A well-designed EVP can make the right individuals want to join an organization, stay there and deliver their best performance. Mercer’s research finds that an emotional connection compliments the contractual deal between employee and employer. In essence, the greater the emotional connection, the less dependence there is on contractual components such as salary. This might be thought of as the “X factor” of authentic employee engagement. Authentic engagement is no one program or point in time. It’s part of the leadership DNA, more about how things are done than when they are done.