Employee engagement to employee experience

Octavia Tsibes
HR should focus on the individual

The very first interaction with a new employee matters and lasts until the last day of work for that employee. In terms of engagement, it helps nurture its strength throughout the lifecycle of employment. Employees need to see a commitment from the employer that includes the discussion of learning paths and opportunities for growth and stimulation. In short, employees, especially now are looking for the experience of work.

A shift is happening

What does that mean? In simplistic terms, employees are expecting more engaging and enjoyable work experiences. This is commonly referred to as the employee experience.

To further explain this concept, I will make a comparison to the customer experience.

Customer experience, at its most basic level, is the perception of your brand by the customer. Change ‘customer’ to ‘employee’ and you have the basic definition of employee experience.

For a long time, employers have not thought about the experience a worker has while employed by the company. Let me be clear. It’s not to say the thought hasn’t been considered, but it’s never been a defined concept. It appears 2018 will be the year where the HR community will see a significant push toward the employee experience.

The numbers appear to be trending in that direction.

A few years ago, the Temkin Group published a report that noted a correlation between employee engagement and success in the customer experience. The organization said companies that excel at customer experience have 1.5 times as many engaged employees as those that do not. To reinforce the statement, in one study Gallup has found 87% of employees worldwide are not engaged, but companies with high engagement outperform their competitors by 147% in earnings per share.

Available and emerging technology is certainly playing a part in the process. In fact, it’s part of the impetus for the change. As the race to digitize the workspace speeds up, it’s not enough for HR professionals to buy digital products. They also have to be digital.

Employing experience to beat a lack of engagement

As employees seek the workplace experience, it becomes abundantly clear they are looking for an individual experience. That’s a difficult pill to swallow, as HR professionals have mostly focused their strategies on a one-size-fits-all approach.

The HR community has long accepted each and every employee is different. There are similarities that exist from person to person, but overall, those similarities pale in comparison to the differences that exist. That’s why an employee experience strategy must focus on the individual and not the workforce body as a whole.

Employees want to be included in shaping their workspace and they want a voice in their own career development. Employee experience is all about creating a personalized employee journey. That can be done by applying a customer-centric approach. Just as you would outline the journey a customer takes with your company, do the same for an employee. This can be applied throughout the employment life cycle.

Retirement, termination, or resignation

Outline the desired outcomes for the company and the employee. This will allow both you, as a HR professional, and the employee to visualize the journey. Just as it is with the customer experience, this will help bring the company’s brand to life.

At least one company is stepping up its employee experience strategy. Alorica, the world’s third largest customer engagement provider, has appointed a new Chief Legal and Employee Experience Officer. Tania King’s duties include leading the company’s employee experience initiatives.

An important part of that connection is our culture, which centres around engaging and supporting our employees in a collaborative, family atmosphere.

Other factors include utilizing technology and enhancing digital tools specifically for our employees as an investment in their development. Another company, Cinemark, uses employees to keep each other engaged and to positively impact the employee experience.

https://www.hrexchangenetwork.com