Today, the conversation around optimal workplace practices has shifted from focusing primarily on efficient business processes and customer satisfaction to transforming the employee experience (EX).
Organisations are increasingly recognising the fact that employees are the driving force of a business, and much of their success hinges on a strong employee experience and culture.
An employee who is engaged and fulfilled at work will be more likely to perform well, thereby setting in motion a cycle of positive outcomes for both, the employer, and the employee. In fact, for businesses today, the employee experience that you provide is the most competitive advantage you can wield.
The Covid-19 pandemic proved to be a turning point in work cultures, globally. Employers and employees had to adapt to new ways of working.
Employee retention became even more critical during this time and organisations made a concrete effort to design a strong experience to attract, engage and develop employees. HR professionals particularly had a responsibility to get this right!
What Constitutes a Strong Employee Experience?
A holistic approach to making an employee feel ‘secure’ is the need of the hour. Apart from job security and fair remuneration, organisations must provide adequate medical protection and other wellbeing initiatives. Performers today seek fair pay, along with a healthy work culture that keeps them engaged and offers growth and these factors have become integral to employee retention. Employees no longer want to accept being just another cog in the wheel but want to be seen and heard in their journey.
A holistic employee experience can be examined from various angles — the individual level, organisational level, workforce level, and transition level. Organisations must identify and implement initiatives that enhance productivity, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Regular pulse surveys and listening tools can help with this. They can then create a set of key performance indicators to track impact, continuous improvement, and satisfaction over time. Companies can also benefit from improving the capabilities of HR teams to manage these better.
On an individual level, factors like leadership development, mental health facilities, and training programs to foster growth influence employee satisfaction. Organisations need to be wary of burnout and a lack of engagement for employees. Any gaps must be addressed effectively with sufficient measures.
Initiatives like walkathons, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness programs are being implemented more actively by companies.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Play a Critical Role in Empowering Employees from an Organisational Standpoint
Fostering a sense of belonging, nurturing, and support further enhances the security and wellbeing of your employees is imperative.
When faced with challenges, do they feel like their voices matter enough to effect change?
Are they experiencing any undue indiscrimination from their colleagues, manager, or boss that puts a strain on their wellbeing at work?
If so, do they feel safe enough to bring their concerns to light without jeopardizing their roles?
What are the measures that the HR team and the management have in place to gauge this?
Companies must constantly assess these factors and be equipped to handle such nuances of the workplace to ensure productivity and harmony, not just in the immediate scenario, but in the long term as well. This is the only way to build and strengthen company culture and set it up for sustainable success, even in the future.
Transition experience refers to the one that an employee has when either joining a company or changing roles internally. To manage this aspect, look at factors s candidate and onboarding experience. The level of support provided to help an employee navigate these waters to become more familiar and comfortable with the system will dictate this experience and differentiate the Employee Value Proposition.
A Hybrid Workplace is the Future
A McKinsey report confirmed that the future of work will involve increasing remote work, digital commerce and payments, and the rollout of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.
At the same time, there is a greater emphasis and need for connection, personalisation, and authenticity on a human level. As skills and roles evolve and become more fluid in the market, meaningful human conversations continue to be the valuable currency that fuel a strong sense of identity and belonging.
New-age performers desire agility, both in and around the workplace. Understanding that this is the key to designing a strong employee experience and culture that is progressive and effective, will help design a stronger and holistic employee experience for employees as well as the organisation.
References: People Matters and Mckinsey
