Connecting work with skills requires an employee value proposition revolution 

For decades, the question “what do you do?” has been answered with a job title. This simple exchange reveals how deeply our professional identities have been intertwined with our formal positions. For many people, our jobs have served as shorthand for who we are, what we contribute to society and where we fit within organizational hierarchies.

As organizations pivot toward skills-powered work models, this paradigm is being disrupted. Rather than being defined by static job descriptions, employees are increasingly being matched to work based on their unique skill sets, capabilities and potential. This shift promises greater organizational agility and individual growth opportunities, but it also challenges the foundation of how people relate to their work and employers.

When work becomes detached from jobs, several important connections weaken:

1. The link between personal identity and professional role becomes less concrete
2. The formal relationship between employee and employer becomes more fluid
3. Traditional career ladders and progression paths become disrupted and less clear 

This disconnect creates both challenges and opportunities. While it may reduce the stability that comes with clearly defined roles, it also opens possibilities for more authentic self-expression and purpose-driven work. Organizations that thrive will be those that can balance the benefits of skills-powered agility with the human need for meaning and connection.

In the Human-Centric Enterprise, we speak about how creating human-centered organizations requires that organizations rethink how we design and organize work at the most fundamental level. This means redesigning how work is structured in our organizations and reassessing how we interact with technology. In addition to digitalization, the democratization of work, defined as the ability to decouple work from traditional confines of space, time and structure, also adds to the need for the human experience of work.

As these changes unfold, organizations must revolutionize their company’s employee value proposition (EVP). The traditional EVP, heavily centered on career development within a defined job structure, becomes less of a differentiator in a skills-powered ecosystem where learning and growth are inherent to the model itself.

According to our work on EVP trends, organizations are shifting EVPs to focus on purpose, community and individuals. This represents a profound change in how organizations attract, retain and engage talent.

In a skills-powered organization, the connection between people and their employers must transcend traditional job boundaries. To achieve this, organizations should focus on creating stronger bonds by aligning with their brand and community values, fostering genuine opportunities for self-expression and experimentation, and establishing transparent connections between individual contributions and the overall organizational purpose.

Rather than viewing themselves as hierarchical structures of jobs, organizations must reimagine themselves as dynamic platforms where talent can engage, develop and create value in fluid ways. This is where technologies like internal talent marketplaces start to play a vital role in unlocking the connection between people, skills and work opportunities

Organizations must create ecosystems that enable talent to be dynamically matched to meaningful work, ensuring that skills development is both continuous and self-directed. In such environments, value creation should benefit both the individual and the organization, while fostering a sense of community and purpose that strengthens bonds beyond mere job titles.

This evolution toward skills-powered work allocation offers substantial benefits. Enhanced engagement occurs when individuals can apply their skills to diverse work that interests them, leading to a natural increase in motivation. Additionally, self-direction and autonomy in choosing how to use one's skills fuel intrinsic motivation, while alignment between personal values, skills and organizational purpose contributes significantly to psychological well-being.

The shift to skills-powered work represents a fundamental change in how we think about the relationship between people and organizations. As this evolution progresses, a revolutionary approach to EVP is required—one that addresses the human need for meaning, connection and self-expression in a more fluid work environment.

For HR leaders, the challenge is clear: reimagine your EVP beyond traditional career paths and job security to emphasize the unique ways your organization enables people to express themselves, experiment with their skills and connect to meaningful purpose. In doing so, you'll create an environment where both people and the organization can thrive in the new world of skills-powered work.