It Creates Backlashes: The Employee Experience
Picketing. Disastrous reviews on Glassdoor. Widespread voluntary departures. An average—even mediocre—engagement rate. Uneven productivity. Lethargic managers. Behind all that, there is the power of the employee experience.
We had to work with two competitors: same product, similar in quality, same market. On one side, continuous profits, and on the other, crisis management that extends from the mass exodus of staff, which creates production problems, to reputation management. As you can imagine, everything in this story revolves around what the employees experience on a daily basis and how they feel about it. Furthermore, according to Business2Community, companies that take the time to mobilize their employees through concrete actions surpass their competitors by 202%. That’s not a small number.
Following the candidate experience, the employee experience can be felt through 15 key moments that are critical in terms of mobilization. Each of these points has a different significance for individuals. For example, let’s take onboarding and integration. For an executive position, the expectations will be quite different from a labourer position, both in terms of the meetings during the first day/week and the type of training required. However, they both want to know where to park, which door to use, who to ask for when they arrive, and what their first days with you will look like. This is where the aspect of collective personalization comes in—namely, creating large programs with unique features by position or persona.
Another highly undervalued aspect is the working environment. Humans are drawn to beautiful things. Why do you think Starbucks can sell its coffee at that price? The spaces are pleasant to the eye, their products are well-packaged, the murals are inspiring, and the displays are meticulous. Even when going through the drive-through, the black aprons and large white cups make you feel that you are treating yourself to luxury. The employee is looking for the same thing. Of course, remote work has led many companies to consider space reductions and “hotelling” (where employees no longer have assigned offices, but take an available space when they arrive), but the fact remains that an employer who offers outdoor tables, well-appointed rest areas, open WiFi, and good coffee will be more appreciated than an employer who doesn’t. And don’t forget: more than 75% of workers want to maintain a hybrid work mode, so if you invest in the premises, you don’t have to force your staff to come into the office five days a week. Many employers must cringe to read that, but the adaptability of organizations is key to their future success.
The thirteen other aspects, which are just as important, are divided into many subjects. The goal is always the same: rethink things to create a positive employee experience, which creates a positive feeling and even satisfaction for your staff. The result: mobilization, engagement, pride, retention, productivity, profit.
One thing we often repeat in conferences and which we will share with you here as well: you will never regret investing in your employees.