For decades, companies have focused their attention on customer experience. It has been the primary driver of success, and a defining factor for growth. However, in the last few years, the conversation has shifted and employee experience has gained the spotlight. As businesses start to see the value in investing in their people, the need to create a better employee experience has become paramount. If you want to attract and retain top talent for your team, improving your employee experience is essential. Understand how to engage that talent, maximize productivity and encourage a supportive culture with these top four initiatives.
What is Employee Experience?
Today’s employers need to attract and retain talented employees within their organizations. There’s a distinct shift in the perception of work. Organizations are focusing on why employees want to work rather than need to work. According to a recent report by McKinsey, millennials are a significant factor in this. By 2025 they will represent 75% of the global workforce. What they’re after is meaningful work, a sense of autonomy, and the promise of mentorship.
A stellar employee experience is the perfect combination of three different things; culture, technical environment, and physical environment. Consider every touchpoint of your employee journey. Does it reflect the company perception you’re looking to achieve? Have you grasped your employee’s needs and desires?
A great employee experience requires an all-encompassing, human-centric strategy. It will ultimately reduce turnover and improve productivity and performance across the board. It’s the key to motivation.
Four Ways To Improve Your Employee Experience
1. Make Communication A Priority
Highly successful employers value employee feedback. Developing a culture that’s creative and engaging starts with listening and communicating. Whether it’s employee engagement surveys, one-on-one meetings with managers, or regular email check-ins, it’s vital that employees feel like they have a voice.
Internal communications foster a sense of community and encourages employees to work together toward a common goal. Make your values known and bring them into meetings and project plans so employees become brand advocates for your business. Connecting with your employees on a cohesive vision is one of the most powerful ways to develop trust.
If you’re managing a team remotely, don’t let this hold you back. Incorporate tools like Slack, Zulip, Zoom, or Google Hangouts, to make communication a central feature of their day-to-day activities.
2. Offer The Right Perks
It’s easy to get caught up in perks like free parking or team lunches. While these are great value adds, you might be surprised by the benefits employees care about most. Perks fall within two categories, official policies, and inclusive strategies. Both are important for the overall employee experience.
Official Policies To Focus On
A recent study by LinkedIn revealed that most employees care about healthcare coverage, paid time off, and flexibility. 93% of employees say paid time off is an important or very important contributor to their job satisfaction (SHRM, 2016).
Ensure your leave policy is extensive, outlining the various options available to staff. Include details around sick leave, paid time off, medical leaves, caregiving leaves, and any ADA policies they could qualify for as an employee.
Inclusive Strategies To Include
A significant factor of employee experience is feeling valued. Introducing an equal opportunity policy is a great way to highlight culture, setting the tone for the type of business you’re creating. Take it a step further by creating an inclusion council dedicated to goal-setting, hiring, and retaining a diverse workforce.
Employee wellness programs should also be a focus. Whether it’s gym benefits, mental health awareness, or access to dietary advice, a wellness program that supports your staff supports the business as a whole.
3. Implement Stay Interviews
You’ve probably heard of exit interviews. These sessions are conducted when an employee has resigned to uncover their pain points. Why wait until it’s too late? Instead, look at incorporating stay interviews into your schedules.
A stay interview is an open dialogue built on trust, encouraging employees to come forward with suggestions and ideas to improve their experience. It’s a great way to identify their motivations, uncovering what keeps them interested. It’s an opportunity to enhance their internal pipeline, giving you insights into their goals and ambition.
4. Offer Career Development Opportunities
Career development might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s more complicated than you’d think. Unfortunately, most companies get caught up in the day-to-day tasks, and professional growth and development often falls by the wayside. Making career development among employees a priority would not only be an asset to the employee but also your company in the long-term. Furthermore, employees are more likely to stay at your company if there’s room for growth and career advancement. Introduce leadership programs, mentors, and training sessions一invest in your employee experience to build a sense of loyalty and opportunity.
Make Employee Experience A Priority
Employee experience has to be a fundamental pillar of your business if you want to be competitive in today’s job market. It’s about attracting and retaining top-quality talent to decrease your turnover rate and improve your productivity. Employees spend the majority of their time at work, and they need to feel valued. Create a supportive environment, aligning your growth objectives with employee experience for the best results.