What about the Employee Experience?
Every single employee that had ever worked for you had their own employee journey with different experiences. Time to start paying more attention to it.
We’ve heard so much about Customer Experience but not a lot about Employee Experience, and it is equally important for any business. The Employee Experience is one’s employee’s full lifecycle within an organization. Starting at the very beginning with seeing the job opening all the way to leaving a company. Understanding all phases of this lifecycle will help you create a better Employee Experience in your company.
Recruiting
The first stage is recruiting, but it starts with the very awareness of the job opening, whether a potential candidate has seen your ad somewhere, or heard about it, it doesn’t matter. Attracting new employees is part of it. It then includes all interviews you have with your candidates. And remember, it’s not only you who needs to be impressed, but you also have to leave a good 1st impression of your organization.
Onboarding
Once you’ve selected a candidate, it is time to introduce them to all the systems, tools, processes important for that position and train them. You want this phase to be as fast and smooth as possible, so that new employees get up to speed and start performing fast. You have to make sure that all expectations are clearly communicated. A good onboarding process can help improve productivity and engagement and boost long-term connections with the organization.
Development
Most people prefer a job where they have a chance to grow, advance and gain new skills and experiences. Providing them this opportunity will increase their satisfaction with their job and increase the retention rate. They will be motivated to perform better if they know that there is always a possibility to further grow.
Exit
Sooner or later, everyone leaves for different reasons. It might be time to retire, a better job offer, life changes, moving away… No matter the reason, this phase of an employee’s lifecycle is equally important. Since people are leaving your company anyways, they have nothing to lose, so in most cases they are honest about their likes and dislikes about the company and job position. This information can help you work on your weaknesses and help create a better Employee Experience in the future.
What most companies often overlook is this journey of every employee. Most pay way too much attention to Customer Experience, but do not understand that a positive Customer Experience depends on Employee Experience to a great extent. When it comes to stats, companies with good Employee Experience have 4x higher profits, and in average twice as high revenues. The retention rates are also obvious, and have in mind that replacing an employee can cost up to 60% of an annual salary.
Paying attention to the smallest of details in each phase and collecting feedback can help you a lot. But not just have one-way communication. Create open communication where everyone feels free to reach out and remember that everyone will have a different perception of your organization. Organizational culture, workspace and technology used in your organization can make a big difference throughout the whole employee lifecycle:
Organizational Culture
Can help you a lot! When your employees understand the company’s mission and vision and values it is easier for them to do their job. It also creates a sense of a big family that is collaborating in reaching the same goal. Culture helps employees create a stronger bond with the company and creates a sense of purpose and belonging.
Workspace
Is another thing you should work on. Creating the right environment can work wonders for a business. It can be everything from lighting, colors, open spaces, plants, you name it. As long as people feel comfortable and not distracted, they will be happier and do a better job. In the last few years, remote or hybrid working has become quite popular and favored, so you might want to consider that as well.
And of course, you cannot do a thing without technology these days. Providing your employees all necessary technology for a more efficient work will make their lives easier and boost productivity for your business. You want to help them, not hinder them.
In the end, the people make any business and you cannot go far alone. Make sure to ID all the phases of your employee’s lifecycle, and note all milestones. This is an ongoing process and you must constantly monitor it, and make adjustments along the way.
