Understanding Employee Experience
Employee experience is a multifaceted concept that encompasses the various interactions and perceptions an employee has with their organisation throughout their tenure. It is a critical aspect of modern workplace culture, as it directly impacts employee engagement, productivity, and overall job satisfaction.
Definition of Employee Experience
Employee experience refers to the sum total of an employee’s interactions, perceptions, and feelings about their job, workplace, and employer. It includes every touchpoint, from the initial recruitment process to the exit interview, and encompasses various aspects such as company culture, technology, physical workspace, and employee benefits.
Importance of Employee Experience in the Workplace
Why is the employee experience so important? If the overall employee experience is good, then employees are likely to enjoy their job. Unhappy employees are likely to look for another job.
Employees who enjoy a great employee experience are more engaged at work. This translates into improved business outcomes: better innovation, customer satisfaction, and increased productivity ─ as well as an employer brand that attracts talent and produces higher profits.
The pandemic and the Great Resignation have accentuated the need for organisations to focus on crafting the employee experience and delivering moments that matter. It’s a wake-up call ─ an opportunity to deliver a renaissance that creates a more engaged, productive, cohesive, and loyal team.
Benefits of a Positive Employee Experience
A positive employee experience has numerous benefits that can significantly impact an organisation’s bottom line. One of the main benefits is increase employee engagement.
Increased Employee Engagement
Engaged employees are more productive, motivated, and committed to their work. They are also more likely to provide excellent customer service, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. A positive employee experience is critical for driving employee engagement, as it creates a sense of belonging, purpose, and fulfillment among employees.
When employees feel valued, supported, and empowered, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated. This, in turn, leads to improved productivity, better job performance, and increased employee retention. Moreover, engaged employees are more likely to become brand ambassadors, promoting the organisation’s values and mission to customers, clients, and the wider community.
By prioritising employee experience, organizations can create a positive and productive work culture that drives business success. It is essential to recognise that employee experience is not a one-time event but an ongoing process that requires continuous effort and attention. By investing in employee experience, organisations can reap numerous benefits, including increased employee engagement, improved productivity, and better customer satisfaction.
Three Steps to Improve the Effectiveness of Employee Experience in Employee Retention Programmes
In our previous article in this four-part series, we discussed why employee experience matters. One of the major reasons is employee retention. With more than 4 in 10 employees considering leaving their job according to a Microsoft survey, it’s clearly crucial to prioritise employee experience programmes in the employee retention strategy.
However, investment into employee retention programmes will only pay dividends if organisations and their leaders help to fashion their employees’ perception of employee experience. This requires a comprehensive employee experience strategy that addresses various elements across the employee lifecycle, integrating technology and feedback mechanisms to tailor experiences to employee needs.
To do this, a three-part strategy should be followed:
Step #1: Set expectations
Employees have different expectations for their individual employee experiences. Each employee has a unique life, background, career goals, and personal values. People are motivated by factors that are personal to them, and influenced by their subjective experiences.
Employee engagement refers specifically to the level of involvement and commitment an employee has towards their work. It includes factors such as satisfaction, purpose, and alignment with organizational goals, and it ultimately impacts productivity and workforce well-being.
Therefore, it’s crucial that organisational leaders set realistic expectations on what is achievable within this context, and that these expectations align with business goals and the desire to retain employees more effectively to help achieve these goals.
At departmental and team level, managers should meet regularly with their employees to ensure that individual and team expectations align with those of the organisation.
Step #2: Personalising the day-to-day workplace experience
Within the approach laid out by an organisation’s employee experience programme, managers must collaborate with their employees to deliver experiences that matter. Employee feedback is crucial in personalising workplace experiences, as it helps managers understand and act on the needs and preferences of their team. To do so, managers will need to:
Share information that helps employees see places to make improvements
First, identifying the tasks to be accomplished is key. Employee engagement surveys can be a valuable tool for gathering insights to help employees see areas for improvement. Breaking down work into small, manageable steps helps to clarify the scope. Second, having a process for managing and recording progress will allow employees to know where they stand and what is left to do. Lastly, allow employees autonomy to craft their work practices, enable risk-taking, and coach employees to learn from mistakes
Provide employees with a safe environment for discussions
It’s important for employees to feel safe when discussing sensitive subjects with others. To ensure this, it’s necessary to establish clear guidelines, encourage openness, and be transparent and honest in all communication.
Employee surveys can also be used to gather feedback in a safe and anonymous manner, providing valuable insights into the employee experience.
Provide a set of relevant choices to keep employees from being overwhelmed
One of the most crucial factors in retaining employees is to make sure they are happy and satisfied with their work. One way to do this is to provide them with a set of choices so that they are not overwhelmed by the experience ─ and to help them to tailor their employee experience so that it matches their needs and preferences.
Understanding the employee journey is essential to tailor experiences to match employee needs and preferences.
Step #3: Shape memories ─ both good and bad for a positive employee experience
Not all experiences will turn out as planned. There will be both good and bad moments. Therefore, it’s crucial that managers focus on shaping memories ─ reframing the negative and reinforcing the positive.
Measuring employee experience is essential to understand and improve employee experiences over time.
Communication is the key that unlocks the potential of workplace culture and employee experience programmes
Throughout each step, communication is crucial. It’s essential that leaders and managers understand teams and individuals to craft successful employee experiences. Therefore, employees must be given channels in which to express their opinions, perceptions, needs, and wants ─ and leaders must listen. Employee experience management is a dynamic process that requires ongoing investment and refinement throughout the employee lifecycle.
Managers must share information honestly, be courteous and attentive to feedback, provide support and guidance, and celebrate positive employee experiences.
6 Factors that affect the employee experience
As an organisation builds back better, in its culture and work practices, it must consider these six factors that affect the employee experience it delivers:
- Transparency and open communication to develop greater trust
- The creation of a frictionless work environment that embeds digital experiences in a collaborative workflow
- An organisational culture of inclusion and belonging
- Leadership that promotes engagement of employees in an environment in which employees are recognised by management and peers
- Learning and development opportunities, to help employees upskill and advance their careers
- Corporate social responsibility
When an organisation develops employee experience programmes that align with business goals and engage employees effectively, the benefits ripple throughout the organisation ─ helping to gel teams, boost productivity, and improve employee retention.
Where do you start? Complete the Personal Values Assessment to get a comprehensive insight into your organisational culture – the insight that will help you make more effective decisions, and aid in alignment with team members and colleagues.
