Employee Experience: Importance and Optimization

Within the current job market, employees are now seeking companies that provide a motivating, engaging, and productive work experience. Fair compensation is no longer solely enough to attract and retain the best talent. Employees want a workplace where they feel valued and passionate about their work with learning and development opportunities that help them grow their career.

When the employee experience is not prioritized, the entire company is negatively impacted, including the overall work culture and satisfaction with recruitment efforts. Offering employees a dynamic working environment and understanding their needs is critical to company success by increasing retention and profits.

What is Employee Experience?

Employee experience (EX) refers to a worker's perception about their journey in all their touchpoints within the organization, from onboarding to exit. This includes the initial job advert, the application and interview process, onboarding, performance reviews, and exit interviews.

Although employee engagement and employee experience are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between the two. Employee engagement refers to employees' engagement with their work and the company they work for, including factors such as job satisfaction and motivation. Employee experience, on the other hand, encompasses everything that an employee goes through during their time with a company. This includes their initial interaction with the company, when they leave, and everything in between.

EX involves three key components: 

1. Physical workspace, 
2. Culture, and 
3. Technology. 

Physical workplace refers to the building and its facilities offered to employees. Culture refers to the values, beliefs, and behaviors that make up a company. It makes a company unique and sets it apart from other companies. Technology refers to a company's systems and tools to do its work. This includes everything from email and collaboration tools to HRIS systems.

Creating a positive EX has numerous benefits, such as promoting more productive employees, reducing absenteeism rates, and increasing the quality of work. 

These are the five proven ways of improving your employee experience:

1 - Offer an Outstanding Onboarding Experience

The onboarding process sets the tone of EX in an organization. Developing a painless onboarding process is the first step towards creating positive impressions from incoming employees. It helps newly hired employees connect with their peers well and understand the organizational culture clearly. When the onboarding process is poor, it reduces employee motivation and affects company branding. Strong onboarding processes are shown to improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%.

As an employer, you should craft a plan that ensures new hires are appropriately introduced to the company, their job responsibilities, and their peers. Everything newly hired employees need should be in place, including the employee handbook, technology tools, and documents. It is also possible to automate the onboarding process through a high-quality Human Resources Management System software.

2 - Invest in the Right Tech Tools

Technology is among the most powerful pillars of EX. To optimize your EX, you must begin by providing them with the tools they need to perform their job well. Performing specific duties and responsibilities without the right tech tools becomes a massive headache.

The digital workplace is full of tools that can simplify routine tasks while streamlining work efforts. Investing in tools that alleviate your employee's workload pain points assures them that they are a true priority. They become more engaged and productive in the line of duties, which promotes a company's success.

3 - Provide Opportunities for Growth and Development

In the modern world, employees actively seek learning opportunities that support their individual goals and career path. Making personal and professional development a priority can positively impact employee productivity and retention in your company. When employees know that efforts are put in place to help them advance their careers, they feel motivated to work harder. In a workplace learning report by LinkedIn, 72% of employers reported that learning and development have become a more strategic function in their organization. 

Giving your employees a chance to upskill also gives your company a competitive edge in the market. Upskilling does not just mean completing a certification. It involves promoting a growth mindset and developing the right behaviors to match. Some employers allow their workers to take charge of their career learning path to give them a new sense of autonomy and confidence. 

However, providing guidance helps them know where they should focus their development. You should be clear about goals when implementing training programs in your organization. Find a technique that best suits your organization and employee preferences.

4 - Provide Effective Performance Reviews

Providing performance reviews is a practical employee experience management approach that enables them to track their progress and work towards improvement. Regular reviews also enable employees to understand how their efforts in their line of duties help towards achieving the organizational goals. A good review should reflect the actual employee performance without bias.

 When conducting your review, setting reasonable and achievable goals for your employees is critical. Too much pressure and excessive workload can lead to employee burnout and affect their productivity. The performance review process should be two-way, where the employees are also allowed to provide their feedback. Be sure to identify the knowledge gaps and conduct training programs to bridge them. 

5 - Invest in Employee Trust

There is a strong correlation between employee experience and employee trust. Employees with a positive experience with their employer are more likely to trust and feel more loyal to the company. On the other hand, employees with a negative experience with their employer are less likely to trust them and may be more likely to leave the company. Trust can determine employees' productivity and an organization's overall success. It is vital to keep in mind that trust is two-way.

 Employees expect their leaders to be strategic in their guidance, give honest feedback and be their true advocates. When employees trust their leaders, they also become confident in their work. When employees are confident in their workspace, they are able to kindle autonomy and growth. More organizations are embracing trust as an autonomous gateway. This independence makes employees more confident in their duties and eventually develop projects that add value to the organization.

Bottom Line

Employee experience has a powerful impact on every organizational aspect. It affects the performance, retention, work culture, productivity, and financial success of your company. When employees feel recognized and valued, their productivity and motivation increase, making it easier for them to meet their objectives.

 With the above tips, you can successfully optimize your employee experience and enjoy the benefits that come with it for your employees and organization.