Three Steps to Improve the Effectiveness of Employee Experience in Employee Retention Programs

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 prioritize employee experience programs in the employee retention strategy.

However, investment into employee retention programs will only pay dividends if organizations and their leaders help to fashion their employees’ perception of employee experience.

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.

Therefore, it’s crucial that organizational 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 organization.

Step #2: Personalizing the day-to-day workplace experience

Within the approach laid out by an organization’s employee experience program, managers must collaborate with their employees to deliver experiences that matter. 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. 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.

  • 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.

Step #3: Shape memories ─ both good and bad

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.

Communication is the key that unlocks the potential of employee experience programs

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.

Managers must share information honestly, be courteous and attentive to feedback, provide support and guidance, and celebrate positive employee experiences.

When an organization develops employee experience programs that align with business goals and engage employees effectively, the benefits ripple throughout the organization ─ 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.

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