber?

Free template: t.uber.com/EVPTemplate

Free awesome stuff for you!

Ok, enough of this dude talking. Let’s ask him complex and

awkwardly personal questions.-The Audience