In an ever-changing work landscape, with the growing digital influences and the advent of Millennials and now Generation Z entering the working environment, it has become exceptionally challenging to deliver a great employee experience. Millennials seek purpose and an unprecedented level of connectedness to their organisations while still being able to enjoy a flexible, autonomous work arrangement that keeps them interested and engaged.
In order to meet the demands of a multi-generational workforce, organisations are having to rethink their employee engagement and recognition strategies by focusing on the whole person, the entire experience that includes engagement, recognition and culture. Many organisations have turned to cloud-based digital platforms to integrate and improve this experience for their employees.
Much like the customer landscape has evolved from merely customer satisfaction to the customer experience, so has the employee landscape evolved from employee satisfaction to a complete and great employee experience. It’s the sum of things: Purpose, culture, engagement and recognition.
And things are getting tough out there. According to the 2017 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends Report, ‘organisations’ ability to address these issues of engagement and culture has dropped by 14 percent since 2016, illustrating how complex the work environment has become’.
This and other statistics has prompted organisations to sit up and take notice to make significant changes in their workplaces and talent strategies.
The good news is that more and more companies are seeing the value in creating the kinds of environments that attract and retain great talent. But creative workspaces, top-of-the-range laptops and in-house baristas aside, does EX actually have any impact on the bottom line?
The answer is yes…
According to futurist and author Jacob Morgan, a thought leader at the frontline of the EX revolution. In his book The Employee Experience Advantage, Morgan relates that in a study of 250 organisations, he found that those that invest in EX are four times more profitable than those that don’t. Yes, we said four times. And there are some big names on Morgan’s list of companies who are getting EX right, including Facebook, Google, Apple and LinkedIn.
So, where do you start when it comes to delivering a great employee experience?
Here are four tips for you to consider:
1. Know your purpose
Beyond your vision, mission and values, what is your company’s ‘bigger picture’, its reason for being? What positive impact do you want it to have in the world? Define your purpose statement and communicate it to every person in your business, so that you’re all working with a greater common goal in mind.
2. Find out what needs to change
How do your employees feel about the equipment and technology they’re using, their workspace, and the company culture? What improvements would they like to see in each of these areas? Try to get as much input as you can – A great employee experience is about their experience, after all. Be creative in getting feedback: film a series of vox pop interviews, send out surveys, run informal focus groups – whatever works best for your team.
3. Collaborate for success
Once you’ve identified your focus areas, get your employees involved in each step of the EX process – from designing the program and rolling it out to making ongoing improvements. Speaking of which…
4. Keep it going
Implementing an EX program is not a one-time deal. While the early stages of change are always exciting, you need to keep the momentum going. Organise regular company and team events that reflect your company culture, encourage ongoing feedback through surveys and feedback forms on your intranet, run internal communication campaigns with micro-rewards to highlight activities and benefits, and have occasional check-ins to ensure you’re still on track.
5. Supporting employee experience
Technology and culture are two of the areas that make up employee experience, and they come together naturally in an employee engagement and recognition program. It gives your employees a platform to recognise and thank each other for a job well done and keeps your company narrative going and your company culture growing.