The Most Overlooked Talent Strategy in Biotech? Your Employee Value Proposition

It’s no secret: in competitive industries like biotech and life sciences, talent is everything. And yet, many companies still struggle to answer a basic question from top candidates: Why should I choose you?

That’s where your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) comes in. Done right, your EVP isn’t just a recruitment tool — it’s the foundation of a thriving, engaged, high-performing culture. At Compass, we think of the EVP as your company’s internal brand promise. It's what your people experience, believe, and feel every day they show up to work.

So let’s break it down: what makes an EVP effective, and how do you build one that actually drives impact?

What Is an EVP, Really?

Think of it like this: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, but for the workplace. People need more than just a paycheck to be fully engaged. They want growth, purpose, connection. Mercer’s version of this pyramid lays out three tiers of employee motivation:

• Contractual – Pay, benefits, and the basics

• Experiential – Career development and well-being

• Emotional – Meaning, purpose, and shared values

Your EVP should touch all three. You can’t skip to the feel-good stuff if the fundamentals are broken. And if you stop at compensation alone, don’t be surprised when top performers walk out the door.

Tier One: Competitive Comp, Done Thoughtfully

We start with the basics, but we don’t stop there.

• Define your compensation philosophy. It doesn’t have to be flashy, but it should be clear. Are you leading the market, matching it, or taking a unique approach based on equity or stage? Whatever you decide, your team deserves transparency. Most companies skip out on communicating their general compensation philosophy with leaders and managers making processes like end of year performance reviews and promotion cycles feel nebulous at best and political at worst.

  → Pro tip: Educating your team on the basics of compensation not only builds trust, but builds fluency in your leaders.

• Go beyond salary and benefits. Even small companies can punch above their weight with creative, cost-effective perks: professional development stipends, wellness allowances, equity education sessions, or meaningful PTO policies.

  → Where to start? Audit your current perks against what your team actually uses and values. Then cut the noise and invest in the top 2–3.

This is the layer that says, We’ve got you covered.

Tier Two: Build Growth Into the Everyday

This is where the real differentiation happens—how people grow inside your company.

• Career clarity. No one wants to stagnate. Career ladders, skill-building roadmaps, and thoughtful feedback loops go a long way in helping people see their future with you.

  → Want to create a sense of shared ownership? HR can partner with functional leaders to co-develop career ladders and competencies.

• Well-being that’s more than a buzzword. Flexible work? Yes. Mental health support? Definitely. But also: how are you helping people feel seen, connected, and safe enough to do their best work?

One biotech client was seeing repeated turnover in early-career roles. We worked with them to roll out employee resource groups (ERGs), launch a mentoring program, and build a learning infrastructure from scratch. The result? A 100% increase in retention for that employee segment—and a 90% satisfaction score.

Tier Three: Anchor Your Culture in Purpose

This is where companies truly stand out—or fall flat.

Your emotional EVP is what turns a workplace into a mission. It’s the story employees tell themselves (and others) about why their work matters.

• Link roles to impact. In biotech, the connection between someone’s job and a broader purpose is often right there—but it needs to be named, reinforced, and celebrated.
  → Try introducing “Mission Moments” in team meetings where someone shares how their work connected to a patient or key milestone.

• Lead with values. From social impact to sustainability, employees want to feel like their company stands for something real.
  → Pick one company value to spotlight each quarter and bring it to life through storytelling, team activities, or shout-outs.

One startup we supported wanted to deepen its connection to patients. We helped them launch a patient advocacy function and create internal touchpoints that connected every role—finance, ops, lab—to the people they ultimately served.

Avoid These Common EVP Mistakes

• One-size-fits-all approaches. Your workforce isn’t monolithic. Early-career professionals want growth. Caregivers might prioritize flexibility. Leaders want vision. Tailor your EVP to the personas within your org.
  → Use pulse surveys or skip-level conversations to identify what different groups truly value—not just what you think they value.

• Set it and forget it. A good EVP is a living system, not a static tagline. You need mechanisms such as manager training, storytelling, and company traditions to bring it to life. And you need to revisit it regularly to keep it relevant.

  → Incorporate EVP themes into onboarding, performance reviews, and all-hands meetings. Repetition = resonance.

Your EVP Is Your Differentiator—Treat It That Way

In a crowded talent market, your EVP isn’t fluff: it’s strategy. It shapes the way people experience your brand from the inside out.

At Compass, we help scaling companies build EVPs that are both aspirational and actionable, grounded in what employees actually want—not just what leadership assumes they want.

Ready to build an EVP that works as hard as your team does? Let’s talk.