Enhancing Employee Experience: What, Why & How

What is Employee Experience and Why is it Important?

Employee Experience looks at the perspective of, you guessed it… the employees. It’s all about how they feel, what they observe and how they understand the organisation they are employed at. Strong employee experience is gradually being recognised as one of the most important factors to consider in business and it has a big part to play in the success of any organisation. It is no longer a simple box to tick but a plethora of different aspects will come together to create a positive employee experience over time. 

You may be thinking… why is employee experience so important? Simply put, employee experience breeds happy, healthy and productive employees. Powerful employee experience is often a catalyst for many other important factors of business, such as employee engagement and retention, company culture and workforce productivity, and overall employee wellbeing. 

Employee Engagement and Retention

Whilst they have similar names, employee engagement and employee experience not the same. In fact, experience is a product of engagement; experience is the input and engagement is the output. Both are highly correlated with turnover and workforce productivity as they are measures of how willing employees will be to invest their time, energy and intellect into their job. 

Employee retention refers to the percentage of employees that stay employed at a company for a certain time period. Within most organisations it is beneficial for employees to stay working there for extended periods of time, yet over 10% of UK employees are leaving their roles within the first 6 months. One possible reason for this is a negative employee experience. Reasons for targeting high employee retention include keeping a sustained productivity flow, reduced time spent training new employees and reduced company costs. 

Company Culture and Workforce Productivity

Happy employees are productive employees. Creating a strong,  positive and open company culture is vital for any business. Employers have a duty to care for their employees to provide them with the appropriate support and to help them reach their personal and professional goals. The needs, wants and values should be consistent between employees and employers and if this is achieved a slew of benefits can be expected. Employees are likely to be able to work harder and produce more for the business, when they are able to focus solely on their work, without distraction. Most professionals have their list of requirements when it comes to the organisations that they want to work for, and company culture is almost always up there; for some, it is more important than location and even salary. People want to feel appreciated for their efforts and part of a community working towards a common goal, rather than just a cog in a wheel. 

Employee Wellbeing 

Fostering employee wellbeing is essential in any workforce or team. Strong employee experience is encompassing of employee wellbeing and in most cases, they go hand in hand. People flourish in healthy and open workspaces where they are supported; when, where and how they need it. It is the responsibility of the employer to provide the correct services and support systems for their employees. 

There are a plethora of benefits that come with investing in employee wellbeing strategies including reduced absenteeism and presenteeism, increased resilience and higher performance overall. 

How to Create a Positive Employee Experience?

It can be hard to nail down the right strategies for creating an employee experience to remember. There are several key factors that can affect the success of your employee experience endeavours. We have created a list of some of our top tips to get you started: 

Ask, listen, understand

Allowing your employees to voice their opinions and feel like they are being listened to is the first step towards creating that positive employee experience. By putting yourself in your employees shoes and trying to understand their viewpoints, businesses can begin to understand the best ways to support. There are countless ways to collect data such as through surveys, employee interviews, regular check-ins and crowdsourcing. 

Clear communication channels 

Clear communication channels are arguably the most important factor of employee experience. In many cases this starts with equipping line managers and team leaders with the right skills to allow others to feel able to vote any concerns freely and openly. Employees should always feel that they can speak to someone about anything they wish to. 

Inclusivity 

Each and every member of a team or workforce should feel and be treated like a valued asset to the company. It is important to take account of different people’s communication styles. Whilst some may shout their ideas from the rooftops, others may require more direct questioning with longer pauses to allow them to convey their ideas in meetings.

Wellbeing above all else 

Hero the importance of wellbeing and don’t let your employees forget that their wellbeing comes first. We’ve all been in situations where we allow our work to come before our mental, physical or emotional wellbeing. Businesses should lead by example and give their workforce the opportunity to look out for their own wellbeing.